Summary:
- The remaster elevates the original PS2 game by featuring high-def graphics that improve intricate details of costumes and environments.
- The remaster maintains the classic survival horror feel and gameplay, but has updated controls to be more natural and less reliant on dated tank movement.
- Some basic design flaws with gameplay remain, but the quality-of-life features modernize the experience overall.
If you’re looking for a new twist on an old favorite, this review of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is for you! This remake has plenty of fans from the original, who loved Capcom’s wild mix of samurai action and supernatural thrills. Capcom has rebooted Onimusha 2, and it’s been polished, but will it live up to the past as new?
Classic Action, Fresh Look
The remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny gives the classic action game, once upon a time released on the PS2, a facelift with upgraded HD graphics. It’s crazy how much detail is visible in character costumes with HD. Everything looks so good visually, from the characters to the environments. It truly enhances the cinematic feel of the experience when the original game looked so flat by comparison.
The improved HD resolution and 60FPS performance unlocks the ambience of swordplay and makes it feel more responsive than before. And now with the modern upscaling processes, details like the backgrounds look better than ever. The remaster keeps many things that made the original game a beloved fan favorite without losing that survival horror feeling.
Combat and Gameplay Revisited
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster goes back to the roots of the original game’s battle mechanics. They retained the overall beat-for-beat soul-absorption element felt throughout the remastered game. The remaster also makes combat a little smoother by updating the controls to a modern control scheme and using less of the old tank controls. So, moving around is a lot easier, and it doesn’t stop the game if you want to switch between weapons.
The ally system is still in place, and the relationship with your companions influences the battle support you can get. This depth/utility adds to the experience of encounters and ultimately some of the story progress. Overall, the refinements to the controls lead to the combat to have a nostalgic feel, but being accessible. Some gamers may feel the combat on Normal is a little too easy by updating the controls.
Even with these improvements, the remaster certainly keeps the annoying design choices that could be and might be annoying for players used to playing modern games. One of the major flaws of games of the early 2000s, the already outdated fixed-camera angles, can sometimes make it difficult to see enemies during combat. Resembling the original game from 2000, the enemies respawn frequently and often disrupt the pacing, especially if you’re not accustomed to this design choice. The remaster, however, adds some quality of life improvements such as auto-save and the ability to skip cutscenes.
Extras and New Features
Back with remastered, the game features a good chunk of new extras and features. The remaster boasts the “Hell” mode, the hardest mode in the game, where taking a single hit means instant death. This one is definitely only for the most hardcore of the game. But there are easier options, too, such as Easy mode right out of the gate to enjoy the story.
Besides these gameplay additions, the remaster adds to the gallery section of the game, with 100 new pieces of artwork. It also includes the original soundtrack, which is nice for the overall experience and for the nostalgia factor for fans. Additionally, players who pre-order or purchase the early “Onimusha 1 + 2 Pack” will receive the “Orchestra Album Selection Pack“. This pack features orchestral music tracks and also cool in-game items to help them on their journey. Finally, for players who have saved data from the Onimusha: Warlords remaster from 2019, Jubei will have a special outfit unlockable from Samanosuke from the original Onimusha game.
Conclusion
After checking out Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster in this review, there’s no denying that it still packs a punch. This game is nothing short of entertaining with the new polish over it, and is a good choice for anyone looking to relive that classic samurai action. Some of the outdated mechanics may be awkward and clunky, but these are not negatives. They’re just things that make it unique in comparison to games in this genre being developed today.
