$20 Game of the Week: Onimusha – Dawn of Dreams (PS2)

Hey, wasn’t this series supposed to end with the third installment? I guess Capcom either forgot, or wasn’t done milking it yet. Either way, I’m not complaining. This is one of the greatest franchises of last generation, and it’s always great to see another installment of Capcom’s demon-killing samurai saga rather than another Street Fighter 2 remake. It also takes the formula and makes some nice changes to it, while still keeping what makes the series so enjoyable to begin with.

The game takes place after Nobunaga’s death in Honnoji Temple at the end of Onimusha 3. (Oh yeah, and in actual Japanese history, albeit it should be noted that demons and Oni were not involved. Read all about it here.) You take control of series newcomer Soki, as you must fight against the corrupt rule of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Eventually, 4 other characters will join you as well. In fact, you’ll select one as an ally, assign orders, and even take control of them. In fact, you can unlock a special 2-player co-op mode. That’s not the only big change. Instead of the game being non linear as in past installments, the game is divided up into stages, each connected by a central hub where you can enhance your weapons, buy items, and even revisit other areas. Each of your allies has different abilities that are used to access certain places and solve puzzles, so you’ll want to make use of them. The other big change is the camera, which you can control using the right analog stick instead of being fixed as in past games.

One thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the awesome graphics, music, and cinemas that Onimusha is known for. Even though by now most people have made the jump to the next generation, it’s nice to see that there are game developers that still put 100 percent into titles for last generation systems. Even still, it’s gonna be awesome to see this series continue the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.