Capcom’s Onimusha collection had a moderately unusual life. Initially conceived as a ninja tackle Resident Evil for the Nintendo 64, Onimusha was subsequent pitched as a Sengoku-themed recreation for the primary PlayStation console. After reaching across the midway level of improvement, the staff determined to change the sport to the then-upcoming PlayStation 2 console. It ended up serving as one in all Capcom’s first large releases for Sony’s juggernaut, and with its success it appeared just like the writer had a brand new mainstay franchise. Only one console technology later, Onimusha was gone.
The whys and hows of which might be questions all unto their very own, however the finish outcome was that 2006’s Onimusha: Daybreak of Desires appeared to ship the collection limping off the stage for good. Most followers had given up hope by the point a remaster of the primary recreation within the collection was instantly launched on fashionable platforms on the tail finish of 2019. Was Capcom lastly contemplating a brand new Onimusha recreation? Years handed with little else to comply with it, and that spark of hope gave the impression to be flickering out. Then in late 2024, the large information arrived. Not solely was the second recreation within the collection getting a remaster, however a brand new title known as Onimusha: Means of the Sword was on the best way.
With most of Capcom’s latest main releases making their solution to the Nintendo Swap 2, it appeared possible that Means of the Sword would do the identical. We needed to wait some time for the affirmation, nevertheless it was lastly revealed that Nintendo’s console would get its model of the sport on the identical day as the opposite platforms. That is the primary time an unique entry within the mainline Onimusha collection is hitting a Nintendo platform even remotely inside its launch window. We’ve already seen a number of video games on the Swap 2 utilizing the RE Engine that powers Onimusha: Means of the Sword, and I think about a lot of you’ll know what degree of efficiency to anticipate from this model due to that. It’s clearly going to look and run higher on different, extra highly effective platforms, however in case you favor handheld play or solely personal a Swap 2, I believe what we’ve obtained right here is suitable.
Following within the footsteps of many of the earlier Onimusha video games, Capcom has used a well-known particular person’s likeness for the protagonist. To this point, the collection has featured Takeshi Kaneshiro, Yusaku Matsuda, and Jean Reno in lead roles. Nicely, they’ve gone and finished it this time. In Means of the Sword, the principle character Musashi Miyamoto’s face is patterned after none aside from Toshiro Mifune himself. He continuously labored with legendary director Akira Kurosawa through the course of his profession, showing in movies akin to Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Rashomon, The Hidden Fortress, and extra. Maybe extra appropriately, he additionally performed Musashi Miyamoto in Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy.
That is naturally restricted to his look, as Mifune handed away almost thirty years in the past. Nonetheless, Capcom’s animators have finished a wonderful job of capturing his rakish mannerisms for the hero of this recreation, and it’s all the higher for it. Miyamoto is by far essentially the most charismatic and charming protagonist this franchise has seen up to now, and that helps push the generally foolish narrative ahead virtually by itself. Should you’ve performed any of the Onimusha video games earlier than, you possibly can kind of anticipate an identical degree of narrative right here. The principle character comes into the Oni Gauntlet that offers them superb powers, Genma trigger bother, hero fights monsters, and numerous different characters comply with their very own targets amidst the battle. It serves its goal nicely sufficient.
That goal is to drive an enormous supernatural samurai journey, and that’s what you’ll get in Onimusha: Means of the Sword. When it was initially unveiled, I used to be considerably involved that the id of the collection was going to get misplaced in a useless try to chase the Soulslike style. I’m pleased to say that no matter cues have been taken from FromSoftware’s influential work, they’re restricted to those that make sense for an Onimusha recreation. It’s structured and performs like I might anticipate from a contemporary Onimusha recreation, shaking off a lot of the rustier components from these decades-old video games whereas honoring their need to make you’re feeling like a super-powered samurai battling towards forces of evil. Exploration, puzzle-solving, item-collecting, and upgrading your weapons and instruments stay large components of the expertise even when they’re not fairly as distinguished as in earlier titles.
The most important strides within the gameplay of Onimusha: Means of the Sword come within the fight. It has been considerably expanded over all the earlier video games, and it’s maybe right here the place one can spot some indicators of the Soulslike affect. The one-hit-kill Issen assault remains to be right here, and it feels nearly as good as ever to drag off. You may also parry incoming assaults, dodge, escape throws, get in sword clashes, and pull off lethal ending strikes. Whereas initially the vary of choices in battles is considerably restricted and the enemies moderately predictable, issues get significantly extra complicated and difficult as the sport goes on. You possibly can modify the issue if issues aren’t fairly proper, however the default problem is a reasonably strong one with out overdoing it. You will should correctly learn to struggle, although, otherwise you received’t get all that far.
Certainly, I believe this is likely one of the strongest factors of Onimusha: Means of the Sword. It’s consistently elevating the bar, nevertheless it by no means feels prefer it’s leaving the participant behind. It’ll actually check you, in some instances extra strictly than others. Nevertheless it by no means feels unfair about any of this, and it makes certain you will have issues mastered to a sure diploma earlier than it begins asking extra of you. By the tip of the sport, you’ll be doing the lethal dance of a seasoned samurai with out even realizing how far you’ve come since these preliminary clumsy battles. There are many methods to enhance your odds in case you occur to get actually caught. Capcom correctly nailed the issue curve right here. It’s satisfyingly spicy, nevertheless it desires you to beat its exams.
The Nintendo Swap 2 model of Onimusha: Means of the Sword is sort of related in efficiency to the likes of Pragmata and Resident Evil: Requiem on the platform. You possibly can select to repair the framerate to 30 frames per second on this recreation if you’d like extra steady efficiency, and that’s an choice I wouldn’t thoughts seeing put into earlier RE Engine Swap 2 video games through an replace. Whereas it could be good to have a greater framerate, it by no means felt like I used to be being hindered by the technical efficiency once I opted for the fastened 30 frames per second mode. The decision and visible element comply with go well with with the aforementioned video games, taking a noticeable step down from different platforms’ takes whereas nonetheless wanting fairly good for the Swap 2 {hardware}. Capcom has a very good deal with on the Swap 2, and it’s getting higher with every launch.
As a fan of the Onimusha collection, I’m thrilled with how nicely Onimusha: Means of the Sword has turned out. An enormous hole between the earlier recreation and the most recent one might have led to a variety of outcomes, and I believe we in some way ended up with simply concerning the best-case situation. It’s an enormous step past something the collection did earlier than, and but it nonetheless seems like an Onimusha recreation in all the suitable methods. The Swap 2 won’t be the most effective platform to expertise it on, nevertheless it holds its personal nicely sufficient to get by. Capcom has had a very unbelievable run of high quality releases this 12 months, and having the ability to play all of those video games on a handheld console with none crucial sacrifices continues to impress me.
Model Examined: Nintendo Swap 2Review Copy Supplied by Capcom
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