With
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite fast approaching release, I've taken some
time to look at the conversation surrounding the game. The vast
majority of the criticism stemmed from the seeming lack of characters
on the roster. Fresh faces. Nods to beloved and forgotten franchises
cast aside by the former premier fighting game developer in favor of
their perennial cash cows. Among the characters and series that've
been long-clamored for (by myself as well as many others), there
exists the tale of... a samurai.
There
have been numerous games to come onto the scene that take historical
fiction and turn the content into an imminently entertaining time on
the consoles for which they've been developed. The Musou games,
Bladestorm and most recently Ni-Oh from Koei Tecmo immediately spring
to mind. However, Capcom has been taking their stab at historical
fiction action games as well with the Sengoku Basara series and, of
course, Onimusha.
While
the first game in the series, Onimusha: Warlords, could be described
as “Resident Evil w/samurai” and the follow-up (Samurai's
Destiny) introduced players to Magoichi, Fuuma, Ekei and a Jubei
Yagyu that looks strangely like action legend Sonny Chiba, it was
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege that really got its hooks into me as a gamer
and endeared me to this series. It's time, once again, to dive into
The Backlog and see just what this game brings to the table. So
polish your Oni Gauntlets and sharpen your swords.
Sights
and Sounds
For
a game that came onto the scene in the early third of the PS2's life
cycle, the rendering and overall visual design of this entry in the
series is pretty solid! One could only imagine how Onimusha 3 would
look when the textures and models are scaled up to any of the widely
recognized HD resolutions. All that aside, considering that Onimusha
3 sees the return of the main hero from the first game as well as
antagonists from the first two, a lot of the enemies are recycled
foes. So, if you've had plenty of time to face off against the Genma
archers or the brutes with the tetsubo, then you've got a good
understanding of what to expect.
There
certainly are a few new faces to deal with, though, like those creepy
slug-type monsters that split into smaller spawn when defeated by
normal attacks. There are also new floating wizard-type enemies that
cast rings to either damage or freeze you in place. There are also,
of course, new locations for you to traverse through in your battle
against the Genma. This is bolstered by the fact that the game takes
place across two different time periods: Sengoku Era Japan and Paris,
France circa 2004.
From
a visual standpoint, one of the highlights of this game is the
beautifully mo-capped opening sequence directed by none other than
Donnie Yen. Another big visual draw is the rendered likeness of
returning star Takeshi Kaneshiro as he's teamed up with Jean Reno the
leading man in Leon the Professional.
When
it comes to the sounds of Onimusha, everything is sufficiently
thematic for a supernatural fantasy game. Clashes and slashes have a
certain weight to them, the Genma howl and screech with unsettling
feral tones. Spoken dialog can be a bit rough on the delivery, but is
solid nonetheless. The definite high point of the sound design,
though, is the soundtrack. In particular, the return of Samanosuke's
theme from the first game in the series.
To
say that this looks and sounds like an Onimusha game, well that's a
given. However, compared to the first, Onimusha 3 had gotten quite a
bit of polish and it certainly shows.
Going
Hands-On
It's
not just in the audiovisual department that Onimusha 3 is a step up
from its immediate predecessors. The gameplay has been considerably
refined and even expanded on for this iteration. While movement is
still on the tanky side, combat has seen some improvements that make
the action feel a lot more fluid once you pick up the controller.
Even after going for years without playing it, I was able to quickly
adjust to the movement, targeting and pacing of attacks. Acquiring
the new slate of Oni weaponry was just as rewarding as always.
Re-learning various strategies in the Oni training was a joy and
unique abilities were powerful, yet incredibly well balanced.
This
is only enhanced by the fact that there are two fully playable
heroes, this time around. Samanosuke is familiar territory for fans
of the series that've stuck with it since Warlords. The new Oni
weapons he can acquire bring new elemental attacks to the battle. The
twin blades called Tenso are light-based, while Kuga is a wind-themed
nodachi. Bringing up the rear is the powerful, earth-based battleaxe
Chigo. For long range, you get various elemental arrows and for
maximized melee damage there's the “Ten-point Slash,” a unique
10-strike combo that requires knowing the rhythm of your current
weapon's unique attack string.
Jacques,
the new Oni Warrior to join the fight after being flung to the past,
is granted the Oni Whip to go with his gauntlet. With Jacques,
players are greeted to the classic slate of elemental weaponry for
fire, lighting and ice damage. Enja is a fire-based snake sword,
while Raisen brings the thunder in the form of a sansetsuyari
(3-section-spear). The chilling frost comes in the form of Hyosai, a
straight-up, spiked ball-and-chain! What Jacques also brings to the
table, as a result, is a unique long-range game. He can use his
flexible and extendable weaponry to tag flying enemies that require
Samanosuke to load up on arrows before engaging. Also, Jacques can
use his weapons to grapple enemies, objects and even special Oni
Fireflies to reach high places.
Among
the familiar mechanics of Soul Absorption and using the Protective
Mirrors to save/upgrade, the Dark Realm portals that take you to
bonus challenge areas and the trick puzzle boxes littered throughout
the game, the newest change comes in the form of Ako, the Tengu
spirit. On the surface, Ako seems like a nice little gofer for items
that drop during battle, but what really makes her shine is the
different colored vests (haori) that you can find and equip. Each
comes with its own passive buffs that apply to your character, like
being able to auto-recover health.
From
a control standpoint, Onimusha 3 is one of those sequels where even
though the change from the previous game isn't drastic in the
quantitative sense the QUALITATIVE leap from Samurai's Destiny
to Demon Siege is exceedingly and immediately noticeable.
Compare
and Contrast
It's
that time again, Neighborhood. Time to ask the question: Does this
game have what it takes to withstand the tests of time and also
competition? Well, in order to do that, we need to find its closest
modern-day competitor and that search is easy enough. I even
mentioned it earlier. That would be Koei-Tecmo's newest historical
fiction offering, Ni-Oh. Classic tank controls notwithstanding, the
combat in Onimusha 3 is much like Ni-Oh in that it is grueling yet
fair. To get the most out of your chosen hero, whether it be Will
Adams, Samanosuke or Jacques, you need to have a keen sense of your
surroundings and make use of all your available skills.
Facing
off against fantastical, supernatural creatures and fictionalized
avatars of famous historical figures is a hallmark of both Ni-Oh and
the Onimusha series. While the former focuses on a hero foreign to
Japanese shores, Onimusha takes a more immediate viewpoint with
Hidemitsu Samanosuke Akechi. The similarities between the two are
readily apparent. The question remains, though... Can Onimusha
compete?
To
be honest, the game holds up really well, graphically. Perhaps a
redubbing of the spoken dialog in the game and scaling up (if not
remaking) the visuals could really give this game a chance to shine
even brighter in the current gaming market. Only time will tell if
Capcom will even truly acknowledge this franchise once more.
Long
Story Short
As
far as sequels go, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is a textbook example of
how to bring back the old and inject new life into its franchise.
Fans of the classic Samanosuke from the first game are treated to
having him as an accompanying hero, while those who want to see the
samurai evolve will have access to him directly. The inclusion of
Jacques was a brilliant move, even though during the initial
development the game was set to include New York as opposed to Paris.
If
this game were to make a resurgence today, without significant
improvements to the gameplay, it could very well be written off as a
Ni Oh clone and yet another attempt by Capcom to muscle in on
territory previously occupied by Koei Tecmo ala Capcom's Sengoku
Basara series as compared to Sengoku Musou.
Does
Onimusha 3 pass the test of time? With flying colors.
Can
it pass the test of competition? That would be more of a struggle,
but it's certain that the game could do pretty well in today's
market. I'd love to see Onimusha make a comeback, as the franchise
has some amazing characters and the stories among the different
protagonists are expertly woven together. Here's to hoping we haven't
seen the last of Samanosuke Akechi.
On
that note, Stay Good Neighborhood.
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