Onimusha: Warlords (PS4)

When I fondly look back at the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era, I think of the wonderful franchises birthed as high-definition came into its own. Despite bickering about 780p and 1080i, games had never looked better as polygons became densely packed together and textures were slicked with more pixels than ever before. Even with the blockbuster success of the PlayStation 2, the real deluge of new gamers flocked to Nintendo’s quirky Wii and an online market where people could competitively shoot each other in the face across the world with ease.

It was also a great time for publishers to sell you a product you may or may not have already owned. Remasters and collections became a hot commodity, stuffing multiple games onto a disc because those paltry DVDs couldn’t compare to the infinite space of a Blu-ray. So, just in case you missed out on that standard definition malarkey, here was the same game prettied up! Before the craze, however, Capcom dazzled with its Resident Evil remake for Gamecube that overhauled the visuals and added some nice gameplay touches to make the game feel less rooted in a time when those corny cutscenes were acceptable. That’s why–and in light of the Resident Evil 2 remake–I’m left wondering where on the spectrum the HD remaster of Onimusha: Warlords falls.

Released in 2001 on the PlayStation 2, Onimusha was nestled between the Resident Evil and Devil May Cry franchises. The Capcom trademarks of tank controls, fixed camera angles, and pre-rendered backgrounds were all there. In the first of a trilogy, players control Samanosuke in his quest to rescue Princess Yuki from hordes of demons and an evil version of Nobunga Oda (who we’ve seen as a pretty alright guy in other games). In a campaign that may take less than seven hours, Onimusha is by no means a slog. The game never wears out its welcome, as players are shuffled through battles and puzzles at a brisk pace. Those looking for something beyond “rescuing a princess from another castle” will be met with an underlying plot about the demon world and channeling dark forces for evil.

The charm of Onimusha is only enhanced by the English audio track. Voice acting in gaming was still coming into its own during the PlayStation 2 era. Onimusha‘s voices aren’t necessarily laughable but the amount of hammy delivery keeps you on your toes. Upon booting up the game I had a nice chuckle and wondered if I could switch over to Japanese audio. I could but chose to keep the English voices for the first hour of the journey. Sometimes there’s nothing like basking in the glow of nostalgia.

In the past 18 years, gameplay has evolved leaps and bounds. Genres have been overhauled to impress in ways that no one would have believed possible. Which is why I’m so impressed that after all this time, Onimusha‘s gameplay loses very little of its luster. The act of hacking and slashing through demons is frequently satisfying, despite how static Samanosuke stands. Players can parry and block attacks, which is more freeing using the directional stick (purists have the option of using the directional pad for tank controls). Defeating enemies spews their souls into the air which can then be absorbed and used as currency to upgrade the three elemental swords at Samanosuke’s disposal. Backtracking is to be expected and players will encounter a number of puzzles that break up the action. At certain intervals, gameplay will switch to Kaede, a female ninja with her own set of tools.

Onimusha strikes me as a trendsetter for many games that came after it. Nioh, perhaps the prime example, could have passed as an Onimusha sequel when it was first shown off. Absorbing souls? It has Dark Souls written all over it, not to mention the subtle combat overtones. The DNA of Onimusha is coded into various games where players hack and slash at opposing forces in a deliberate way. Still, it’s hard to ignore that while Onimusha may have built groundwork, other games have done it much better.

Entertainment is not a problem and I think many who pick up this remaster of Onimusha will relive fond memories or form new ones. But more than anything, Onimusha: Warlords HD acts a time capsule for a game nearly two decades old. Capcom has done the bare minimum when crafting this product for the current generation.

A high-definition coat of paint has been slathered all across Onimusha. Unfortunately, the work done here simply makes PlayStation 2 pre-rendered backgrounds and character models look distinctly sharper… and not in a great way. Samanosuke’s limited amount of polygons can sometimes stick out like a sore thumb. Resident Evil often framed camera cuts and angles to maximize the horror of the Spencer Mansion. Watching Chris or Jill walk into frame as an empty hallway laid before them filled the player with suspense. In Onimusha, shots are used to give players a better layout of enemy placement or tease an upcoming room. Years ago, the work put into these backgrounds was meaningful and impressive. In HD, they can look like a person was trying to increase the size of a thumbnail in MS Paint. NPCs, enemies, and the player stand out more than they did before. CGI cutscenes built from old tech also fail to look as impressive as they once did.

To further solidify the feeling that you are playing a game from yesteryear, old mechanics issues remain. Though you won’t have to use an ink ribbon, there is no auto-saving in Onimusha. Players must manually save at specific locations and upon death will lose any precious minutes of progress made. This is worsened by the inability to skip cutscenes. Death during a boss fight can result in a lot of repetition. I can’t speak for the ease at implementing some of these necessary changes into a remaster but the effort would have been worth it to freshen up the experience.

So who exactly was this game made for? I’m uncertain why those who lack any previous attachment to Onimusha would have it on their radar outside of wanting to sample a legacy game. I naturally assume fans that have long since abandoned their old consoles will dive right in for an evening or weekend with an old favorite. With a $20 pricetag, Onimusha: Warlords‘ HD remaster isn’t a bitter pill to swallow. I think that any player who plays it won’t regret their time, especially with the already short length. But it’s difficult to get over the lack of features given to one of Capcom’s best-selling franchises.

Which leaves me to believe Capcom is in the process of testing the waters and gauging interest in revitalizing Onimusha. After all, mystical ninjas who fight demons have become quite popular. Capcom is finally beginning to remember its heritage by trying to pay respect to the millions of players that have picked up a controller and played its games. Mega Man (but, tragically, not X), Resident Evil, and Devil May Cry are getting the limelight. Maybe it’s Onimusha‘s turn next.