It’s been a while since I’ve played an Onimusha game, but with Onimusha: Way of the Sword bringing the franchise back after an 18-year hiatus, I feel that itch again.
Onimusha: Warlords was admittedly remastered back in 2019, but Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny holds a special place in my heart, as it’s the first Onimusha game I ever played. I still have my original copy on the PlayStation 2.
Our preview will only cover the opening 2-3 hours of the story, and while we’ll do our best to touch on everything here, be sure to stay tuned for our full review for some more detailed thoughts.
A Change of Pace
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny will feel familiar to anyone who has played the original version, but Capcom has certainly made sure that it feels way more modern, both visually and mechanically. The game sees you playing as Jubei Yagyu, a samurai warrior who returns to his hometown village to find everyone has been slain by the evil demonic Genma army, led by the iconic Nobunaga Oda.
What follows is a relatively straightforward revenge tale, with the opening hours of the game allowing you to trek through the village and into a small mining town.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny might be considered the best entry in the series by many, but it’s also a little more linear in comparison to its predecessor, Onimusha: Warlords, for example, which sees you wandering off the beaten path a little more often. That being said, it’s much more engaging through its more frequent cutscenes and cinematic quality, which still feels relatively solid even in 2025.
As Jubei must obtain five powerful orbs to gain the power required to defeat Nobunaga, the game does a great job of directing you through its many corridors and environments, all of which look much sharper and more detailed. We shall touch on that a little further down the track.
There’s even a decent supporting cast of characters along for the ride, which you meet rather early on in the game, which can help and change your playthrough depending on whether you help them in battle or not at certain points in the story, and can even pop into existing cutscenes. While that comes a little later on in the experience, it’s a nice change of pace compared to Onimusha: Warlords, and one that I prefer.
Slash Away
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny still allows you to use the tank controls via the directional buttons, if you’re brave enough, but the left stick now allows Jubei to move freely in any direction. It certainly helps the experience feel more modern, but the fixed camera angles are still a little annoying.
I get its Resident Evil inspirations and origins, but it still feels a little wonky as you often have to adjust which way you’re headed as the camera suddenly shifts. It’s also really annoying in combat when an enemy is in a position between two camera angles and it keeps jumping between them.
That being said, combat is still decent. It’s easy enough to learn as you have your basic attack button, but you can also block, dodge and counter by attacking at the last possible second before an enemy attack. Players also gain access to magical abilities early on by collecting souls. The game even allows you to bank special souls, which activate your invincible Onimusha mode, where in the original, this would automatically activate as soon as you pick it up.
Switching weapons can also be done on the fly by holding the left shoulder button and switching with the directional buttons, whereas in the original, you would have to switch in and out of the menu. It helps keep the flow of combat while allowing you to experiment on the fly and with less friction.
Look the Part
For a remaster of a 23-year-old game, this also looks pretty good. The nicer resolution certainly helps, but the more detailed character models and pre-rendered backgrounds look and feel so much nicer, without sacrificing or changing the original aesthetic of the game.
So far, it’s also running relatively well, and I haven’t noted any frame rate drops of any kind at this point. While that seems par for the course for an older game like this, it simply makes it all the more engaging.
Thoughts So Far
The Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster is shaping up to be a welcome return for one of the best games in the franchise. Its quality of life improvements, like 360-degree movement and in-game weapon switching,g seem rather tame, but they help a great game feel fresh and modern as a result.
It’s also looking super clean and running incredibly well, and we can’t wait to dive in for our full review next month.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny releases on May 23, 2025, on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. Stay tuned for our official review closer to release.
