Onimusha: Warlords 25 years later: samurai horror still packs a punch

In 2001, Onimusha: Warlords became the first PlayStation 2 game to sell over a million copies.Capcom combined the structure of early Resident Evil with Japanese history, demons, and sword fighting.The result was not a simple transfer of the familiar formula, but a separate type of survival horror.

Samurai Samanosuke Akechi arrives at Inabayama Castle after receiving a letter from Princess Yuki.Instead of a normal war, he discovers the missing people and Genma demons.Together with the ninja Kaede, the hero must find Yuki and figure out why the forces of Oda Nobunaga contacted the monsters.

Resident Evil with a sword - only at first glance

The games do have a lot in common: fixed cameras, pre-drawn backgrounds, locked doors, puzzles and limited inventory.Onimusha even started out as an idea for a Resident Evil spin-off about ninjas.But the fast melee changed the rhythm.

Zombies could be walked around and left in the corridor.Demons actively put pressure, block attacks and force you to choose the moment to strike.Samanosuke is able to defend himself, move to the side and carry out an instant issen counterattack.An accurate response is more dangerous than a regular series of strikes, but requires reading the enemy's animation.

Souls link battle and development

The Oni Glove absorbs the souls of defeated demons.Red ones are used to improve weapons and magic spheres, yellow ones restore health, blue ones restore magic.To collect them, you have to stop for a moment next to a still dangerous battlefield.

This slight delay creates a decision after each victory: immediately take resources or first make sure there is no threat left nearby.Leveling is also simple and straightforward.Enhanced weapons open doors of the corresponding color and at the same time give access to more powerful magic.

The short duration works in the game's favor

The first playthrough takes approximately six to eight hours.By modern standards, this is not enough, but Onimusha spends almost no time on repetitive tasks.The castle gradually opens up, new types of weapons appear on time, and the plot moves from one staged scene to another.

There are also weak points.The small inventory requires returning to the chest, individual puzzles are poorly explained, and Kaede is noticeably weaker than Samanosuke.Fixed camera angles sometimes hide the enemy at the edge of the screen.But the compactness prevents these problems from accumulating.

What did the remaster fix?

The 2019 re-release added high resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, analog stick control and the ability to immediately select easy difficulty.The player can switch to the classic 4:3 ratio, and a new music recording replaces the original soundtrack.

This is a careful remaster, not a remake.The backgrounds and animations still show their age, the videos look softer than modern images, and the structure remains the same.But the game runs conveniently on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch without emulating the old console.

Why come back now

Onimusha: Warlords shows how well a game works with clear boundaries.There is no open world and dozens of side systems.There is one castle, several types of weapons, a clear threat and combat that becomes more interesting as you master an accurate counter-strike.

The series returns again with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, so the first part is especially useful as a short introduction to its basics.25 years later, Warlords demands patience for the old camera, but doesn't ask for an age discount in the main things: the sword strike, the absorption of souls and the tension in front of a closed door still work.

What is your favorite part of Onimusha?