Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny-ein Remaster, von einem Meister

The destiny of the Samurai in question was first followed under the direction of Motohide Eshiro in 2002. In the original Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, a fan favorite of the early aughts, a young Japanese warrior named Jubei returns to his ancestral village, only to find it has been laid waste by the followers of the warlord-turned-demon Nobunaga. Vowing revenge, Jubei begins his quest for justice and retribution, as the evil of Nobunaga and his followers continues to spread across feudal Japan.

The 2002 version was a lesson in authenticity. The TV and video game writer Noboru Sugimura (whose credits include Resident Evil 2—his entrée into the world of games—Dino Crisis 2, and Resident Evil: Code Veronica) was a co-writer, and Jubei was modeled after famed Japanese TV and movie actor Yusaku Matsuda. Motohide’s Samurai credentials were established as a director on the original edition of Onimusha 2. So, when Motohide announced he was returning to Onimusha 2, again as director, fans could assume that this incarnation would be made with all the care poured into the 2002 version. It was our pleasure at Intel Gaming Access to turn back time and at the same time look to the future (a May 23^rd release date for the remaster, to be specific), and welcome Motohide Eshiro to talk about inspiration, upscaling, and his attention to detail in the remastering process.

Onimusha: Warlords received the remaster treatment in 2018, so this isn’t a new experience for Motohide, but an expansion. “Onimusha 2 builds on the world of Onimusha: Warlords,” he tells us, “and greatly improves upon its swordplay. One of the main things to look forward to is the addition of four allies that you can give items to increase your affinity, resulting in branching story paths and extra playable characters. There’s a variety of experiences to be found here.”

The allies make for a diverse story path; they have their own aims, these are no mere servants, as you would expect from such a complex world that hosts warlords, traitors, noble swordsmen, and demons. Sometimes the allies fight each other for dominance, but they carry an affinity value which means an alliance with Jubei can gain in strength, though a weak bond, or value, can mean betrayal is on the cards. Jubei’s chosen ally can make a world of difference to how the journey pans out, as does the new “Hell” mode. For those who have completed the previous version of Onimusha 2, even on hard or critical, this will test you. Hell mode means you die from a single hit, and recovery items are rendered useless. It’s a battle for survival that adds a desperate intensity. “In terms of inspirations,” Motohide says, “we basically took a look at the previous [remastered] game, Onimusha: Warlords, and improved the action and added a lot more content. The Onimusha series differentiates itself in the action genre by having a unique setting that mixes actual historical figures with fictional elements like demons.”

You can engage the demons in combat using a variety of weapons, and even absorb vanquished souls from them (this is an incredibly cool bit). Souls come in four types and colors, and aid with recovery, weapons, or magic powers. Five purple souls turn you into an invincible Onimusha, which is a power you can activate by choice, unlike in the original where the transformation was automatic. The Critical Attack feature survives, and thrives—you can chain Critical Attacks for a relentless onslaught. That’s not all that makes a difference to the reimagined mayhem: keep an eye on those NPCs, too. “Every time you visit the town of Imasho,” Motohide reveals, “the NPCs walking around will change. If you talk to them a couple of times, they might give you items, so I strongly recommend talking to everyone you meet, both in town and in the mines.”

So much has changed in the decades since Onimusha 2 sliced its way into gamer’s hearts. A surprising amount, on the development side. “While developing the original version of Onimusha 2, we had to program it without using a game engine,” Motohide recalls. “When it was decided that this remaster was going to be developed in [Capcom’s] RE Engine, we had to construct all of the systems from scratch again, which was a daunting task, but since the dev team was very diligent in getting acquainted with the engine, we managed to finish the project without too much trouble.”

Less manual coding must have meant more time to think about extras, because there’s a lot of added value there. The Gallery from the original has now over 100 pieces with new special artworks; all assets, including 3D character models, visual effects, CG cut scenes, backgrounds, UI, and fonts, are now in high definition. Cut scenes can also be skipped from the start, there’s an added auto-save feature, you can swap weapons without having to open the menu, and easy mode is now available by default for players who just want to enjoy the story. For a high-octane, high-definition take on a proven classic, look no further. Gamers, it’s time to reclaim your destiny.

Purchase Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny on Steam