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Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
Text Review
The Onimusha series was one of the first series to really help kick off the PS2. Playing close to a medieval Resident Evil with a bit more focus on combat, it quickly gathered a solid fan base that connected to the setting and atmosphere. Its sequel, Onimusha 2, further improved upon all that made the original great – adding in a number of new features and improvements over the original, such as the companion system. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege manages to continue this trend, although not without a few speed bumps.
Samanosuke returns to the frontline of the war with the Genma, leading the charge against their Demonic Lord Nobunaga. Unfortunately, our veteran hero is far from ready and ends up thrown forward in time to 2004, landing in the middle of Paris. This is where we are introduced to the new playable character, Jacques Blanc, a Paris police officer who finds himself back warring states era of Japan. As the time lost warriors attempt to return to their own times, they must also gather the power needed to stop Nobunaga once and for all.
As fun as the storyline may sound, the inclusion of Jacques Blanc feels like little more than a tacked on advertising gimmick. While having a great actor like Jean Reno voice and model for the character is a great idea, he is poorly implemented story-wise and does more to hinder than help it. I couldn’t help but feel that by the end of the game I had wasted most of my time playing as Jacques, as it had little to no effect on anything plot related.
While the time travel may not make for a great story, it does certainly make for some of the best puzzles in the entire series. Cleverly thought out and implemented, the switching between characters is timed well and a fun mechanic that hasn’t been used this well since Chrono Trigger. Don’t expect any lack of them either; each dungeon is loaded with a number of puzzles that greatly help to break up combat.
Combat has also been improved, and the two playable characters ensure you will get a variety of it. Samanosuke is equipped with the standard array of swords, each with various elements on them to give them a special attack. While different in terms of looks and animation, his play style will be very familiar to fans of the original. Jacque, on the other hand, uses a much different way of fighting. Utilizing a whip sword – very reminiscent of Ivy from the Soul Caliber series – he is able to attack from a longer range and perform a variety of interesting moves on his enemies. The upgrade system from the originals is back in nearly the exact same form along the critical timing system that allows you to counter enemies’ attacks for massive damage. Casuals and hardcore gamers alike will be able to make the most out of this system and enjoy the challenge that comes with it.
It’s hard to keep a series fresh and exciting for three iterations, but Onimusha manages to do just enough to be worth the effort. While the storyline leaves much to be desired, the gameplay is a solid improvement over the earlier titles with a slew of new features to keep the fun going. The inclusion of extra modes, the occasional companion NPC to help you out and an awesome opening cinema help to make this a fine addition to the franchise. Long- time fans will find exactly what they are looking for, but new fans should probably hunt down the originals to bring them up to speed on the events leading up to Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.
- Jared Whisenand
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS2
Samanosuke returns to the frontline of the war with the Genma, leading the charge against their Demonic Lord Nobunaga. Unfortunately, our veteran hero is far from ready and ends up thrown forward in time to 2004, landing in the middle of Paris. This is where we are introduced to the new playable character, Jacques Blanc, a Paris police officer who finds himself back warring states era of Japan. As the time lost warriors attempt to return to their own times, they must also gather the power needed to stop Nobunaga once and for all.
As fun as the storyline may sound, the inclusion of Jacques Blanc feels like little more than a tacked on advertising gimmick. While having a great actor like Jean Reno voice and model for the character is a great idea, he is poorly implemented story-wise and does more to hinder than help it. I couldn’t help but feel that by the end of the game I had wasted most of my time playing as Jacques, as it had little to no effect on anything plot related.
While the time travel may not make for a great story, it does certainly make for some of the best puzzles in the entire series. Cleverly thought out and implemented, the switching between characters is timed well and a fun mechanic that hasn’t been used this well since Chrono Trigger. Don’t expect any lack of them either; each dungeon is loaded with a number of puzzles that greatly help to break up combat.
Combat has also been improved, and the two playable characters ensure you will get a variety of it. Samanosuke is equipped with the standard array of swords, each with various elements on them to give them a special attack. While different in terms of looks and animation, his play style will be very familiar to fans of the original. Jacque, on the other hand, uses a much different way of fighting. Utilizing a whip sword – very reminiscent of Ivy from the Soul Caliber series – he is able to attack from a longer range and perform a variety of interesting moves on his enemies. The upgrade system from the originals is back in nearly the exact same form along the critical timing system that allows you to counter enemies’ attacks for massive damage. Casuals and hardcore gamers alike will be able to make the most out of this system and enjoy the challenge that comes with it.
It’s hard to keep a series fresh and exciting for three iterations, but Onimusha manages to do just enough to be worth the effort. While the storyline leaves much to be desired, the gameplay is a solid improvement over the earlier titles with a slew of new features to keep the fun going. The inclusion of extra modes, the occasional companion NPC to help you out and an awesome opening cinema help to make this a fine addition to the franchise. Long- time fans will find exactly what they are looking for, but new fans should probably hunt down the originals to bring them up to speed on the events leading up to Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.
- Jared Whisenand
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS2
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