Summary
It’s hard to believe thatOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destinywas released in 2002 on the PS2, and now it’s finally back after two decades. It tookCapcom a long time to make another remasterin this franchise afterOnimusha: Warlordsreceived its remaster in 2019 in North America. Not only that, they’re also making a new game,Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
It’s a good time to be anOnimushafan, and this remaster ofOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destinyhas some nice quality-of-life improvements. There is one immediate downside, though. There is no attract mode trailer featuring the amazing song"Russian Roulette" by Tomoyasu Hotei, which was in the original. Give that a listen and then find out what makes this remaster good.
6Most Things Are Unlocked From The Start
From Difficulties To Modes
The original release was barebones when players started, but after at least one completion, things unlocked. Now, most of those things are unlocked from the start via Special Features. The most important option has to be the base five difficulty modes: Easy, Normal, Hard, Critical, and Hell.
It’s a bevy of content for fans to dive into for those who want a challenge or newcomers to ease themselves into thishorror-filled samurai experience. There’s also a variety of bonus modes, including The Man in Black, Team Oni, and Puzzle Phantom Realm. All of which will unlock additional content upon completing them. There are outfits for Jubei and Oyu, along with artwork, too.
5Controls Like A Dream
And Quick Switching Weapons
Even though the PS2 version had analog support since that’s what the system launched with,Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destinyhad to be played with the D-Pad using tank controls. The tank controls still exist for those who want to experience them in the remaster, but it’s a lot better to play the game using the sticks. The remaster still has fixed camera angles, so it can be confusing when scenes change, but it’s easier to manage withoutactual tank controls.
Another control fix is the ability to switch weapons while playing faster. Players can hold down L2 and then use the left D-Pad to switch between ranged weapons and the right side to sift through the four main elemental weapons. It’s not perfect, but it is better than what came before, and the menu is still an option, too.
4Onimusha Mode
Holding Off On A Good Thing
Players can absorb red souls used for upgrading, blue souls to replenish magic, and yellow souls to heal. They can also absorb giant purple souls, and five will transform Jubei into his Onimusha form. Acting likea Limit Break, players can activate it by pressing the L2 and R2 buttons simultaneously.
Whatever weapon players are holding will get increased damage, and they can also shoot purple orbs at enemies, which will hone in on them. The meter will deplete quickly, but it can certainly give players an edge in boss battles. In the original version, collecting the fifth orb would transform Jubei automatically, but now players can strategically hold onto it.
3Skipping Through Cutscenes
Also, A Warning System
There’s nothing worse than wishing to pause a cutscene for whatever reason, only to have it skip instead. Most modern games will pause the game and then offer players a button to skip if they wish. In the original version ofOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, most cutscenes were not skippable, and if they were, one wrong button push would go through it.
In the remaster, every cutscene can be skipped, but to administer it, players have to hold the start button, which is a better warning system than before. This option includes skipping past mechanics like if a door is opening or a ladder is slowly descending down a hole. To be clear, no one should skipOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny’s story the first time around as it’s one of the most bonkers and cheesynarratives on the PS2, but the option is nice for future playthroughs.
2The Save Options
Automatic Checkpoints
Gone are the days of having to worry about buying memory cards for systems. The original version ofOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destinyallowed players to save ten times per memory card, so theoretically it could be infinite, albeit expensive. The remaster has twenty save slots, which is more than enough.
Some fans like to keep their favorite parts in a game a save click away without having to replay an entire campaign, which is why this feature is nice in the remaster. Besides the manual saves, players now get an autosave feature. It’s a good way to checkpoint players in case they die beforea save point,or in extreme circumstances, the power goes out.
1Honors And Trophies
Another Reason To Replay
Depending on the difficulty mode selected,Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destinymay take players anywhere from six hours to nine hours, and that’s not even including the extras. It’s a breezy campaign that just goes, and unfortunately, there isn’ta New Game+ mode, although it does track progress between playthroughs. It’s hard to explain without spoilers, but there is a system at play, so it’s a good idea to replay the game at least once.
Trophies in modern games are another reason to replay games a few times. InOnimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, they are known as Honors, and they are easy to track in the options menu without having to backtrack to the system’s homepage. This applies to all versions and not just PlayStation, of course.
