Review for Onimusha: Warlords. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Steam, Xbox and Xbox One, the video game was released on 06/07/2001 The version for PC came out on 15/01/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 15/01/2019 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 15/01/2019 The version for Xbox One came out on 15/01/2019
The 2019 videogame - we like to repeat it again and again - will be the year of Capcom. Dangerously ended up on the verge of a debacle from which it seemed impossible to recover, the Japanese company has been able to pull out its teeth, proving that it has not yet completely lost that creative flair that had made it a real industry giant in past decade.
And so, riding the wave of enthusiasm of the sensational success of Monster Hunter: World, which made Capcom's 2018 a real triumph, both financially and in the media, the company has decided to score the blow of the KO for this 2019, presenting himself at the starting line with more than one arrow in his bow. And what arrows! Alongside the highly acclaimed return of Dante, with that Devil May Cry 5 which will arrive in March and the highly anticipated remake of Resident Evil 2, which will see the light in a few days, the Japanese giant has decided to dust off another of its flagship products of the past years. We are talking about a work that at the beginning of the new millennium has been able to bewitch millions of gamers from all over the world: we are talking about Onimusha: Warlords, the first and historic chapter of a spectacular saga, perhaps disappeared from the scene too early and undeserved. Capcom's year starts like this: with a revised and corrected version, and especially adapted to current times, of the title starring Samanosuke Akechi which, for the occasion, also lands on “nintendary” shores, thanks to the Nintendo Switch version.
All good what ends well? In part, yes, but the work on the remastered of Onimusha: Warlords has only half convinced us. Do you want to know why? Then draw your Sunday sword and dust off your old armor from when you were 10 kg less: it's time to jump into the Sengoku era and make endless hordes of demons!
The paradise of fun
The first adjective attributable to Onimusha: Warlords, whether in the original version or in the remastered one, is certainly this: funny. Although it does not present an impressive narrative, but always and in any case well defined, except for some holes in the progression, the work of Capcom is commendable from a playful point of view.
Onimusha: Warlords, today as yesterday, is an action game with attributes, capable of offering the gamer a feeling of constant satisfaction and a level of well-balanced challenge, never frustrating, placing itself among the elite ranks of the genre, and he succeeds in a big way, net of a development system of the protagonist that is only sketchy and of a low overall longevity. What is striking about the Capcom production is precisely the perfect fusion between a simple and intuitive combat system and a great importance given to the exploration factor: the whole story narrated takes place inside a castle (the Inabayama castle), with areas neighboring well interconnected and characterized by a large number of shortcuts and secret passages. In this peculiarity the “role-playing” soul of the title comes out, with many of the aforementioned passages that are unlocked only with the help of various enhancements and power ups, enriching, not a little, the overall experience. Let me be clear: it is not a perfect product nor free from problems of any kind - including some boss fights with a badly balanced level and playable phases with another character (the kunoichi Kaede) that are avoidable and with little bite - but, overall, it is pleasant from start to finish.
Everything, then, is embellished with environmental puzzles and well-defined puzzle game elements, some of which are of a certain thickness and which require a good dose of attention to be solved. Nothing sensational, of course, but if you want to unlock all the armor, weapons and all the various secrets, it will be good that you take into account having to sharpen your wits more than once.
Hands off the princess!
Since this is a product originally released almost twenty years ago and belonging to a different generation of gamers, it is good to do a little review of the plot of Onimusha: Warlords, even if we are faced with a remaster.
The valiant samurai Samanosuke Akechi, together with his clan, defeats the great general Oda Nobunaga (historical figure who really existed), who, to avoid capture, decides to commit suicide. We are in the middle of the Sengoku era, in Japan's 1582, and the folkloric and esoteric vein typical of the period is immediately felt: a group of mysterious warriors, with features anything but human, through an obscure ritual - which will turn out to be a real pact with the Devil - brings the "Lord of the War" who, once resurrected, will immediately start a real manhunt, or rather the woman: to carry out his dark plans, in fact, the man needs two women " special ”, and one of them is there princess Yuki who, in the very first bars of the game, crosses his steps with those of our hero. In the company of the trusty kunoichi Kaede, Samanosuke will leave in search of the beautiful princess, sadly destined for an unfortunate and dark end like the night in which the events take place. Among demons, infernal creatures and strange beings, the adventure, lasting about five hours, will in any case be able to involve you enough, although it is quite obvious and full of clichés, expertly scattered around every corner.
All in all, however, the plot of Onimusha: Warlords accompanies as much as necessary the flow of the gameplay, frenetic and without moments of respite, as well as the desperate race in search of the lost princess.
Tha-degli Oni's glove!
La fundamental mechanics the basis of the growth of our alter ego is undoubtedly that linked to the use of Glove of the Oni. At the beginning, in fact, Samanosuke comes into contact with an otherworldly entity, which, without mincing words, will make him aware of the darkness that lies around the castle and that Samanosuke seems to be willing to challenge. Clearly, with his strength alone, the valiant warrior cannot face the demons: for this reason he is offered the Oni glove, essential for the battle against the fearsome dark forces. This solution proves to be a fascinating play option and, if you like, pioneering enough. The glove in question has the ability to absorb the souls of defeated creatures, offering us different playful solutions. The absorbed souls, in fact, they are of different type and color, and can restore health and mana (or ki) or, "simply", enhance the various seals (in all there are three), needed to progress in the adventure, and / or weapons. The absorption of the cores, which occurs through the continuous pressure of the key O (o B, or A, it depends on the console), is a unique and very important feature for the purpose of a correct progression, and strengthening as much as possible is as simple as fairly fast, and decisive.
Beauty, when you don't see it, look for it within
The remastered version of Onimusha: Warlords, despite being a low-budget (and above all low-cost) work, had the main objective of going to fix elements such as the controls and the general resolution, in an attempt to offer a at least presentable product and in step with the times.
Well, unfortunately, the objective was only partially achieved, thanks above all to a good setting of the controls, made much more fluid and, above all, by assigning the left analog to the motor function, an obvious feature, nowadays but not at the time. And the general cleanliness of the image is also good, if we want, thanks also to the support for high definition and screens with 16:9, but the polygonal models of characters, monsters and various objects have sadly remained unchanged. We weren't expecting big steps forward in this respect, but having to put it down is a sore point that we would have liked to have spared ourselves. The version we tested, the PlayStation 4 Pro, turns out to be a fairly approximate work, which also reveals - pass the term - the "experimental" nature of the project, destined more than anything else to the rebirth of a brand believed to be dead and that, apparently, he can still have his say.
And let us also make a final note: the dubbing, but above all some descriptions of the objects (see the arch "about 2 meters long"), today as yesterday, are obsolete and inadequate, and we are really happy to be able to say that, today today, all this no longer happens or, in any case, very rarely. Too bad also for the graphic rendering of the cutscenes: not only have they not been touched in any way, only adapted to the 16: 9 format, but there are annoying micro-shots in the movements of the characters that we would not have wanted to see.
Onimusha: Warlords is an unmissable title, both for those who played it at the time and for those eager to get closer to the saga, but not for the quality of this remastered version, mind you: the game itself is a pearl of the landscape playful, but the work done during the re-presentation of the first chapter is anything but praiseworthy, indeed, it proves too sketchy and, if you like, disappointing. The polygonal models, which have remained totally unchanged, let us turn up our noses with extreme ease, and the adaptation in high definition only concerns the resolution, forcibly pulled towards full HD in a rather listless way. We did not expect who knows what miracles in this sense but, given the importance of the work, we would have appreciated a little more effort. However, it remains a title to absolutely try, supported by a fun and satisfying combat system and a pleasant, albeit simple, progression. The story is short but, on the whole, it is appreciable.
► Onimusha: Warlords is an Adventure type game developed and published by Capcom for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Steam, Xbox and Xbox One, the video game was released on 06/07/2001 The version for PC came out on 15/01/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 15/01/2019 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 15/01/2019 The version for Xbox One came out on 15/01/2019
