I was wondering how long it would take for Capcom to start remastering the remaining titles of the Onimusha franchise. At first, I thought that remastering the first game, Warlords, was going to be a one-and-done event, but after the announcement of a brand new iteration of the franchise for modern consoles, I knew it would be but a matter of time for the Japanese juggernaut to drop a modernized version of the second (and hopefully, at a later date, the third) iteration, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny. It’s finally here, and it’s a brand new experience for me, as I had never played it prior to its release. So let’s take a look at it.

The main giveaway is that, even though it’s a bit dated, the game features outstanding combat mechanics.

Set a few years after the original game, Onimusha 2 doesn’t star the franchise’s main protagonist, Samanosuke. Instead, a bunch of fictionalized versions of real-life heroes of the Sengoku era star in the game, with the main protagonist being Jubei Yagyu, the only survivor of a raid in his village, orchestrated by none other than Oda Nobunaga. There’s your reason for the unfolding of the plot: Jubei wants revenge, Jubei finds out he can absorb souls, he meets a bunch of real-life heroes who also want to right many wrongs in the land, and shenanigans ensue. In the midst of all this kabuki-like drama, with some excessively cheesy voice acting, you will kill tons of demons with pretty simplistic, but effective combat mechanics.

These other characters are playable in certain sections, but Jubei is still your focus, playing akin to Samanosuke in the first game. The combat is, once again, somewhat mindless when facing normal foes, and quite challenging when facing bosses. Movement takes time to get used to, as Onimusha 2, like old-school Resident Evil games, features fixed camera angles and pre-rendered environments. Tank controls are not mandatory, thankfully enough, but that doesn’t mean that the full analog movement feels completely fluid at all times. It is something you can get used to after a while, but it is never 100% comfortable. Then again, considering the game’s age, and the fact it was originally intended to come out on the original Playstation, I need to understand it was the style at the time. One that didn’t age well at all.

They might be pretty pre-rendered environments, but, well, they’re still dated to look at.

As much as I am a fan of the first and third Onimushas, I think that Onimusha 2 falters in a few extra areas when compared to them. I am not the biggest fan of the increased character roster. It’s not because I don’t like gameplay variety (this is actually very welcome), but none of them, aside for maybe one support character, are interesting or well-developed. Onimusha 2 doesn’t feature amazing writing, as, once again, it wasn’t the biggest focus of games from that era. The game also abruptly stops featuring RPG elements halfway throughout its runtime, which felt like a bummer.

That’s not to say I didn’t like playing Onimusha 2 for the first time. It still sounds amazing, and the combat, while simplistic, is actually very enjoyable. A proto hack-and-slash of sorts, grinding souls by killing loads of weaker grunts is incredibly fun. Not to mention that, let’s face it, the theme and setting are excellent. A Sengoku-era adventure mixed with demons and zombies rarely, if ever, gets stale.

You might get some help from a partner during a boss battle.

At the end of the day, even if it hasn’t aged as well as expected, being able to play Onimusha 2 on modern consoles is still one hell of a treat. Just know what to expect before grabbing a copy. Get ready for some uninteresting cutscenes and dated controls, but stay for the amazing combat, music, and overall setting. As an appetizer before the release of the actual new Onimusha game coming out next year, as well as the stepping stone for a possible remaster of the third entry in the franchise (as in, the best one), Onimusha 2 gets the job done, without a doubt.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny (the remaster) is available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch. The original game is also available on PS2.

Reviewed on Xbox One.

A copy of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny was provided by the publisher.