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Releasing a good remaster of a game that was highly popular in its time is rarely a miss. However, remastering a game whose visuals were not the biggest issue at the time it was released (Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny looked quite good for its time's standards) and focusing on polishing this aspect alone, where everything else stayed as it was, is, to say the least, problematic.
People really like to see good old games covered in new, shiny graphics, and that's nothing new. However, when the developers decide to release the same game with almost no improvements apart from some visual polishing and some minor gameplay adjustments, we cannot help but ask ourselves, Was it really necessary?
That's exactly what happened with Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, a remaster of the same-named game from 2002 that feels a lot more like a compatibility upgrade than the true remaster. Seriously, when I started to play this game on my PlayStation 5 for the first time, I wondered, is this a new game, or is it a remaster of an old game, since I never had a chance to play the original back in 2002?
The controls, the visual presentation, the storytelling approach, and almost everything else felt so dated that I was sure something was very wrong with this release. What's the point of remastering a game if you plan to leave almost everything the way it was earlier?
I get it if the developers wanted to preserve that particular feeling; that's totally understandable, but when the game's mechanics and overall presentation are that old and unusual for today's standards, you'll aim at least to improve something to make it more appealing to a new audience. Sadly, in the case of Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, apart from an obviously better resolution and generally improved looks, the game suffers from the same problems that could easily be fixed if the developers saw the real problem with this game.
Let's start with controls. The developers stated that the controls are modernised in this new release and that they will be more acceptable for today's standards, which is, in my opinion, far from the truth. For example, you'll have two buttons for attacking, and since the combat system is quite dated and shallow, the fighting will turn into button-mashing as soon as you meet the first group of enemies.
The other huge issues are the level design and the stationary camera that follows the action. The levels are designed in the old-fashioned way, where once you reach a border, the camera changes, and you enter the next area, usually seen from a different perspective. Those perspectives will not change the movements of your character, and if you, for example, go to the left, and the camera changes, you'll go in the same direction even though you're holding the stick in the opposite direction.
This will lead to the inevitable confusion, and since the enemies will follow you through those parts of the levels, expect tonnes of frustration. You'll never know which enemy you're aiming for and how to, especially, deal with groups of enemies. Those were the issues from the original, I'm pretty sure, but such things were simply acceptable back in those days. Now, however, is a different story.
The overall design is something that had to be changed if this game ever wanted to win over the old fans or to appeal to a new audience. In my humble opinion, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny would benefit from a complete redesign, like, for example, Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, where the entire approach was changed and the games were completely remade.
Of course, remaking a game, instead of remastering, is usually much more expensive, but this is the only thing that would make sense with this gaming classic. At the end of the day, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is Capcom's game, and if anyone knew how to make a good remake, that's them.
Graphically speaking, if you compare two versions of the game, the original and the remaster, you'll definitely see the difference. Some modern graphical effects are added; you can see better reflections, better textures, and the game looks better in general, and if you love how the original looked, this remaster will elevate everything a couple of levels up.
I intentionally chose not to talk about the story, as it remains completely intact and unchanged, still following the same main character and his quest for revenge. To be fair, the story is quite solid, especially by the standards of video games from over 20 years ago.
However, it wouldn’t have hurt to include something new to freshen up this remaster. For example, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered added new voice actors to spice things up. In contrast, the developers here chose to stick with the original content, following the old saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."
Conclusion
I honestly have a hard time seeing any sensible reason to recommend this remaster. Several visual tweaks here and there, in my humble opinion, are simply not enough to play on the nostalgia card and take the money from us. I mean, this is a remaster—no question about that—but is this the remaster we needed? My answer is definitely not.
If Capcom wanted to give this classic a serious treatment, they should have remade it completely. This way, you sadly got a game with a slightly better look, improved resolution, a different aspect ratio, and a bunch of old problems that plagued it even 23 years ago.
The Good
Preserves the original story and aesthetic
The Bad
Outdated gameplay and controls- Minimal visual improvements
- Frustrating camera and level design
