Pros: Stunning graphics, great gameplay, fun combats
Cons: Linear at times, way too short
The Bottom Line: With its gorgeous graphics and wonderful gameplay, I highly recommend that you rent it instead of buying it, or it will gather dust on your shelf before long.
lorinsilver's Full Review: Onimusha Warlords for PlayStation 2
After just getting a Playstation 2, I have to say I wasn’t impressed with the first game I played on it (The Bouncer). But a friend of mine recommended Onimusha Warlords. He is a good friend, really, so I took his word for it. I’m glad I did…
The story so far…
You play Akechi Samanosuke, a swordfighter who has to save a princess from the clutches of an evil demon. This takes place in sixteenth century feudal Japan, filled with myths, magic, and fabulous events.
In his mission, Samanosuke is helped by an ancient magical glove that can suck the souls out of his vanquished opponents. You will need these souls to fill up your life energy and to build special powers that you can apply when you use a weapon. In other words, you can give your sword the power of lightning, whirlwind, or other magical elements, and your moves will be accompanied by funky flashy light effects… and you’ll kill your medium-sized enemies in a couple of moves.
Eat lightning, demon!
Most of this game is about sword fighting, and this is really wonderful. The characters – who consist out of at least 10,000 polygons, have all been motion-captured, and move very naturally. You collect special powers by chopping up as many baddies as possible – revisiting a previously explored part of the map works quite well. Enemies keep re-spawning and this gives you the chance to collect a lot of souls. During the game you’ll find other weapons like a lance, a demon sword, and a bow and arrow. You can fill all these weapons with magical force. I advise you not to use this magic against the common weenie monsters, but against the bigger ones and the end-of-level monsters. After all, it’s hard to beat a grotesque, grinning, tusk-sporting giant who’s as tall as a 100-year old oak with a couple of hits…
A bit of adventure
Not everything is combat though. Capcom has put the necessary conversations in between the fights. There are even some sneaky puzzles that will gain you an orb or a different item. Onimusha Warlords even has other subtle adventure elements. You can pick herbs from a forest for extra health, there’s a rope ladder you need to use to descend into a ravine,… All very obvious, but it adds some variation to the game. Yet be warned: never lose your concentration! Expect to find a group of Zombie warriors hiding behind every corner!
Stunning visuals and sounds
Graphically, I have the greatest respect for Onimusha Warlords. The introduction movie is amazing, and the in-game graphics are gorgeous. The fighting animation is sublime and smooth, and the more powerful combat spells you acquire, the more spectacular your moves will get.
The surroundings are filled with atmosphere: burning fire pots, rippling water, waving flags, flickering candles,… all tiny details that bring the levels to life. The backgrounds themselves can be a little static though, but that doesn’t deduct anything from the wonderful ambiance – the changing camera view and the continuous changing of settings (temples, caves, pagodas, forests,…) make sure that visually you won’t be bored for a moment.
The music is quite atmospheric, the sound effects are good – spectacular even when you perform magical combat moves – and the voice-acting couldn’t be better.
So where’s the catch?
Onimusha Warlords isn’t perfect though. Regrettably the interaction between Samanosuke and his surroundings is kept to a minimum. In “tight” areas like forests and caves, you’re forced to follow an invisible path – there’s no way to digress from your course. At times this gave me the feeling I was playing a search where the road marks were too visible.
But here’s my biggest grievance: the game’s lastability. It’s just too short! If you pay this kind of money for a game, it should entertain you for at least a week – either because it takes long to complete, or because it has a high replay value. Yet it took me about six hours to complete the game…
In conclusion
With its gorgeous graphics and wonderful gameplay, I highly recommend that you play Onimusha Warlords. I also recommend that you rent it instead of buying it, or it will gather dust on your shelf before long.
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