Onimusha: Warlords

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 26
  3. Negative: 1 out of 26
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  1. GamePro Germany
    Feb 3, 2019
    71
    Important classic from the early Playstation 2 era, which is no longer up to date, but has a great atmosphere.
  2. Games.cz
    Feb 25, 2019
    70
    The only thing that’s changed in those 18 years is the resolution. Nevertheless, Onimusha: Warlords still offers very solid gameplay in fantasy medieval Japan. The obsolete game design and camera controls are a bother, but what would you expect from the year 2001?
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Jan 17, 2019
    70
    Onimusha: Warlords is the genesis of a Japanese IP with its wide and well deserved slice of audience. This remastered edition keeps the design and the mechanics of the original software perfectly intact, improving it through crucial technical upgrades. However, this was an experimental game and it's almost twenty years old and for this reason some structural problems must be contextualized and accepted.
  5. JeuxActu
    Jan 16, 2019
    70
    Yes, Onimusha is an old game, and to be honest it shows a lot with fixed cameras and a very rigid gameplay. On the other hand it's still a game to be highly recommend if you haven't done it yet, and if you can cope with the PS2 era technical side of things.
  6. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jan 15, 2019
    70
    Onimusha is still pleasant and fluid to play, showing off those beautiful precalculated backgrounds that we once loved. However, the remastared version suffers from its lack of new content, and doesn't fix some of the problems we faced many years ago.
  7. TheSixthAxis
    Jan 15, 2019
    70
    For the relatively low asking price Onimusha Warlords is worth a look if you’ve ever been interested in the series or just want to slay demons in historical Japan. Just bewware you’ll have to contend with some game design elements that belong in the early 2000s. It’s not a terribly long game and you can get through it in a few hours, but it’ll keep you entertained throughout.
  8. Push Square
    Jan 15, 2019
    70
    While a few major tweaks and additions bring it into the modern era, this is still very much the Onimusha: Warlords you remember from 2001. That’s not a bad thing, though, because 18 years on, it’s still able to muster up a thrilling campaign with all manner of horrors to slice and dice. Recommended for both newcomers and veterans alike, Onimusha: Warlords is a welcome distraction that takes us back to a simpler time. Now, let’s make that reboot a reality Capcom.
  9. CD-Action
    Dec 11, 2019
    60
    It was pleasant to relive the birth of one of the most important franchise of the PS2 era... but it’s Resident Evil 2 that shows how one should remaster an older game these days. [03/2019, p.51]
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  10. GameOver.gr
    Feb 8, 2019
    60
    The first Onimusha is a classic game, no doubt about that, but this edition, unlike Resident Evil 2, is not a remake but the original version with slight upgrades and enhances that are not capable of hiding the fact that the first adventure of Samanosuke has aged poorly.
  11. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Jan 15, 2019
    50
    This remaster seems only well suited for folks who’ve experienced the series before. It’s tailor-made for folks who want to take a trip down memory lane. Even then, you’ll find the same surprise I did—that Onimusha: Warlords is a game remembered as being better than it actually was.
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  1. Eurogamer
    Jan 15, 2019
    A slightly dated reintroduction to one of Capcom's hack-and-slash greats.
  2. The Jimquisition
    Jan 15, 2019
    The best part is how it still holds up really well. What a great bloody game. And what’s this? OOH A LIVER!
  3. VG247
    Jan 15, 2019
    With those caveats aside, Onimusha: Warlords is a damn steal at £15.99. Where most publishers are trying to squeeze as much as possible out of people, juicing those nostalgia glands for every penny, here we have a sensible price point for a decent older game that’s been blown up to look passable on a modern screen.

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019
90
#90 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 85
  3. Negative: 21 out of 85
  1. Kaprawiec
    Jan 15, 2019
    10
    Of course its not a 10 game, but hell I wanted to play onimusha again so much, that I am giving it higher score than it deserves (its aboutOf course its not a 10 game, but hell I wanted to play onimusha again so much, that I am giving it higher score than it deserves (its about 6,5/10 game) because I want more from this series.
    The question I have is why Capcom decided to port only the first title instead of trilogy OR Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams? This series was getting better with each new part so either 3 or DoD would be perfect for newcomers or to scratch nostalgia itch. Well, its a bit shame because DoD looks better than this "remaster" and DoD was released in 2006...    … Full Review »
  2. Imm0rtal
    Jan 23, 2019
    8
    As a lifelong fan of the series and rating the 'Genma' Onimusha port of this game on the original Xbox as one of my favourite games of allAs a lifelong fan of the series and rating the 'Genma' Onimusha port of this game on the original Xbox as one of my favourite games of all time, I can say this PS4 edition has more than a few shortcomings albeit a great experience and joy to play.

    My first gripe is the lack of a simple skip implementation to the cutscenes, which would've enhanced the overall flow of gameplay - it feels like a chore having to repeatedly revisit a cutscene which takes place before a challenging sequence or boss fight that resulted in your death. This is a game that begs for your full attention and so there is a certain rhythm to the gameplay that is lost having to re-watch cutscenes every time you screw up.

    Newcomers might argue that tank controls are a little outdated and thankfully, the developers foresaw this issue implementing the option to use the left analog stick for movement. I personally feel the strafe mechanics of the game are clearly designed around the use of the D-pad which allows for flawless control of Samanosuke during combat.

    Fixed camera angles are what help define the atmosphere and much like in early Resident Evil titles, the claustrophobic nature of set pieces are a constant reminder that danger lurks around every corner and enemies will be sure to mow you down if your guard isn’t up. Understandably so, here this can seen as a negative, as enemies can potentially pin you to the corners of the screen, overwhelming you as a result which can feel like bad game design. Nevertheless, it’s a minor detail when compared to the overall fluidity of combat as the controls feel especially responsive for a game that requires split second reaction timing in the heat of battle.

    As for visuals, the graphics are what are to be expected from a 2001 release being upscaled for the PS4. Granted, it hasn’t aged as well as other remasters of the sort, and despite the evident pre-rendered background contrasts, what takes centre stage in Onimusha has always been the gameplay, and let’s not forget - this is an 18 year old PS2 game.

    Whilst the action is definitely one of the better strengths of Onimusha, there is also great pacing between solving puzzles, finding chests and deciphering secrets which are plentifully and cleverly scattered throughout the course of the game. You’ll often come across locked doors each with their respective seals giving the player incentive to backtrack to earlier sections once they’ve upgraded their arsenal. Some areas, whilst not all too clearly represented in the game’s lootable maps, could easily be missed during an initial playthrough providing replay value for completionists and trophy hunters alike. In addition to this, an Ultimate difficulty mode becomes available once you have completed the game on any difficulty.

    Given, this is a retouch of the PS2 version of Onimusha, but the aforementioned Genma edition introduced so many new features which, in my opinion, elevated the game’s quality and replay value drastically.
    There was a much higher level of challenge with the inclusion of tougher enemies, bosses and areas to beat. More notably so, were the combat additions which granted players the ability to perform charged attacks and absorb Green Souls -rendering Samanosuke invincible for a short time. These were welcome features which balanced out a heightened level of difficulty by providing a much needed edge when encountering deadlier enemies.
    Exploration, whilst still very present in this PS4 remaster, was also more rewarding in Genma, with more treasures & challenges to seek out and master such as the unforgiving Ogre Tower - an optional detour to the main narrative, where players could test their durability against unrelenting hordes of demons. Luckily, the similar yet inferior Dark Realm segment, also included in Genma, is available in this remaster.

    Hardcore fanatics (myself included) will rejoice at the re-recorded japanese dialogue hidden in the options menu behind the god-awful english dubbed version.
    An all new beautiful score has also been composed in replacement of the original. While it’s a worthy tribute, it makes one wonder what lead them to re-compose what was an already masterful and beloved soundtrack. Compositions like ’Samanosuke’s Theme’, ‘Gale’ or ‘Waterfall Mountain’ amongst other classic and memorable tunes are completely missing which in my humble opinion, really set the tone in Onimusha, making the journey all the more worthwhile.

    Ultimately, I believe this reworked remaster of an absolute classic still delivers today and however much I wish that Capcom would’ve given us a more wholesome game to enjoy, what's left is a gratifying and treasured experience for both old and new audiences willing to play.    … Full Review »
  3. EddieMaiden
    Jan 30, 2019
    10
    I want you to bear in mind this is one of the first game from the playstation 2 catalogue before reviewing this game.

    -The series    I want you to bear in mind this is one of the first game from the playstation 2 catalogue before reviewing this game.

    -The series originates in Yoshiki Okamoto's 1997 idea to create Sengoku Biohazard, a ninja version of Capcom's own 1996 Resident Evil (known as Biohazard in Japan), set in the Sengoku period and featuring a "ninja house" filled with Booby traps, similar to the mansion from Resident Evil, where battles would be fought using swords and shuriken: "The house will contain hidden doors behind walls, ceilings that fall down to you, scrolls and ninja magic, and many other ninja techniques." The project was originally intended for the Nintendo 64's 64DD.

    Onimusha: Warlords was originally being developed for the original PlayStation, but the project was eventually moved to the PlayStation 2. The half-finished original PlayStation version of Onimusha was then scrapped and never released.-

    Pros:
    +This version has fixed the stale controls, you no longer walk like Resident Evil 1/2/3 or Silent Hill 1 from the playstation one era.
    +The graphics were also greatly improved, especially the face models.
    +The game runs at 60 fps in all consoles , the switch version is no different.

    Cons:
    -The original game has a horrible voice acting and the story is really generic and stupid. (There is no way to fix that)
    -The game is very stale for this era, even after all the fixes and that is why lots of new players will prefer to pick anything else instead of this tittle.

    What makes onimusha series great is how they develop the story of japan with the genma and magic in the middle.

    That supernatural and fantastic part of this series is what makes it great.

    Onimusha series is more oriented to the action genre, instead of the horror and survival from the Resident Evil series.

    The series became great from the 3rd game onwards, when they stopped developing this horror/survival side and improved the action side of the series.

    *Play this game if you want to see where everything began on the Onimusha universe.

    *If you already played this then you will surely enjoy this again as the fixes really make a difference.

    Onimusha 3 and Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams are the best this series has to offer, but for that we need to support this game, so they can make an HD collection or even work on the remaining tittles.    … Full Review »
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