Oninaki

After Lost Sphear and I am Setsuna, it is clear that Tokyo RPG Factory wanted to ramp up its gameplay credentials. Everyone already knew that it could tell a beautiful if sad story, but it seems like the criticisms about the less-than-engaging combat systems in efforts past got to the team. Sadly Oninaki is still not a particularly interesting game insofar as the button pressing side goes, and the increased focus on the combat is draining. With that being said, move past the combat and you’ve got yet another powerful and deeply human story, told in such a way that it’s pure poetry to behold. Oninaki is three for three as far as sad, but beautiful tales from Tokyo RPG Factory go.

Once you fall into the groove, Oninaki is greatly enjoyable, even if it initially falls flat because of its repetitive combat. The story heads to dark places surrounding the central theming, occasionally in a ham-fisted way, but still manages to have emotional impact. Ultimately though, Oninaki is a gem of a game if you’re persistent in putting in the work. Tokyo RPG Factory have done it again

Oninaki is an action RPG that has a good story that deals with adult themes, an interesting gameplay thanks to the different weapons and abilities of the Daemons and a very beautiful artistic design. All these elements make it a highly recommended title for any fan of the genre.

Oninaki proves that Tokyo RPG Factory is not simply built on nostalgia and definitely has the chops to make a captivating modern RPG.

This is an enjoyable, thought-provoking, and stylish RPG that stands on the shoulders of the developer’s previous efforts. Pacing issues and a lack of variety hold it back from being truly great, but Oninaki is absolutely worth a playthrough, if you’re not averse to the solemn subject matter. The stellar combat feels almost like hack-and-slash, and the overall story compels you through the experience. If this is the reincarnation of Tokyo RPG Factory, they’ve come back less a factory and more an artisan.

Ultimately, the journey spiritual accomplished by ONINAKI may not be as rich and suggestive as that offered by I am Setsuna, but it will still be able to offer you equally valid insights.

Oninaki is a compelling game, the art style is the best from Tokyo RPG factory yet. Its story is dense, as the studio uses to, but it has its mishaps when delivering said story. The change of pace in the combat serves it well, but unfortunately the complex system renders useless once you get to the higher levels. It goes from a strategy based combat to a mindless button masher. But nevertheless, one you could enjoy.

A classic RPG that works well but it's not great on every aspect of its gameplay.

Oninaki is a gorgeous and entertaining, if slightly clunky, RPG that isn’t afraid to explore some heavy themes in novel ways.

Its combat may feel flawed at first but as the game goes on and the customization options open up to the player, ONINAKI becomes more and more enjoyable and its approximate twenty hours of lifespan make this a game that is worthy of the player's attention.

Tokyo RPG Factory's third attempt at the RPG genre was their closest one yet to being a very good game - it just falls a bit short on some places.

Oninaki is a likable RPG. Its story and setting are interesting, and the Daemons you collect to help you fight are cool. Unfortunately, bashing through uninteresting swarms of high-HP enemies puts a damper on the fun. Oninaki is still better than Tokyo RPG Factory's previous games; the studio seems to be moving in the right direction. If it can get past its extended growing pains, it'll be a contender someday.

Oninaki is a welcomed trip down memory lane to the glory days of Chrono Trigger, fully capturing the nostalgia of the time. However, like Tokyo RPG Factory's previous creations, while there's a lot to enjoy here, the flaws cannot be ignored. There is a fascinating premise, and a robust story, but it takes far too long to really get going, and the side-quests are wasted. Also, the scope feels too small. When it comes to the combat, the wide range of Daemons keeps things fresh, changing up the experience enough to keep interest higher but, at its core, the combat is just... fine. There's nothing special - same with the RPG elements that add little extra depth to the whole thing.

Oninaki is certainly the biggest and most innovative release from the studio yet, but we wouldn’t exactly call it the best. Though the premise is certainly interesting, we felt let down by the story in this one, and the combat is less generally enjoyable than the turn-based affairs that came before. That being said, we also loved the depth offered by the Daemon system, both in terms of what it offers in character progression and combat variety, and the art style of the dark world is truly something to behold. We’d give Oninaki a recommendation to anybody who loves RPGs; although it isn’t the best, this is another solid showing from Tokyo RPG Factory.

Tokyo RPG Factory got creative vision and talent but not the know-how to make something more than mediocre games afflicted by glaring technical issues.

I'm emotionally torn on Oninaki because there's so much to like here.

With Oninaki, Tokyo RPG Factory finally delivers a game with a true personality in its art direction and its plot and atmosphere. Alas, the exploration seems dull and the structure of the game in general is too repetitive. Promising maybe, frustrating nonetheless.

Despite some obvious qualities, Oninaki loses its strenght because of too many omnipresent flaws. Poor realization, balance issues and failed dungeons sequences, there’s too much to really enjoy what’s left.

Oninaki is brimming with ideas and heavy themes. Unfortunately this is hidden behind some rudimentary, repetitive gameplay.

Oninaki has one foot in the grave while the other doing a pleasant tap dance. It has an interesting story held back by bland characters and filler, and its gameplay can feel great when you’re not getting pounded in the face and stunned to death. Unless you can find it on sale, I’d skip this one.

Oninaki is a game that frequently sabotages itself. Its beautiful environments and mood are dampened by annoying hordes of samey enemies. Its amazing concept and world design are wasted on a story that's poorly paced and doesn't give you an adequate reason to care. Its varied and interesting combat styles get dragged down by the need to grind Daemons and uneven difficulty overall. There's certainly some beauty to be found in Oninaki's tragic world, but these flaws make this a circle of life that you can skip over.