Oninaki

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.