Reviewed by: Belshy
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Sony

In the build up to this game's release I finally put aside my morbid fear of the 'Resident Evil' D Pad only control scheme, and played Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny and Onimusha: Warlords (the first game), in that order and in very quick succession. By doing that my love of the Onimusha franchise reached fever pitch, virtually overnight, and Onimusha 3: Demon Siege wasn't just a desirable game anymore, it was potential GOTY material for this particular Alf. :)

Seeing as no Onimusha titles have been reviewed at this site, here's a brief overview of the previous two outings:

Warlords: This game stars Samanosuke (the 3rd game's joined protagonist), a young Samurai who is hell bent on vanquishing feudal Japan of the undead/ demonic Genma hordes, and their demon boss Fortinbras. The game features puzzle solving, plentiful grounded combat (no mad aerial shennanigans) and lots of exploration, and it is very much based on the Resident Evil survival horror template...The difference being that one can always take the battle to the enemy, because you're not always having to run away to find a few more bullets! Graphics are made up of polygonal characters running around sumptuous prerendered environments. Control of directional movement is with the D pad. I'd give this game a high 7 verging on an 8, despite its brevity of 5 hours.

Samurai's Destiny: More of the same, except you play the character of Ronin Jubei who's motive for vanquishing the all powerful warlord demon Nobunaga (Fortinbras' right hand man, and featured in the introduction and epilogue of Warlords, as a heroic general slain in battle and then ressurrected as a demon respectively) is revenge. This game features a novel gifting system, where gold can be found and then used to buy items from a Japanese village shop, and then these items can be gifted to NPC characters to hopefully win their support for some of the very tricky boss fights. The game is twice the length (about 10 hours) has tauter control, superior graphics and more fearsome boss battles. Jubei can use collected purple souls to transform into an indestructible demon called an...Onimusha. The CGI (again by Robot) had reached truly lofty heights for the time, and was very impressive, joining all the gameplay sections together brilliantly. Again this game features D Pad control and prerendered backdrops. I'd give Samurai's Destiny a 9/10. One of the finest adventures on PS2.

So, now you know a little about the two prequels, I'll begin this review of Onimusha 3: Demon Siege:

"The year is 1582...As a raging inferno engulfs the remains of the Honnou-ji Temple, a familiar figure stands tall...none other than Samanosuke Akechi, the warrior possessing Ogre power...Samanosuke and Nobunaga are about to face off as their final battle begins.

....The year is 2004...The colorful, tranquil city of Paris is suddenly attacked by an onslaught of demons...However, amidst this hell on earth, one man is fighting back. His name is Jacques Blanc!

....Now the epic struggle between man and demon comes to its ultimate climax in this epic adventure that crosses the barriers of space and time."

This is sparingly paraphrased from the Onimusha 3 box packaging. There's your story, in a nutshell. Quite a departure from the first two games situated solely in feudal Japan. Not content with simply another visit to the Genma (Onimusha speak for 'demon) infested Orient, the final episode has gone all creative on us, with an ambitious plot encompassing both spatial and temporal jaunting. And by golly, Capcom have succeeded with their gamble to expand the Onimusha universe. The story plays out with twists and also pathos aplenty, with a love interest for Jacques (Jacques is modelled on actor Jean Reno...except when he talks in English...shame) in the shape of the beautiful playable character Michelle. Add to that his 10 year old son Henri's struggle to accept Michelle as a surrogate mother since losing his own in a car accident, and you have a mini soap opera to add humanity to the complex time-travel and gruesome demon slaying aspects of this wonderful yarn.

The whole game kicks off with the most stunning CGI I've ever seen. A six minute mini-epic by ROBOT, showing the Genma assault on humanity using giant biomechanoid demonic 'tanks', and Samanosuke's successful infiltration of the main assault vehicle. By the time the 6 minute film has finished, and the ensuing cut scenes (using the game engine) have segued into the real time action, I would bet good money that anyone who isn't dead from the neck up will be fully pumped up and raring to get stuck in to whatever action awaits them. Once again Capcom show that they are masters of presentation, of narrative direction, and of meticulously high production values.

Once Samanosuke is under your control you will notice that D Pad only is a thing of the past. It's there if you're an Onimusha die hard (or masochist) but now the game is fully playable on the dual analogue sticks. The fully 3D movement is complimented with a fully 3D engine, which means that the backgrounds are no longer the pre-renders of Oni's 1 and 2 (and the old Resident Evils) but are 3D polygonal structures. We take this for granted these days, but it's just so bloody nice to see one of my favourite gaming properties finally become current with its technology.

Graphically this game is as pretty as anything you'll see on PS2. Actually no, it's prettier than everything I've played on PS2 so far. The backgrounds are nearly as detailed and lavish as the rich pre-renders of yore, and the motion captured characters, though probably missing a few polys to help things along with the sheer amount of characters now allowed on screen at once, animate better than ever. The pyrotechnic effects of Onimusha 2 have been seriously outdone here, with flames, energy bursts, smoke/ mist and lightning filling the screen with eye-searing regularity and great beauty. The very occasional bit of slowdown affects some of the more ambitious set scenes, namely the really big boss battles, but it only happens when a spectacular attack has been unleashed, rather then when you're manouvering your character so that he can deliver the killer blows. To be honest the John Woo bullet time effect that ensues is actually quite fetching!

Sound is delivered in Dolby Pro Logic 2, and is top knotch throughout. The music is well deserving of its CD release as a standalone soundtrack. Voice acting is also excellent, with the one letdown being that Jean Reno's voice is replaced in the English speaking sections with a stock American voice. I'd rather have had his French accent spoken in French, with English subtitles to be honest. Ah well....You do get used to it.

The length of Onimusha games seems to increase in increments of 5 hours per sequel. Oni' 1 was a stingy 5 hours long, Warlords was a far more reasonable 10, and Demon Siege lasts a whopping 15+ hours.

So how do you spend the bulk of this marathon length of time when not marvelling at the excellent CGI and ingame cut scenes?

The main impetus of any Onimusha game is the highly developed combat system. This time round you have two characters sharing the fighting...well 3, because Michelle has a brief (and highly enjoyable) role to play. All characters have a basic series of moves for their primary weapon. Plus blocks. A combination of a last minute block just before the blow lands, followed immediately by a primary attack will result in an 'Issen' attack, meaning more soul and health will be harvested from your slain foes. Samanosuke and Jacques also have magic attacks that come from their charged Oni gauntlets' relationship to a designated weapon, via the Oni orbs found throughout the game. The same button with Michelle launches grenades as a secondary attack. Then there are 'charged attacks' for Sam and Jacques, beefing up a basic primary with a readied attack stance. Jacques uses whips, much like Leon in Castlevania, and can also perform charged grapple attacks. Sam can use a bow and arrow with the buttons assigned to Jacque's grapple move.

All these basics can be honed to perfection in the inspired 'training mode' included in the game when accessing a save point. Now one can save, train, or enhance one's weapon/ armour/ Oni gauntlet at any of the 'magic mirrors' found throughout the game. Training can be beneficial in more than just the obvious 'get better at fighting' way. Each discipline has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill level. Become advanced at any discipline, and you'll earn a nice health powerup, vital for surviving some of the harrowing battles later in the game. I logged a good hour training, and my failure to complete some of the more timing-based skills speaks volumes about both the combat model's scary depth and also my ageing synapses!

For the first 5 hours of Oni' 3 I was slightly concerned that it was a bit on the easy side. Then I met the boss Ranmaru in his second undead form (a slain bodyguard of Nobunaga brought back from the dead) and like with Oni' 2 (at precisely the 5 hour mark again!) the game became healthily challenging. And I still had 10 hours to go, not just 5 as with Samurai's Destiny. For the most part combat is a tough cookie, but levelling up your weapons through fighting large groups of tough underlying baddies can reward you later when you utterly pummel a boss with your new found maxed-up might. But you are always forced to earn such privileges!

There is also a strong puzzle solving side to Onimusha 3. Much like Oni' 2 the puzzles are 'puzzle box' based, and beneficial to rather than vital to your progress...although there were probably two puzzles that the game's story progression was dependent on. Onimusha 1 was riddled with these game-stopping puzzles, and I feel the new way is the 'best' way...especially with such a well paced story being potentially put at risk with too many obstructive brain teasers.

The puzzling side of Oni' 3 is given more scope because of the time travel aspect to the gameplay. At certain points Sam's future and Jacque's past (they swap places in the time rift) are linked together, and they can pass objects to each other through special warp mirrors...Keys, orbs, health, artefacts, even certain weapons. You may be utterly stymied by a problem in one time zone, with seemingly only half the puzzle solved, then when you warp to assume the other character the solution becomes clear. The cutesy character of Ako, a kind of fairy/ nymph/ sprite allows this link-up to happen, and she accompanies each character on their quest, helping them pick up hidden objects. She wears little vests which imbue her 'keeper' with different powers depending on the vest's colour, and so the player is given yet another artefact to enhance and eventually max up.

Exploration is another strong element to any Onimusha game's makeup, and Oni' 3 is no exception. It is here that the fully 3D engine pays dividends. Jacques in particular can explore all sorts of nooks and crannies. He can use his whip the same way Rygar can use his shields, to swing off designated points to higher/ lower levels...On moving ships, waterfalls, canyons, temples. The sheer variety of the scenery in Onimusah 3's level design is breath taking without fail. The burning temple at Honnoji, the faithfully recreated Arc de Triomphe, the Oni2-esque sleepy Sakai village by the sea, the beautiful shimmering mystery of the Undersea temple, a ruined mutant-filled Paris zoo in the rain...and the sheer technical marvel of the Eiffel Tower. You are taken on a tour de force from one time and place to another. As the US Army states, 'Travel the world, meet lots on interesting people (or Genma)...and kill them.'

The character design is second to none. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Capcom are masters of the macabre, of the sick-puppy twisted mutoid Giger hybrid. This time is no different. From the emaciated laughing regal skeleton of Guildenstern, to the zombified lady boy Ranmaru...to the huge slavering dual headed giant guard dog, and finally Nobunaga's formidable final demon form in the end game. This is the sort of conceptual design that makes me wish I was still mad about drawing comics and was maybe working as an artist in the games industry. Brilliant stuff!

This is how a sequel should be done. Take everything that was good about the predecessors, polish it to high Heaven, then wrap it up in an audacious yarn of time travelling and demonic world domination. Even the secret levels of Oni's 1 and 2, the Phantom Realms, have been transformed into more focused and ridiculously addictive mini-games, where the act of going through arena after arena of Genma, previously as a levelling up exercise, now comes with huge incentives, and is undeniably great fun.

This game has a few niggly little things that force me to go against my instinctive wish to give it a '10'. It IS better than Onimusha 2, but still, it's NOT perfect. The odd bit of slowdown, the occasional lack of challenge, and a dodgy voice for Jean Reno force me to shy away from giving Onimusha 3: Demon Siege the ultimate accolade. But is it still a game that every PS2 owner simply has to own, or at least play from beginning to end?

Hell yes. The best Onimusha yet. and that's saying something.

Presentation	9
As good as I've seen on PS2. The occasional bit of slowdown not withstanding. Brilliant CGI and cut scenes throughout.
Gameplay	9
Grounded Samurai combat honed to perfection thanks largely to use of the dual analogues. Sometimes a bit 'knife-through-butter' if like me you put the work in and max up all weapons etc.
Value	10
More Onimusha than you can shake a Bushido blade at. 15 hours, plus endless Phantom Realming and secrets hunting, tough training, and unlockable mini games.
Benchmark	10
The finest Onimusha game yet. That's no mean feat either.
Score	9
There's your PS2. Come July 2004 there's Onimusha 3: Demon Siege. Join the two.

Buy Onimusha 3 from GAME!

Minimum Spec	Reviewed on
n/a	n/a