Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered Review – A Classic Reforged with Mixed Results 

Capcom's Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered brings back one of the classic titles that many people, including myself, grew up playing. While Capcom's Resident Evil and Devil May Cry series were in the limelight, their forgotten brother, the Onimusha franchise, was often overlooked. But now it looks like the series is making a comeback, as Samurai's Destiny releases later this week, and the new game, Way of the Sword, is set to launch in the future.

While Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered version is a solid step up and the definitive way to play the original, it has its flaws. Let's take a deep dive into what Capcom does right with this game and where the studio can make improvements in the future.

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Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered delivers a faithful yet polished revival of the original classic

Remastered vs the Original

Environments are much more detailed (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming, Capcom)

Onimusha 2 originally came out for the PlayStation 2 in 2002, meaning the game is quite outdated by today's standards. While it is considered a classic by many, there is no doubt that the original Onimusha 2 can feel clunky when it comes to its gameplay controls and visuals.

The Remastered version improves the gameplay and visuals quite a lot. While the game retains much of its aesthetics from the original, you will be able to spot the stark differences.

The visuals in Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered have received a much-needed improvement. From textures to lighting and even the effects, everything has been upscaled to fit that of a game from the modern day. Even the Resolution has been changed to the more common and modern 1920x1080 over the older 1280x1024.

The character models also received an upgrade. The lip sync animations match what the characters are saying.

Besides the visuals, noticeable improvements have also been made to the game's sound and audio quality. The audio quality has been overhauled to fit that of a modern title. The sound effects are much clearer, significantly bringing the game's experience on par with Capcom's previous remasters.

Besides the improvement in visual effects, you will find that the controls are quite smooth in the Remastered version. The original can feel dated due to how janky its controls were, especially because of the restrictions of the PS2. Similar to Warlords Remastered, Samurai's Destiny also improves the controls by making them feel smooth and responsive.

While the Keyboard and Mouse controls are not my cup of tea, and I played on a controller, it is still a choice for those who want to experience the game using those devices. You can change your keybind, which makes the game quite customizable to your liking.

Overall, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered is a great improvement over the original, and will feel extremely smooth to play for both old and new fans alike.

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Story: Branching narratives in the life of a Samurai

Characters are the heart of Onimusha 2 (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming, Capcom)

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered follows the original's story and plot points quite closely. You will play as Jubei Yagyu, the sole survivor of the Yagyu village after it was attacked and destroyed by the demon army led by Oda Nobunaga. You are also an Onimusha - a warrior with the power of an Oni.

The story of Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered is not particularly ground-breaking, but it is packed with well-written characters who will carry the story forward. You will meet them during your journey, and can grow closer to them.

This will include several historical characters from the Warring States period of Japan, as you can expect, given that the most famous Daimyo of that era, Oda Nobunaga, plays the villain of the story. Overall, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered faithfully retells the original's plot of Jubei's journey to seek revenge for the massacre of his clan and village.

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Gameplay

Solid combat (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming, Capcom)

The gameplay of Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny remastered will remind you of the classic Capcom 3D action adventure games like Devil May Cry. You will get a few weapons that you can use to cut through hordes of enemies, each coming with various elements and power-ups that you can use.

You also get your Onimusha form, a powerful yet temporary state where Yagyu transforms into an Oni and wreaks havoc. This is quite similar to the Devil Trigger state from the DMC franchise.

Each dungeon in the game will be made of multiple pathways leading to various areas and hidden puzzles. These puzzles are not particularly challenging and can be solved quite easily.

Besides the combat, your daily gameplay loop will revolve around bonding with the four available characters: Magoichi, Oyu, Kotaro, and Ekei. This can be done by gifting them items.

Your bond with any character will also decide how the story will progress, as similar to the original, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered has branching narratives. The character with the most bond with you at any given time will appear during the dungeons, as well as the main story, to help you either fight or progress.

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Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered carries over the original's charm, along with its flaws

The Camera can be your worst enemy (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming, Capcom)

While I must praise Capcom for bringing the game to the modern era without removing its charm, I have to point out that while doing so, many flaws of the original remain in the Remastered version.

My biggest criticism and something that could have been easily fixed is how the camera works in the game. Similar to older Resident Evil or Devil May Cry games, the camera is fixed and often changes as you move through the map. This is not an issue when fighting normal mobs, but it can become problematic during boss fight sequences.

The camera will often move based on your position, and will not cover the enemy's movement. This makes it impossible to read how the boss is moving, making the fights quite frustrating at times, where you will die because of being unable to see your opponent's attacks.

I think the easiest fix for this problem is to make only one fixed angle for the camera, where it covers the entirety of the boss arena, something that could have been achieved easily.

Another slight inconvenience many people will face is how grindy the game can feel at times. As stated earlier, the key to progressing the story is by raising your bond with the various characters. To do so, you will need to often gift them certain items based on what each character likes.

To buy these gifts for your comrades, you will need to farm Gold, the common currency used in transactions from the vendors. The Gold can only be obtained by killing enemies, and the ideal way to do so is by slaying the hordes. This will eat a significant chunk of your playtime.

This will get repetitive and boring very quickly, and this game design choice can feel quite detrimental. Albeit, it has been a case for only me as I did feel like a Remastered version should address the problems with the original and aim to fix them to some extent.

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In conclusion

Despite its flaws, it provides a solid experience (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming, Capcom)

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered is the definitive way to enjoy Jubei Yagyu's path of vengeance against Oda Nobunaga and his demonic forces. The game makes many improvements over the original, both visually and gameplay-wise.

But nothing is perfect, and certain game design choices can feel frustrating at times. The changing angle of the cameras during the boss fight will leave many people annoyed, as it is something that could have been easily tweaked.

Whether you are a fan of the original or a newcomer to the series, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered is a worthwhile experience, especially for those who want to get acquainted with the franchise before Way of the Sword comes out.

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Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered

The Scorecard (Image via Sportskeeda)

Reviewed On: PC (Key provided by Capcom)

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Release Date: May 23, 2025