Onimusha Hands-On

Onimusha for the Sony PlayStation2 plays quite similar to its cousin, the Resident Evil series. The game uses 3D polygon for the characters and 2D pre-rendered graphics for the background. Although it would have been much better if the whole field map was generated in 3D polygon graphics like Dino Crisis or Resident Evil Code Veronica, it may be asking for too much since the game was originally developed for the original PlayStation console. Although not entirely 3D, parts of the field map are - and these are part of an interactive environment. You can slash onto a wooden shield into pieces, or cut a rope to drop lumber onto enemies. Guns are now replaced by katana as weapons, so even though it feels like playing Resident Evil, players will have to take a different approach since you will have more close-ranged combat in the game. The enemy AI was not yet complete in this version, but it was visually satisfying to see the main character hack and slash enemies, and gush of red blood splatter all over the screen. The attack differs depending on how you execute the buttons and the D-pad. For example, if you press forward while pressing the attack button, your main character will attack by stabbing forward. If pressing up and attack, the main character swings the katana from bottom to above. Pressing the attack button in succession also renders a chain combo. There is one chain combo where you slash and knock the enemy onto the ground and finishing off by stabbing the enemy down the ground. Like Resident Evil, there will be puzzle elements integrated into the game. So far overall, Onimusha has superb graphics but not a dramatic leap in terms of gameplay since Resident Evil. We hope that the final version will offer more, since it is one of the big titles for the PS2 coming this summer in Japan.