TGS 2003Onimusha 3 Impressions - Jacques Blanc

We tried out a playable demo of Onimusha 3 in Capcom's booth that let you take control of Jacques Blanc, the new character in the game based on film star Jean Reno. The timed demo opened with Blanc waking up in a forest in feudal Japan after an unpleasant encounter with a portal. The brief taste of what the game has to offer showed off the game's impressive graphics, as well as hints of its gameplay and story. Fans of the original games in the Onimusha series will likely be right at home with the third game, though the combat seems somewhat different thanks to Blanc's weapon, a unique gauntlet whose primary weapon is a whip. During battle, you can perform a variety of combos with the whip by quickly tapping the square button. You can also hold down the attack button and charge the whip once you earn an upgrade. Once the whip is charged, you can use it to perform a variety of different attacks, including catching and holding enemies. The holding mechanic seems like one of the coolest aspects of the game, since you can alternate who or what you hold to ensure that your foes can't attack you. Besides its obvious combat applications, the whip can be used on fairies you'll encounter that will let you swing from them, for a bit of platformer action. The whip can also be used to pick up certain objects, such as rocks, in order to access new areas in the final game. Skilled players will also find it possible to snatch arrows out of the air once they get the timing down. As before, you'll also be able to temporarily shift to a significantly more powerful form once you've collected enough orbs.

One of the coolest aspects of the game is the introduction of cooperative play with Samanosuke. Towards the end of the demo we encountered the warrior tending to his own demon fighting business. When we reached a certain point, he joined us and began supporting us as we made our way through to the boss. Samanosuke stuck close to us and attacked the foes that we targeted.

The graphics in the demo look very nice. The areas we went through offered some distinctly different areas with a good amount of variety. The first part of the demo featured a lush forest with diffuse light that came through a canopy of trees. The next area was set against a cliff that was bisected by a waterfall with impressive water effects. The area where we joined Samanosuke was set on the outside of a castle. The main characters looked extremely impressive thanks to their highly detailed 3D models. This time out the enemies featured a comparable level of visual polish thanks to details such as breakable armor and intricate texture work on their clothing and skin.

The game's slick graphics and intriguing gameplay seem to speak very well for it. Onimusha 3 is scheduled to ship next year for the PS2 in the US and Japan.