Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is an action adventure game developed and published by Capcom.
The game opens with Samanosuke Akechi (Takeshi Kaneshiro) destroying the monstrous Genma army in Japan 1582. It then jumps to modern-day Paris 2004, featuring Jacques Blanc (Jean Reno) riding on his motorcycle to help his friend Philippe. The Genma army then begins its invasion of Paris near the Arc de Triomphe.
The game returns to Samanosuke in feudal Japan fighting his way to Honnō-ji Temple, which is on fire from a raging battle. Samanosuke battles and kills Ranmaru Mori (Joshua Keaton) and approaches Nobunaga Oda. However, before they can fight, a portal opens in the floor and Samanosuke is pulled through it.
Meanwhile, the French military is fighting several monsters from 1582, but the soldiers cannot hold them for long. Jacques arrives on the scene finding Philippe injured from the battle. Suddenly, Samanosuke appears from a portal in a Paris alley right where Jacques is fighting the Genma monsters. Jacques Blanc runs out of ammo just as he and Philippe are ambushed, but Samanosuke manages to rescue them. Samanosuke and Jacques meet but are unable to properly communicate.
The time portal reappears and pulls Jacques and Philippe through to Japan. Samanosuke makes his way towards the center of the hysteria, the Arc de Triomphe. Samanosuke first meets Michelle, Jacques' girlfriend, near the Arc and makes his way towards the roof. There he encounters Guildenstern and finds out he is actually over 400 years in the future in Paris. Samanosuke then fights and destroys Brainstern, a robotic creation.
Jacques Blanc and Philippe arrive in 16th century Japan. Unfortunately, Philippe dies of mortal wounds from the previous battle after the time warp. Jacques encounter a different Samanosuke in an alternate timeline on his way to Honnō-ji Temple. Both men realize that to return to their own time period, they must save the current time from destruction. The Samanosuke in 2004 Paris teams up with Michelle and Jacques son to save the city from destruction while Jacques and Samanosuke (not player controlled) struggle to fight Nobunaga in feudal Japan. The two men work together across time to solve puzzles and access new areas.
[edit] Featured landmarks in France
* Arc de Triomphe
In the Midst of the Genma invasion, to the top of this famous arc is where Samanosuke must go to face Guildenstern and his new brainchild, Brainstern.
* Notre Dame Cathedral
Beneath this holy place of worship, the Genma have built a huge underground fortress for Guildenstern.
* Mont-Saint-Michel
This Monastery, In Normandy, has been used by the Genma in the Past, and future. In the Past, Vega Donna uses the place to power up her new flying Azuchi Castle. In the future, it is home to the time folder. The whole place gets destroyed in the past and future, by the flying castle in the past, and by the exploding time folder in the future.
* Eiffel Tower
This famous monument is the new home of the Time folder. Samanosuke must venture to the summit and face Ranmaru for one last time.
[edit] Weapons
Aside from the three weapons from the original Onimusha, Samanosuke and Jacques find eight other weapons:
[edit] Samanosuke's weapons
* Tenso (天双刃, lit. Heaven Pair Edges) are twin swords that are empowered by a divine light, gained by entering the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, upon the entry point of Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, for Samanosuke.
* Kūga (空牙刀, lit. Sky Fang Blade) is a long nodachi that emits air magic, gained by absorbing the dark energy from the angel statues in the Notre Dame Cathedral for Samanosuke.
* Chigo (地轟斧, lit. Earth Shake Axe) is a giant earth-elemental axe that brings forth lava, obtained in the Oni Underwater Temple by Samanosuke.
* Bishamon Sword (毘沙門天の刃, bishamonten no yaiba?) is the ultimate sword bearing the name of the God of War, obtained by beating the final Dark Realm and collecting all eight orbs.
* Onimusha Sword (鬼武者真剣, Onimusha shinken?) is the sword carried by Samanosuke Akechi in his ultimate form.
* Genma Samonji (幻魔裟紋刃) is the ultimate weapon created by fusing the Onimusha Sword with the dark energy that unleashed from Nobunaga's sword （減神天魔刃). It has crimson energy surrounding it with an orb of the same color.
* Raizan (雷斬刀, lit. Thunder Slash Blade) is the lightning-elemental katana from the Onimusha: Warlords. Also spelled "Raizen". It should not be mistaken with "Raisen", one of Jacques' weapon.
* Enryuu (焔竜剣, lit. Flame Dragon Sword) is the fire-elemental broadsword from Onimusha: Warlords.
* Shippuu (疾風丸, lit. Gale Blade) is the wind-elemental naginata from Onimusha: Warlords.
[edit] Jacques' weapons
* Oni no Hoippu (鬼の鞭, lit. Oni Whip) is the first weapon Jacques receives in the game.
* Enja (炎蛇剣, lit. Flame Snake Sword) is a fire-elemental sword whip similar to Ivy's from the Soul Calibur series, found at the Stupa shrine within Mount Hiei.
* Raisen (雷閃槍, lit. Thunder Flash Spear) is a thunder-elemental spear whip found in the blacksmith of Sakai. It should not be mistaken with Raizan, one of Samanosuke's weapons.
* Hyosai (氷砕球, lit. Ice Break Ball) is an ice-elemental flail whip found in the Underwater Temple.
* Oni Musou no Hoippu (鬼無双, lit. Whip of the Matchless Oni) also known as Ultimate Whip, obtained at the Honnō-ji Temple for Jacques after completing the Dark Realm and collecting all eight orbs.
[edit] Technical
* Onimusha 3 is the first game in the series to introduce the usage of analog sticks as well as the D-pad to control the character's movement.
* Also the first in the series to use real-time rendered 3D environments instead of pre-rendered backgrounds.
* Both the intro sequence and Samanosuke's sword-combat motion was captured and choreographed by famed Hong Kong movie actor Donnie Yen.
[edit] Future sequel
Although Capcom stated on several occasions that Onimusha 3 would be the end of the series, the ending indicated another game revolving around Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nobunaga's successor) and the sealing of Samanosuke's Oni gauntlet. A new Onimusha game, entitled Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, was released in early 2006 and in which Hideyoshi was the central villain.
[edit] Notes
* In this game, after Jacques obtains the Enja, when he cuts down some "Genma weeds" that block a path. The theme music for the path is the same music used for some of the stages of Resident Evil 4, although the version in this game has a more "oriental" tone.
It should also be noted that the English voices of Jacues and Leon S. Kennedy are played by Paul Mercier in both games.