Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Preview

Whenever a remaster comes out, the big question is always: “How much of an improvement is it over the original?” This is a fair thing to ask, especially as we keep seeing re-released games that came out only a couple of years ago. However, I recently got the chance to try out Capcom's remaster of the 2002 PlayStation 2 title Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny.

If you never played an Onimusha title, then you’re probably younger than I am, but for the time, they were some of the biggest games on the PlayStation. Samurai’s Destiny has you take the role of Jubei Yagyu, who is on a quest for revenge against the Genma demon army of Nobunaga Oda. Jubei isn’t alone in this fight as, over time, he will gather a group of allies, while discovering more about his past and heritage. 

So, first things first, what is different in Samurai’s Destiny compared to the PS2 version? In a sense, a lot has changed, and, at the same time, much of the magic from the original is still here. The older title played a bit like a samurai version of Resident Evil, complete with tank controls and item gathering. Although rather than having a gun, you have a bevvy of weapons from mediaeval Japan, albeit with a demonic twist. 

Combat works as you would expect: you have a basic attack, a charged attack, and a magic skill to add more damage. Each weapon you find features a different element, which comes into some of the puzzles as well. However, the main focus of combat is to try to perform the “Issen” hits. How this works is that, when one of the Genma is about to lunge forward, you can instantly kill it with the right timing. It’s tricky at the start to get the timing down, but eventually you’ll find yourself cutting through enemies.

Honestly, I found the combat a bit stagnant at first, but over time, I started to really get into it. It’s as much of a blast as it was back in 2002, plus the inclusion of modern controls helps to push the gameplay to 10. You can, if you want, go back to the tank controls in the menu, but I found I preferred the modern one while playing with the keyboard and mouse. 

Now, the real question is how much Samurai’s Destiny departs from the original Onimusha 2 in terms of visuals. Well, for a start, the environments are much better looking in the game, and the animation is much more fluid. The UI has also seen some cleanup, with everything looking much less jagged than on the PlayStation 2. It might not be at the same level as a modern release, but Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny still looks great. 

The character designs have also seen a bit of upscaling, with much cleaner lines. This also means it’s much easier to tell what the enemies are doing. However, while the animation has seen some improvement, the faces of the characters can be wooden at times. 

Overall, while it might not be as grandiose as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Capcom has improved on the original while keeping true to the PS2 version's vision. The combat remains tight and interesting, with some noticeable visual improvements.

 I’m excited to see more of the game and what Capcom plans for the title. The hope is that Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny can help to reignite the public's love for the series. If so, I want to see a remake of Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, hi-def Jean Reno for the win!

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny releases on May 23, 2025, for both PC and PlayStation.