Onimusha is one of the franchises that is synonymous with the PlayStation 2; with the original, Onimusha: Warlords, releasing in 2001, and sequels following shortly after. The original had the remaster treatment back in 2019, and was very faithful to the PS2 version I remember so fondly. Now, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is also receiving the remaster treatment, and with a brand-new Onimusha: Way of the Sword launching in 2026, now’s the best time to revisit these classics with a fresh coat of paint.
Not only have we had the opportunity to get our hands-on the opening hours of the Onimusha 2 remaster, we also had the opportunity to speak with Motohide Eshiro, Director, who has been with Capcom since back in 1990, even directing the original Onimusha 2 back in 2002, and Kosuke Tanaka, Producer, who has worked largely on the Monster Hunter series prior to his work on this remaster.
The remaster of Onimusha 2, like the remaster of Warlords before it, largely sticks to the original’s style. This means that while it has been given a bit of visual polish, inherently, the gameplay remains the same, complete with the fixed-camera angles that were so prevalent in survival horror titles from that era. When I asked Mr. Eshiro about the challenges in updating Onimusha 2 for a contemporary audience, he stated that “When the original ‘Onimusha 2’ was developed, it was programmed without a game engine, but for the remaster we adopted the RE Engine, so we had to build the system and everything from scratch for the RE Engine. However, thanks to the efforts of the development team, we were able to develop a very high-quality remaster without any major issues.”
“…the remaster has made all the graphics high resolution, recreating the intricate details of the characters and backgrounds.”
“This time, the remaster has made all the graphics high resolution, recreating the intricate details of the characters and backgrounds.” Mr. Eshiro continued. “In addition, the game has been improved in usability by implementing movement with the analog stick, the much-requested event scene skip function, and an auto-save function.”
These changes certainly do make a difference; I’d forgotten that the original Onimusha 2 only used the D-Pad for movement, and that would feel terribly clunky by modern standards. Moving in this remaster is smooth, and quality-of-life changes like skipping cutscenes (especially after taking a beating from a boss) and auto-save alleviate some key bugbears.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny was always held in fairly high esteem when it comes to the series as a whole, with more dynamic combat, and about twice the length of the original Warlords, offering a lot more value. When asking about fan demand for Onimusha as a series getting some more love, Mr. Tanaka was quick to jump in. “I was one of those fans. The impact Onimusha had at the time was so great, and it remains a masterpiece no matter how many years pass. I share the same feelings as all of the fans, and I am very happy that they have been waiting for Onimusha to be released.”
Onimusha 2, at the time it was originally released, was one of the first to incorporate swordplay techniques that we take for granted now in 2025. Mr. Tanaka notes “I would like fans of the original work, as well as those who have never played an Onimusha, to try this out. This game was one of the first to incorporate the so-called “parry” technique into the game in the form of a “Critical,” and I think that sense of exhilaration is something that is unique to the Onimusha series.”
Playing through the opening hours, I’m reminded how important Onimusha really was as a series in the early 2000s. It’s a bit more hack ‘n’ slash than its contemporaries, but parrying feels good, as does timing your attack and defence to take on the various demonic enemies you’ll encounter. The fixed camera is still sometimes your biggest enemy as it prevents you from seeing what’s off-screen, shooting arrows your direction, but it’s all part of the charm; Onimusha 2 was also one of the earlier titles that featured the abiltiy to give gifts to companions, with rewards for adhereing to their tastes. It’s a bit hokey, but fun all the same.
Mr. Tanaka spoke very fondly about being brought onto the team to develop this remaster. “I’m really grateful to be able to remaster a game that I played as a fan, together with the director of the original work,” he says. “I felt it was rewarding to remaster it while preserving as much of the good qualities of the original as possible to show the respect of original work.” That respect seems to have paid off; riding the waves of nostalgia, it’s a fine line between enjoying the experience preserved for what it is, while also imagining what a full-blown remake (à la Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2) might have looked like. Still, I’m happy just to be playing Onimusha again, in any capacity.
When asking about what the future might hold with Way of the Sword, it’s noted from Mr. Tanaka that the upcoming title “is a re-examination, reinterpretation, and reconstruction of the worldview of the Genma and Oni clans, etc. Therefore, there is basically no connection to previous titles.”
While that might not make this Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster a compulsory gaming task ahead of Way of the Sword next year, it looks like it will definitely be worth checking out for those who want to experience a key piece of horror and samurai gaming history.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is set for release on May 23, for PS4, Switch, Xbox One and PC.
About the Author
Luke Mitchell
he/him
Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.
