It’s been nearly fifteen years since the last mainline title in Capcom’s samurai and horror mashup seriesOnimusha.In that time, the gaming landscape has changed a lot. New entries from Capcom and other publishers have pioneered new ways to play and new genres as a whole, and if Capcom ever plans to resurrect theOnimushafranchise, there are some major games that Capcom would do well to learn from.
Onimushabegan life on the PS2 way back in 2001 as a fun melding ofResident Evil’shorror themes and tank-control style with traditional Japanese folklore and samurai gameplay. The game spawned three sequels, with the last title beingOnimusha Dawn of Dreams,and it skewed more towards the action-centric gameplay of another one of Capcom’s supernatural series:Devil May Cry. While many fans enjoyed the fast-paced gameplay and options for co-op play, many others were left disappointed by the move away fromOnimusha’s horror roots. Now, since Capcomrenewed theOnimushatrademarkback in 2018, fans have wondered if another game was in development.
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Is a New Onimusha in the Works?
Fans were given hope about a newOnimushagame after a leak surfacedthat hinted at such a project being in development, but this isn’t concrete proof. Oftentimes, publishers like Capcom will renew trademarks in order to prevent losing rights to certain characters or to prevent the production of copycat games. The leak was major and included information about many other Capcom properties, but any information obtained in such a way should be taken with a grain of salt.
Many players would find news of a newOnimushawelcome, but in a vastly different gaming landscape from 2006, Capcom would do well to learn more from the success ofSekiro:Shadows Die Twiceand other than its ownDevil May Cryseries. TheSekirodeveloperFromSoftware has games that many players love, and Capcom should take note of its success in designing a newOnimusha.The atmosphere, gameplay, and progression systems from the souls-like games are all things that could benefit the return Capcom’s samurai-horror series.
Onimusha is Perfect for Sekiro’s Approach
Devil May Cryis one of Capcom’s most popular franchises, as thespecial edition ofDMC5released for PS5 and Xbox Series X to much success recently (as a recent example). Back in time closer toDawn of Dreams,the success ofDevil May Cry 3likely influenced the move toward more action-focused gameplay inDawn of Dreams.But the success of souls-like games likeSekiroshould give Capcom a hint at what would be possible with a newOnimusha.
Sekiroshowed that the traditional Japanese folklore including demons and oni and other such mythological creatures can translate well to modern games. The foreboding atmosphere ofSekiroand other souls-like games likeDemon SoulsandNiohcould be a great way for Capcom to transitionOnimushaback towards its horror roots. The cramped corridors, hideous monsters, and overwhelming anxiety of the originalOnimushagames could be well implemented in a souls-like formula, while allowingOnimushato carve out a niche of its own with Capcom’s penchant for character/enemy and story design.
Dawn of Dreamswas a big departure from the otherOnimushagames in a lot of ways, including the atmosphere of the game at large. The more hack-and slash-nature of the game necessitated larger environments that lacked the anxiety of earlier games. The same overbearing presence of the threat of player death that pervadedResident Evilwas on full display in the earlyOnimushagames, as players were just as likely to be cut down by a shuffling skeleton in a hallway as any of the games bosses. The foreboding atmosphere and ambiguous threats ofSekiroandBloodbornego a long way to establishing the tone of those games, and Capcom should study this for a newOnimusha.
Speaking to the gameplay,Onimushahas had a focus on strategic and precision combat since its outset, where avoiding damage and delivering powerful critical strikes with precise timing has helped theOnimushaprotagonists like Samanouske and Jubei survive against demonic hordes. The Souls formula fits these gameplay concepts almost perfectly, and Capcom is famous for crafting incredibly tight combat both in melee-centric titles likeDevil May Cryand in modern shooters likeResident Evil 4and the recent remakes. Many long-time fans would love to see a modern take on theOnimushagameplay with the blistering difficulty of games likeSekiro.
Onimusha and the Soulslike Success
Another more modern feature from titles likeDemon’s SoulsandDark Soulsthat would go a long way in improving theOnimushaformula is the way those titles handle character progression. It is hard to find games without RPG elements here in 2021, and largely that’s for a good reason.Dawn of Dreamsincluded new weapons and some trinkets that players could obtain in order to power up their characters, but a full fledged system for skills, attributes, and gear could greatly improve the overall experience.
A full system for progression would also go a long way in improving replayability for a newOnimushatitle. Overall, if Capcom is indeed planning a newOnimusha, it might be able to find great success in emulating what has made the souls-like genre and games likeSekiroso popular. With manynext-gen games from Capcomin development, it would be a big task, but Capcom is known for adapting its properties with changing trends to great effect. So, a simultaneous look at the modern souls-like trends and look back toOnimusha’sroots in the horror genre could add up to a strong return forOnimusha.
While many fans believe thatOnimushahas been shelvedby Capcom, the recent leak has given many fans new hope for the return ofOnimusha.And if Capcom does actually have plans forOnimusha,it would make sense for the company to learn from games that have taken a similar approach.
