Go And Vote For Onimusha In Capcom’s Survey, This Gem Deserves As Much

Childhood is a magical time. With not a worry in sight, it’s just you and the little things you enjoy. And these little things are sometimes forever imprinted in your mind. You always look back at this stuff with fondness, regardless of whether that thing is too obsolete to enjoy now. You can’t put reason or logic on nostalgia. It serves as a reminder of the days past and lets you relive those times in your mind.

It’s the same case with video games. I know full well the games I enjoyed as a child would appear flawed to me if I try them now, yet I assure you I’ll jump on this chance regardless. The Tomb Raider remaster trilogy is a perfect example of this. Sometimes a perfect game is not what you want, but a reminder of what you enjoyed back then. And speaking of stuff I thoroughly enjoyed, there’s no way I won’t mention Onimusha.

Capcom Seems To Be Gauging Fans’ Interest In Its IPs, Including Onimusha

So, you must be wondering why discuss Onimusha out of the blue. Well, I’m always looking for an excuse to bring up this brilliant series and let more people join my cause of letting Capcom know. However, this time the excuse was provided by the gaming giant itself. Capcom has recently released a questionnaire, in which it has posed some questions regarding its ongoing as well as the currently dormant IPs.

Capcom is currently gauging interest in new games and remakes for multiple franchises, including a bunch of dormant IPs.

If you want to answer, the link is in the replies. pic.twitter.com/lko9w5gx5S

— RE Engine Aesthetics (@aesthetics_re) February 6, 2024

The important thing in all this is the questions regarding those dormant IPs. First, Capcom wishes to know which of its IPs fans would like to see a sequel or a new game of. This section includes some pretty magnificent gems like Dino Crisis, Final Fight, etc. Next up is the question of what series or games should get a remake treatment, which again features some very deserving candidates.

I’ve already spoken in detail about the other much-needed ones like Dino Crisis. So today, I’d like to focus on Onimusha. Primarily because this series was present in both of these sections. This means if it does get enough support, we just might get a new Onimusha, either a new game or a remake. And that would be the best thing ever for me, this brilliant series deserves a revival as much as any other classic.

Onimusha — Capcom And Samurais Come Together

Let me discuss this beautiful series’ history a little. When it comes to Capcom, everything began with Resident Evil in some way, even a samurai game. The idea was to create a more ninja-esque Resident Evil filled with swords and historical Japan. After some refinement, the idea created Onimusha, a third-person action-focused samurai story all about killing demons and looking cool while doing so.

It was not about the visuals or even the story, everything Onimusha was so exciting for was the gameplay and combat. It featured pre-rendered backgrounds staple of the era and a fixed camera setting much like Resident Evil. But the gameplay was completely different and highly addicting. Slashing away at “Genma” with a diverse arsenal, fast-paced combat, and impactful combos, it was a treat like none other.

10 minutes of Onimusha: Warlords gameplay
byu/Turbostrider27 inGames

You can even say this game served as a precursor for the Devil May Cry series as much as Resident Evil 4 did. DMC’s base combat was born out of a bug in the original Onimusha, and man am I glad for that bug. Onimusha sounds a lot like Devil May Cry too, and maybe it was, but it is also pretty distinct. The combat has a specific flavor, and the series faithfully played to the strengths of its Samurai backdrop.

A Modern Onimusha Would Be A Dream Come True For Me

Since Capcom has included Onimusha in both categories, there’s an equal possibility of a new game as well as a remake, and honestly, I’m fine with either. I’d still say I’m a little more in favor of a proper sequel, as you’ll generally find me speaking against remakes. But the only exception I make in this case is Capcom. I mean, Resident Evil 4 is proof the developer never aims to replace the original.

And now it’s up to the modern Capcom, who has a powerful weapon called the RE engine at its disposal. Just imagine a new Onimusha game in the RE engine, the thought is enough to give me goosebumps. Onimusha never suffered from clunky animations and combat in the first place, all of the games excelled in gameplay. And a RE engine game can take that fluidity to enormous heights.

The RE engine is really pretty.
byu/Samwinterrs inresidentevil

The only problem for a sequel would deciding a proper pathway. Resident Evil’s shadow was apparent in the first one, the second tried the RPG route, the third went all in on the combat, and the fourth was a little bit of a weaker version of these for me. If you ask me, combat is what the series did best consistently, and it should double down on it.

Capcom Needs To Give It Another Chance

Now that the developer has shown interest in these dormant IPs, the hope is renewed. I know you might say it did give Onimusha a shot with the Warlords remaster, and that wasn’t received as well. To that, I reply that there were some inherent issues with that. First, it was a remaster of the PS2 version, a 5-hour game priced at $40. Why Capcom didn’t bundle 2 and 3 alongside that is beyond me.

I wish capcom brings this series back. Such an underrated series.
byu/Masterplayer9870 inIndianGaming

It was arguably a pretty weak representation of the series. Plus, the lack of marketing, awareness, and a less-effective upgrade hurt its sales. The demand for the series hasn’t died just yet, and a properly overhauled RE-style game is bound to attract not only old fans but possibly new ones. A modern Capcom game with a combat focus much like Devil May Cry, who won’t be interested in that?