Highlights
- 2025 sees the remake of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny.
- Capcom aims to push Onimusha to next-gen tech despite past remaster challenges.
- Onimusha 2 remaster promises an engaging story and modest graphical enhancements.
2024 has been a remarkable year for remakes and remasters of old classic gaming titles and this year seems to be doing the same kicking off with the remake of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. However, this is not the only title that will get the remaster treatment as Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is also set to be remastered and released this year. In a sentiment that is shared by many who have experienced this classic gem, Capcom’s commitment to pushing the Onimusha title to the next-generation tech is commendable, to say the least.
Capcom’s previous attempts at an Onimusha 1 remaster in 2018 did not provide good results as the sales were very low, which had ended any hopes of the company creating remasters. Luckily, Capcom sees hope in the Onimusha titles and has attempted to bring the title back while exposing it to a newer player base.
Challenges of Onimusha 1 Remaster
While Onimusha 1 failed to make sales during its 2018 remake, because the remaster did not include all the content from Genma Onimusha. This newer port of the original game had new areas, enemies, and bosses, including the Ogre Tower and new armor that had been omitted from the remaster.
This meant that the remaster was not a definitive edition of Onimusha 1. This will not be the problem that the Onimusha 2 remaster faces due to it having no ports or additional content that has come between the release of the original game and the current remaster.
What to Expect from Onimusha 2 Remaster
One thing to note is that the Onimusha 2 remaster will not have significant game-altering graphical updates but will have a modest refinement of graphics and a higher and clearer resolution of gameplay. What will attract players to the remaster is the engaging story that Onimusha promises of a Samurai, Jubei Yagyu who is seeking revenge against the evil warlord Nobunaga Oda, who has wiped out Jubei’s clan, while fighting the wicked Genma (Demon) army that the warlord has released.
The combat system for its time had been quite entertaining to play with even if it was the tank controls. The variety of weapons mixed with a plethora of enemy variety made the game very engaging.
The Future of the Onimusha Series
One problem that Capcom and Onimusha have to face is the sales for the game. This can be a make-or-break moment for the series as another failure would set them up to be picking dust for some time. The Onimusha series consists of six games with four more games waiting to be remastered, and only time will tell if they will get a chance to come back into the limelight.
