Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered Review - Ever The Same
When I was fortunate enough to preview Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remastered last month I was pretty clear in how I felt about the game. Though it had been a long time since I’d played Onimusha 2 originally, I was shocked by just how familiar it both felt to play, and looked to gaze upon. Like the original Onimusha remaster of 2018, I was disappointed when I previewed the game to realise just how little had been put into the title; not necessarily little effort, but little work into making it feel even remotely like a 2025 title. With the full experience now under my belt, I’m torn. Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remastered is both a fantastic game, and lackustre remaster that does little to win over prospective new players.
When Oda Nobunaga stormed through Yagyu Village, slaughtering almost all who crsosed him, there was one left standing, Jubei, who was left with the fires of revenge burning inside of them. Vengeance drives this second Onimusha tale, but despite this very dark tone, and listening to Jubei talk is about as fun as it is to watch paint dry at times, there are other moments where he livens up, and humour is injected in hilariously cheesy ways. The plot, nor its dialogue, is the game’s greatest strength, however these elements provide enough of a scaffold for the gameplay to be layered atop it, and for fun to be found.
It is important of course to keep in mind that Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is now a two-decade year old game and so as a playing experience, it should naturally feel quite dated, but with players re-experiencing some classic Resident Evil games in recent years, Onimusha 2 doesn’t feel quite as old as it often looks. Of course, the tight, sometimes claustrophobic, enclosed spaces seen in Resident Evil are a feature of Onimusha 2, but the distinct lack of undead eases the tension somewhat. Players will also heal using herbs, navigate through a range of item-based puzzles, and against restrictive fixed camera angles, all lifted from the Resident Evil franchise.
Where the game differs however is in its greater focus on melee combat, and its in this respect that Onimusha successfully stands apart from its more acclaimed sibling. Onimusha introduces you to the essentials of combat gently enough, but the difficulty begins to climb as more complex enemies enter the fray, and more of Jubei’s techniques become available. In particular, the Issen critical attack allows players who wish to entertain a higher risk model of combat can instantly kill opponents by launching their attack a split second before the opponent connects with their blow. Of course, the aforementioned locked camera can make things a bit awkward at times, and frustratingly escalating the challenge in some instances.
One pillar of the Onimusha experience is one that I’m not typically a fan of in most video games – the game’s relationship systems that connect to Jubei’s companions. I’ve never been too keen on building the bonds I have with my NPC allies for mild gameplay rewards, and while that is the case in Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, there are also some narrative perks for engaging deeper with these mechanics, as well as dedicated, and totally missable if you choose not to engage, playable sequences.
As a game, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is a pretty solid PS2 title re-emerging in 2025, but as a remaster, the game is a bit sub par. Much like 2018’s Warlords, Samurai’s Destiny has had minimal effort put into bringing it to something even resembling modern standards. The load times are quick, the game has a HD sheen now, but there’s nothing particularly notable that is new, and the edges could have been smoothed up more thna they are. For the 23 years that fans have had to wait for this title to resurface, more could have, and should have, been done to celebrate the title, and elevate it to modern remaster standards.
While there’s a lot to enjoy about Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, it feels like you’re just playing the game via backwards compatibility, and nothing more. This is the second consecutive time I’ve had to say this about the Onimusha franchise, but it deserves better than Capcom has given it via these remasters. Hopefully this doesn’t bode ill for their investment in the 2026 title, Onimusha: Way Of The Sword.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remastered was reviewed on PS5 using a PS4 code kindly provided by Capcom.
