Look at that, we’re back with preview of Capcom bringing back another of their classic games. This time we got to go hands on with the upcoming remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny. It’s been nearly twenty years since the series has received a new entry, and it’s been over six years since Capcom released the remaster of the first game. However, with the new game Onimusha: Way of the Sword set to release next year, this seems like a perfect time to get old and new fans excited for the series again. As someone who had never played an Onimusha game, but has heard how beloved the series was, I was excited to try it out. Thus, let’s dive in to see how this game is.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny originally released back on the PlayStation 2 in 2002. When you start the remaster, there is a message that appears that the game is presented with minimal changes to preserve the authentic feeling of playing the original game as many did over twnety years ago. And, that is what you get with this remaster. It still feels and looks like, albeit a much prettier, PlayStation 2 game. Characters model are still a little funky looking, so don’t go into this thinking the graphics are on par with what we’ve seen of the upcoming Onimusha: Way of the Sword.

I never knew how much Onimusha was inspired by the early Resident Evil games. The game features many things you would find in those games such as moving to preset screens in an area and puzzles needing to be solved to progress. You even heal yourself with herbs like in Resident Evil. This can be a little disorienting when trying to navigate some areas as the controls would shift the direction depending on what screen you’re on. Luckily, this remaster forgoes the tank controls of the original and lets you move your character freely with the analog stick.

Combat is where Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny shines though. The combat is more than just button mashing like you would see in action games of the era. While,yes, you could just mash attack and take out all the enemies. However, the game features a move that lets you kill enemies in one hit if you attack while go in to attack you. This was so fun to discover as multiple enemies start attacking you pretty early on, so learning how to take them down in one hit was key. Especially as the remaster introduces a new difficulty called Hell Mode. This mode causes a single hit to kill you instantly, so learning how to one shot enemies is key. As a newcomer to the series, I was in over my head, and restarted on Normal pretty quickly.

Not to get into any spoilers, but the story seems interesting from what I got to play. All the characters that have been introduced each have their own unique personalities and I’m intrigued to see where things go. Also, the opening movie that plays at the start of the game kept my eyes glued to the screen, and its crazy they had cinematics of that quality way back then.

This entry may not be for everyone as it is still a PlayStation 2 game. However, eager fans and newcomers who want to see what the classic series was won’t have to wait too much longer to get their hands on this as the remastered Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC next month on May 23, 2025.