Category: Games

How Capcom’s Remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Makes a Classic Game Better

Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

Summary

We get nostalgic with a hands-on preview of the upcoming remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny.
Director Motohide Eshiro and Producer Kosuke Tanaka share insights into the development of this remaster.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny launches May 23, 2025, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility. Pre-order today on the Microsoft Store for Xbox.

Beyond the demon slaying, sword slicing, and grand adventuring that I was enjoying with the remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny on Xbox, I think what I’m appreciating most is just how faithfully it sticks to its source material, retaining everything that makes the original such a fan-favorite, without losing any of its survival horror charm.

This thoroughly remastered version of Onimusha 2 puts you back in the shoes of the samurai Jubei Yagyu, battling the undead warlord Nobunaga Oda and his army of demons. Alongside his companions Oyu, Ekei, Magoichi, and Kotaro Fuma, Jubei’s adventure is now a cleaner, higher-res version of the original, with numerous quality-of-life features developed to make it more accessible to those newer to the series, and refined for those original fans who are looking to take a step back in time.

“The game’s unique visual style greatly benefits from an improved HD resolution and 60FPS performance, making the swordplay feel more responsive than ever,” says Director Motohide Eshiro. “Since TV screens have moved onto the widescreen format in the intervening years, we’ve also updated the game’s output to fill a wide display, which zooms the image in, and I think makes the battle scenes feel even more immersive and exciting.”

I agree. Swordplay is extremely responsive – I’m able to effectively strike and block, while the battles feel intimate. That’s especially true within temple corridors, as I slash away at an onslaught of demons, trying to master an issen hit (a powerful counterattack), and absorbing the souls of my enemies to gain XP.

“A new player picking up this remaster in 2025 should feel the same exhilaration as someone did in 2002,” adds Eshiro. “This meant retaining the game’s core features and charm, while bringing certain elements up to the modern standards gamers expect. We had access to the original game’s assets, and to be honest even in 2002 the original team had made them very high quality. If anything, the standard-definition CRT display technology of the time was holding these assets back from being appreciated in their original quality, so we have used a variety of modern upscaling and uprezzing techniques to bring out all their detail on modern HD displays. This includes the moving video elements of backgrounds, so areas such as flowing rivers look better than ever.”

One element that has changed is that you can now choose when to have Jubei transform into an Onimusha, making him invincible with a damage buff for a limited time. Previously this would happen automatically once you’ve acquired enough orbs – another soul-type you can absorb from defeated enemies but appears less frequently. I like this change –being able to save this powerful attack for when I really needed it is incredibly helpful, like when squaring off with a mini-boss or when facing down a particularly tough group of demons.

The affinity system has also returned, where certain items you find or purchase can be used as gifts. Jubei can give them to his companions, affecting who will help him during the game and can influence how the story unfolds. This sub-game remains surprisingly fun, as you work to find the best match for each companion, particularly because you can receive helpful items in return, like herbs for healing.

“There are also QOL features that, if we had not implemented them, would likely be a cause of frustration for modern gamers,” Eshiro explains further. “Although we love the cutscenes, you now have the option to skip them should you choose, and auto-save has been implemented to allow you to more easily play across multiple sessions. And of course, while you can stick to the so-called ‘tank controls’ of the original if you prefer, the ‘normal’ analogue controls have been added and fine-tuned to make for a very natural and direct gameplay experience.”

The sound and music have also been given some significant treatment, utilizing the original uncompressed audio to bring out every detail of the original composer Taro Iwashiro’s music. Eshiro mentions that the sound effects for both cutscenes and gameplay have been remixed in a way that respects the original game while making them feel at home on modern hardware. “Fans of the game’s soundtrack will also be pleased to know that if you pre-order, you can receive the Orchestra Album Selection Pack with beautiful orchestral arrangements of a selection of five tracks from the game,” adds Eshiro.

From what I’ve seen and played, which is roughly the first two hours of the game, I think the work put into Onimusha 2‘s remaster is a great example of modern game preservation. All of this comes across as a passion project for the team at Capcom, retaining the look and feel of the world, its characters, and even its classic UI.

Baca Juga

In talking with Producer Kosuke Tanaka, I learned the team’s approach to the remaster of Onimusha 2 was always intended to faithfully recreate the original gameplay experience as closely as possible; a full remake would have been quite different and wasn’t what they were going for – you can expect those bigger changes in the brand-new Onimusha: Way of the Sword next year.

“Capcom has always held the stance that we want players to be able to experience our games as much as possible, and that means bringing them to various hardware platforms as well as remastering and producing compilations of titles that are only playable on defunct platforms,” explains Tanaka. “It’s been great to see how positive the reaction is [to the Onimusha 2 remaster]. It makes me feel the players respect the original game as much as I do.”

It has been a long time since a mainline Onimusha game was released and it’s exciting to see this remaster arriving now in the lead up to the new game’s launch in 2026.“We released a remaster of the first Onimusha in 2019, and various circumstances meant that it’s taken until now to follow it up with Onimusha 2,” explains Tanaka. “However, this project has been running alongside the new title, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, so the timing has worked out quite well — players who want a brand new Onimusha have a treat in store.”

There’s no shortage of remasters these days on modern consoles, but few have so effectively blended nostalgia with modern enhancements. There’s plenty here for long-time fans and newcomers to appreciate. Even though the game is over two decades old, it’s clear its original formula of samurai survival horror is one that has been able to stand the test of time.

“While there are more samurai and swordplay-themed games around today than there were when Onimusha 2 originally came out, I think this game still has a quality whose brilliance hasn’t dulled in the almost 25 years since,” says Eshiro. “The combination of Sengoku-era settings and characters with a dark, demonic fantasy theme and ultra-responsive combat, as well as RPG elements such as the character affinity system, make this a unique experience, so please check it out when the remaster releases on May 23!”

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny launches May 23, 2025, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility. Pre-order today on the Microsoft Store for Xbox.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

CAPCOM CO., LTD.

☆☆☆☆☆ 2

★★★★★

$29.99

Pre-order

Get the Onimusha 2: Orchestra Album Selection Pack when you pre-order Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny. It includes five tracks selected from the Onimusha 2 Orchestra Album Taro Iwashiro Selection. Immerse yourself in the world of Onimusha 2 in this beautiful orchestral arrangement. Track List: – Truth Of Brave ~Warring mix~ – Truth Of Resolution ~Oyu's Theme~ – Truth Of Edge ~Magoichi's Theme~ – Truth Of Loyalty ~Ekei's Theme~ – Truth Of Desire ~Kotaro's Theme~ *Select Special Features → Gallery → Original Soundtrack to access these tracks from the title-screen menu. Also, get this pack of items to use in-game: – Herb x3 – Medicine x2 – Secret Medicine x1 – Special Magic Liquid x2 – Perfect Medicine x1 – Talisman x1 – Red Soul x10,000 The content will appear after meeting Takajo in the early game. If you have already met Takajo, the content will appear when you select "Load Game". While you can only get this item pack once, you can also get the items in-game. The content listed in the DLC may become available separately at a later date. *This content is also available as part of the Onimusha bundle.(Acquire this bundle before June 30, 2025, to receive a limited-time bonus!) ——————————- Reclaim your destiny. Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny returns with HD graphics and modernised controls to perform issen critical counter attacks and intense swordplay. Play as Jubei Yagyu and make your way through feudal Japan with your allies. This game has additional language support adapted from the original script. Additional features include: – New Gallery mode with over 100 sketches by the game's character designer, Keita Amemiya. – New digital soundtrack selection with all 43 tracks from the original soundtrack of Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny. – Hell mode difficulty. – The Man in Black, Team Oni, and Puzzle Phantom Realm mini games will be available to play at the very beginning. – Auto-save feature and easy weapon switch for improved playability. You can also get a special outfit for Jubei if you have save data from Onimusha: Warlords. To switch Jubei's outfit select Special Features → Jubei's Outfit and select between Normal and Special from the title-screen menu. This will only alter the appearance. Your status will be the same as the armour you equip in-game. ©CAPCOM ONIMUSHA is a trademark and/or registered trademark of CAPCOM CO., LTD and/or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.