Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

The Onimusha series have always been very popular among gamers. The newest edition to the series, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams has been getting rave reviews and it is no surprise why. With the success of the previous games, it's no wonder that this newest edition is expected to do so great as well!

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is a fast paced action game with RPG (role playing game) elements. The environment is in ancient Japan and takes place 15 years after the original Onimusha trilogy. An all new story is set in motion along with 5 new playable characters.

You start as a powerful warrior named Soki. He is out to stop the successor of the evil warlord who was destroyed in the previous Onimusha, Oda Nobunaga. His successor, Hideyoshi Toyotomi is using the evil Genma forces as the previous ruler did. Soki is out to destroy the Genma and set ablaze a strange crop of demonic cherry trees.

This game is a bit different from the previous versions of the game. This is because of the RPG elements. But this is a much welcomed surprise. You can now play with 2 characters on the screen at one time. You also have the ability to switch between the characters at any time during game play.

The characters themselves are all unique as to weapon use and abilities. (Don't worry; they can all still absorb souls)! You can develop each character as you wish (another RPG element) and upgrade as you see necessary. The ability to choose your characters development is quite nice as it is one of the most flexible character development systems thus seen in a game so far! The possibilities are almost endless!

If you get tired in between stages, campsites and hideouts appear for your battle weary warriors. Here you can get a bit more background on the story line, manage items, upgrade your characters, and more. The list of items used in the game is enormous. Having a safe place to organize them is always nice! There are some items that you will not find in your environment. To get these, you have to go through "The Test of Valor."

The story of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is very gripping and quite compelling. Again, it is very fast paced. In fact, there is a boss fight right at the beginning of the game. There is never a dull moment. As you hack and slash your way through levels, the story gets more and more defined. As you watch demon guts splatter everywhere, you will be inspired to move on for the climatic ending!

With regards to controls, the menu screen and upgrade system is easy to figure out... once you get past the fact that there are tons of items and upgrades in the game to begin with. Characters all have the same controls, however their style of fighting and weapons are different depending on whom you are using.

The graphics in this game are just stunning to look at. All environments are colorful and highly detailed. They are so detailed that entrails of the foes you have slashed are often seen pouring out of their collapsing bodies! Yummy.

The soundtrack is quite good. It coincides with the feel of the game quite well. Lastly, the voice acting is nicely done and free of errors... meaning that it doesn't sound like an episode of the Power Rangers.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is available only for Playstation 2. It has an ESRB rating of M for mature. This is because the game features language, violence, and blood. For those of you who need a bit of help, a strategy guide is available.