Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny marks the return of the beloved franchise after a long wait, and fans might soon have a new game to celebrate. But before that, Capcom is bringing back Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny as a remaster for PC and consoles. At first glance, it might seem like an easy cash grab, but if you’re a fan, there’s a lot to love here.
I got the chance to preview the game before release and played it thoroughly. My first impression was that it looks great, even though it originally came out on the PS2. The remastered visuals hold up well, though I wasn’t playing on a big screen—most of my time was on the Steam Deck OLED. Still, the game worked really well on it. Capcom has upscaled the cinematics, making them clearer, and retouched the UI. The remaster also features higher resolution, better textures, and a proper aspect ratio for modern PCs and consoles.
Before jumping into the remaster, I tried playing the original PS2 version to see what upgrades were made. The most obvious difference was the revamped gameplay. In the original, the fixed camera angle meant you had to control the main character with the D-pad. The remaster, though, lets you use analog controls right away. They take a little getting used to, but they make combat and exploration much better.
The combat also feels smoother now, with easier-to-execute moves using the analog sticks. In the original Onimusha 2, directional attacks like kicks and lunges were a bit clunky, but the new controls make them much more responsive. Another nice addition is the ability to tweak the difficulty. This preview build even includes a brutal Hell difficulty from the start—strictly for hardcore fans. I gave it a shot, but it was way too tough for me. In this mode, a single hit means instant death. There’s also a Critical difficulty, where enemies only die if you land a critical hit on them.
I also enjoyed the three new minigames added to the remaster. One of them, The Man in Black, features Jubei in a slick black suit. These bite-sized challenges are a fun bonus for players who’ve finished the main story. Another minigame, Team Oni, throws waves of enemies at you in a closed arena, letting you switch between Jubei and his allies mid-fight. Your performance is ranked based on how far you progress, adding some replay value.
This remaster is shaping up to be a bigger improvement over the original than Onimusha 1 was. While that one was decent, Onimusha 2 seems to be getting more love—with new content, difficulty options, and refined controls. Even if you’ve played the original, the changes here make it feel fresh. At its core, Onimusha 2 is all about skill, and the updated controls make mastering it more satisfying than ever.
The combat’s core mechanic focuses on well-timed critical strikes against attacking enemies. Pulling these off feels incredibly satisfying, and as I mentioned earlier, they’re crucial for the special Critical difficulty mode. On normal difficulty, most enemies go down pretty easily, and you’ve got both a dodge and parry button to help out. That said, the fixed camera angles can make some fights awkward – enemies often attack from just off-screen, and I occasionally took hits from foes I couldn’t even see. When you do defeat enemies, you absorb their souls through your gauntlet to upgrade your weapons and gear.
If you’re itching for the new Onimusha game coming later, this remaster makes for a great stopgap. Honestly, I’d love to see Capcom bring the entire series to modern platforms. While the third game is widely considered the best in the franchise, it might face some licensing hurdles since it features real actors like Jean Reno. Here’s hoping Capcom keeps up these remaster efforts – they’re clearly improving with each release.
