Believe it or not, it’s already been over six years since Capcom’s 2019 remaster of the first Onimusha title, Onimusha: Warlords, arrived on store shelves. While the retouched classic ultimately sold 300,000 copies across all platforms (well below the over 2 million copies that the original PlayStation 2 version sold in 2000), in that same month Capcom would also go on to release its remake of Resident Evil 2 to immense critical acclaim, selling 3 million copies worldwide in its first week.
Remakes, reboots and remasters of old IP, especially those from Capcom, were just as white-hot then as they are now, and given Capcom’s 2019 trajectory, it seemed a remaster of 2002’s Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny would soon be inevitable.
Clearly, Capcom has a different concept of the word “soon,” as the wait of over half a decade for Onimusha 2’s long-overdue glow-up has been a tad longer than anyone could have imagined. Now it’s almost here, and the Osaka-based publisher’s decision to hitch said remaster’s promotional wagon to the recently revealed 9th gen console reboot, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, is no less than a PR stroke of genius.
Announced at the Game Awards 2024 and its gameplay revealed during PlayStation’s February 2025 State of Play, Capcom’s new Onimusha game is slated for 2026, so fans still have a long wait ahead for that title. But with all things Onimusha returning to relevancy, including the recent Netflix anime, Samurai’s Destiny Remaster appears to be the perfect amuse bouche to whet one’s appetite in the meantime.
Fun trivia fact: In a similar fashion to the original Onimusha: Warlords, the likeness of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny’s protagonist is modelled after a popular, real-life Japanese actor (referred to as a “Guest Creator” in the credits). But while Western fans of the first game may easily recognize samurai Samanosuke Akechia’s Takeshi Kaneshiro from films like The House of Flying Daggers, Chunking Express and Returner, actor Yūsaku Matsuda as the vengeful Jubei Yagyu in Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is a much deeper cut.
This is because Matsuda (Black Rain, Detective Story), who was beloved in Japan for balancing comedy, hard-boiled coolness and his trademark “puffy” hair-do, tragically passed away in 1989 at the age of 40, 13 years before Onimusha 2 was even developed.
Having played a substantial amount of both the original Onimusha: Warlords for PS2 back when it was brand new as well as the 2019 remaster, I can confess that while I have always adored the franchise concept of mashing together feudal Japanese history, mythical demons and plenty of samurai and ninja-inspired hack and slashing, I have always loathed the infamous (and let’s be honest, intentionally clumsy) Capcom “Tank Controls” that were inherited from the Resident Evil games.
The Warlords remaster attempted modernize things a bit by adding a more traditional, 3D “Free Control” option to the Left Analog stick (LS), but alas, nearly all the good that was accomplished by that move was completely wiped out by the inexplicable decision to assign the “View Map” command to the L3 button.
Simply put, this was a recipe for disaster, as pressing too heavily on LS during combat — a very easy thing to do — would constantly pause the game and eject the player to the Map screen. Even worse, Onimusha: Warlords had only one default control scheme, with no alternative layouts, which was truly bizarre for a modern remaster.
I personally resorted to using my DualSense Edge controller exclusively for playing the game, just so I could disable L3 and move the offending Map command to one of the back paddles. Thankfully, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny avoids making the same mistakes. Instead, it offers two default control schemes, one of which sensibly assigns Quick Turn, a far more essential combat-related move, to L3.
Beyond the controls, the biggest and most obvious improvements to Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny over its original 2002 incarnation are, of course, the game’s visuals, which have all been remastered in high definition. This includes the 3D character models, CG backgrounds, cinematic cutscenes, special effects, and even the UI.
“… the biggest and most obvious improvements to Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny over its original 2002 incarnation are, of course, the game’s visuals…”
Even though Warlords and its sequel, Samurai’s Destiny were practically developed alongside one another, the original Samurai’s Destiny showcased impressive new animations and FMV footage within several of its backdrops when compared to the more static backgrounds of its contemporaries. It also featured characters whose facial expressions were more emotive and less wooden. This remaster enhances all of it with cleaner, crisper textures and more vivid colours, both in 16:9 and 4:3 presentation.
As this is only a preview I’m not yet permitted to discuss any specific details about Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster’s plot, but it’s no secret that the game’s main protagonist, Jubei Yagyu of the Yagyu clan, won’t be fighting alone in humanity’s ongoing battle against the Genma (demons) and the machinations of their evil leader, the resurrected warlord-turned-Genma, Oda Nobunaga. Armed with both a special connection to the sworn enemy of the Genma, the Oni, as well as the Oni Gauntlet, Jubei is eventually joined by rifleman Saiga Magoichi, warrior priest Ekei Ankokuji, female fencer Oyu and ninja Kotaro Fuma in his quest for revenge.
Each companion has their own personal motivations that are revealed as the story unfolds, however, and they will occasionally fight alongside Jubei or simply hang around from time to time to allow Jubei the chance to speak with them and exchange items or gifts via a trading mechanic that was new to the series in 2002.
Each side character has a preference towards the types of gifts they like, and the more suitable the gift, the more likely a character is willing to assist Jubei later on, not to mention offer a better reward in return. That could be in the form of a valuable supply item, a rare piece of equipment, or another exchange item that can be traded for something even more indispensable.
“Finally, it goes without saying that the combat of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is still hella-fun.”
Much like with the kunoichi (female ninja) Kaede in Onimusha: Warlords, there will be times in Samurai’s Destiny where Jubei will be trapped or otherwise incapacitated, and the player must instead take control of one of the other characters to complete a small section of the game.
I personally found such side-quests to be a bit annoying in Warlords because Kaede couldn’t absorb souls or upgrade like the main protagonist Samanosuke could, but in Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster, playable side characters will be able to collect souls via a magical bracelet and then transfer those souls to Jubei later so that he can level up, allowing players to get the most out of their time investment when having to play as those characters.
Finally, it goes without saying that the combat of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is still hella-fun. Even after 23 years, and apart from adding the already discussed modern 3D movement to the Left Analog stick, Capcom has wisely left the gameplay untouched. The basic mechanics of attacking, dodging and parrying fast-moving enemies while also balancing one’s timing to quickly “vacuum-in” souls before an enemy can land an attack is both tense yet exhilarating; especially now that the improved controls allow for easier lock-on and circling of foes without the sluggishness of RE tank controls.
Even with that advantage however, the game’s demonic enemies and bosses have not slowed one bit; Even the weakest of the Genma can still quickly put Jubei in a coffin if the player isn’t blocking, evading or remembering how to use all the weapons at one’s disposal effectively, and that’s just on Normal Difficulty. Players looking for either a more easy-going or far stiffer challenge will be pleased that additional difficulty options, including Easy, Hard, Critical and “Hell” will be unlocked and selectable right from the jump. There will also be additional bonus modes and extras that will highly encourage players to return to the game after rolling credits on the main story.
As of this writing Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is still over a month away from release, but as I close in on finishing the game I am overly excited for the upcoming preview embargo to lift so I can start sharing how much fun I’ve been having thus far, even if I can’t publicly discuss the story yet. It’s been over two decades since I’ve played an Onimusha game during the franchise’s zeitgeist, and with a new entry right around the corner in 2026 with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, I expect I will soon have many more friends and peers within my circles to geek out about this vintage game together.
