The original Onimusha is Resident Evil with a katana and a samurai soul. Tense atmosphere, clever puzzles and crisp swordplay. Short yet staggeringly intense, a true replay classic.
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Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
Original Japanese edition by Capcom released in 2001, the first entry in the Onimusha franchise distributed simply as "Onimusha." The samurai Samanosuke Akechi faces the Genma in the Sengoku era, in a survival horror action mix inspired by Resident Evil. Released in the West as "Warlords" .
Onimusha review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The art direction focuses on the gauntlet and absorbed souls. The hero's signature weapon snatches the spirits of slain demons, materialized as colored filaments drawn toward the palm, red, yellow, blue by their nature. This visual mechanic paces each fight with a luminous harvest, and the Oni gauntlet, ornate and alive, becomes the true center of the image.
The soundtrack tips into the orchestra the moment combat erupts. Where exploration holds its breath, a demon's appearance triggers a brutal symphonic flight: martial brass, lively strings, percussion hammering the charge. These grandiose battle themes contrast with the muffled calm of the corridors, making the shift to action a sonic shock.
The story obeys first a rescue quest. The samurai Samanosuke enters Inabayama castle to find Princess Yuki, abducted by demonic forces, and sinks into a haunted maze as he searches. Beneath the feudal horror and the monsters, the engine stays this knight's oath: to tear a captive from the claws of evil.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The first chapter of the Onimusha saga and the first PS2 game to pass a million copies in Japan, this feudal survival-action lends actor Takeshi Kaneshiro's likeness to its samurai hero. The original Japanese edition carries this status of commercial pioneer for the PS2 library and predates the Western versions by a few weeks. A landmark for Capcom and Japanese period-action fans who care about the first pressing.
Is Onimusha still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2001 on PS2, Capcom's project transposes the Resident Evil survival horror formula into the feudal Japan of the late sixteenth century. The samurai Samanosuke faces demonic hordes with the blade, absorbing the souls of his enemies to strengthen his weapons. The sumptuous pre rendered backgrounds and the cinematic staging install a polished atmosphere. The controls inherited from survival horror and the short length betray their era. A founding classic of Japanese action, recommended for fans of swordplay and of historical fantasy with a dark supernatural edge.
