Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered - Go Go Gogandantess (Review)
- James Stephanie Sterling
- May 28
- 8 min read
Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (Remaster)
Released: May 23rd, 2025
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 2
Publisher: Capcom
Systems: PC, PS5, Switch (reviewed), Xbox Series
I love Onimusha 2.
It was my first taste of the Onimusha series and remains my favorite installment. It takes an eccentric turn from the first, with an undercurrent of silly humor, a cast of weirdos, and an intricate friendship system that could sometimes lead to a parrot getting shot.
And of course, it has Gogandantess, the greatest swordsman of all demons. Absolute showstealer.
Plotwise, Oda Nobunaga’s on his bullshit again, subjugating Japan as the Demon King. The renowned Jubei Yagyu is particularly annoyed with Oda, whose army slaughtered his clan. He and a quartet of Sengoku era badasses team up to fight the demonic Genma while trading eggs and erotica.
I am very good at writing plot summaries.
Onimusha has been conspicuously absent from Capcom’s lineup for a long time, not seeing a new release since the PS2 era (except a browser game) and Onimusha: Warlords getting remastered way back in 2019. With the recent announcement of a brand new game, however, I hope we see all the past entries get a rerelease.
Samurai’s Destiny has gotten the same basic treatment as its predecessor, with a higher resolution and the inclusion of modern controls for those who don’t want an action game that handles like Resident Evil. Avoiding that shit is well worth an occasional snarl with the fixed camera angles.
You can now switch weapons in realtime so you don’t have to keep equipping them from a menu, but the function’s poorly implemented. You need to hold Jubei in a vulnerable stance before cycling through his arsenal, which makes it useless during combat. It should’ve been a weapon wheel, but instead the only smart option is the old fashioned way.
Previously unlockable sub games are available immediately, which makes sense as they were never worth playing, let alone unlocking. One game is just running through some levels unable to kill anything, another is a series of underwhelming combat challenges, and I didn’t even bother with the puzzle one, because why boil Onimusha down to its very worst component?
Anyway, aside from some digital art and music, the only other bonus is a new difficulty setting, Hell Mode. Getting one of my most nostalgic PS2 games on the Switch is enough for me, however. It still holds up very nicely, even with a bit of old fashioned clunk.
Samurai’s Destiny continues its predecessor’s hybridized style of action gameplay blended with the survival horror trappings of its era, presented in such a way that it’s not the bad idea it could’ve been. Robust, responsive combat is presented via fixed cameras, pre-rendered backdrops, and those aforementioned, blessedly optional, tank controls.
As one might expect from a Keiji Inafune production, it’s a sort of missing link between Resident Evil and Devil May Cry, being what the first DMC very nearly was.
You’ve also got puzzle solving and item hunts in maps that become intensely familiar through backtracking, though the latter element is spiced up by varying the enemies on return visits. It’s the kind of backtracking I don’t really mind, where drudgery is minimal and the map is moderately sized.
Environmental familiarity is one of the game’s strengths. Returning to Imasho Town between missions is one of my most fondly remembered parts. What I didn’t remember was how abruptly that aspect disappears entirely. Onimusha 2 is very much a game of two halves, and not just in terms of its genre mashup - the first half is a lot quirkier than the second.
We’ll get into all that later though.
As Jubei, players will be scurrying around various scenes of Ye Olde Japan, most of which have been devastated by Nobunaga’s conquest. Separated into a series of smaller screens, each locale is patrolled by the Genma, a diverse roster of demons with varying levels of dickheadedness.
The DNA of Devil May Cry is inextricable from this series, and the lighter tone of Samurai’s Destiny really shows it. Like Dante, our hero will collect different weapons through the adventure, and they’re introduced in the same way too - a cutscene of Jubei fancifully testing his new toy out with quick camera cuts against a nebulous black background.
Y’know, I didn’t realize how similar the beats were until now. The first boss is spiderlike, has a deep filtered voice, and appears multiple times. Gogandantess takes the place of Nelo Angelo, a rival swordsman with a sense of honor. I’m sure I’m absolutely late to the party on this, but the mirroring only just hit me.
Weapons each have a distinct feel and perform a bespoke elemental magic attack. Over the course of the adventure you’ll get hold of an all-purpose lightning sword, a mid-range polearm that can freeze enemies, a wind-powered double ender for quick combos, and a big ol’ pounding earth hammer.
These four main armaments all feel rather good to use, with attacks that require some sense of timing but maintain a good rhythm with it. Attacks look and sound cool, while magic moves are delightfully powerful. It’s a good idea to regularly change weapons since they excel in different combat situations, plus their mana bars are separate, which means a lot of firepower.
Damn though, Onimusha 2 is still so good. Even with some dated controls and wonkiness with automatic lock-ons, fights are smooth and snappy. The series gimmick of hoovering souls up after a kill lends it a dynamic that feels unique today. It’s aged impressively well, and it never stops feeling good to deliver that iconic driving stab to a downed opponent.
It’s not a particularly difficult game on Normal. You acquire many helpful items in the first half of the game that can carry any player in the second. There’s plenty of space and opportunity to charge your attacks up, blocking is really strong, and allies can occasionally show up to make fights easier.
If you take the time to upgrade your weapons, you can become nigh unstoppable by the final act.
This is fine. I’m into games for more than just difficulty, and I simply find it fun to stab weird demons in their spines and groins. Those who prefer a challenge would do best to avail themselves of Hard or Hell mode instead.
A few enemies are nevertheless a hassle, and certain combinations of them can knock you down or stunlock you in ways that feel truly frustrating. There’s just something about the way these enemies get their shots in that triggers a specific sense of aggravation in me.
While puzzles are nowhere near as egregious as those of Warlords (no horrible water traps this time), there’s still a ton of crummy sliding tile bollocks. The back end of the story sees an uptick in such inane puzzling, not all of it optional, and it hurts the pacing.
By far the most interesting aspect of Samurai’s Destiny is the friendship system, which can have a dramatic impact on things. Jubei makes four allies early in his story - Magoichi, Ekei, Kotaro, and Oyu. By giving them gifts, he builds affinity with them. Gifts are found or bought with gold, and appeal to different characters based on their interests.
Such materialistic socializing is useful, as you’ll always get something in return. Many trades give consumables or further gifting items, but you can also get upgrades for your health and mana, or even new weapons. What’s more, when a character likes you, they’ll provide combat support with increased frequency.
It’s a lovely setup, and the random appearances of allies in mission areas make the whole thing more dynamic, adding the sense that these characters are always doing their own thing nearby. You can also uncover some fun unique responses with the gifts you give.
How much a character likes you influences the story to the point of them becoming playable for unique sections of play. Every member of the crew has their own little storyline to discover, though only one can become your bestie and get enough screentime for all the details to emerge.
I gotta say though, the whole friendship system is weird.
There’s a lot going on with it, little of which is divulged to the player. You have to guess preferences but that only works for obvious stuff, like Eikei’s professed love of booze. Less blatant is the boisterous drinker’s interest in dance-related items. Characters have dislikes too, which are even harder to deduce, and their affinity levels can go up or down as a result.
You will never reliably know your affinity levels, all you have to go on is how the character is animated in their closeup shot after they get a gift. If they like or dislike you a lot, they’ll do something special like saluting you or turning away. You’re not even told that this visual clue is a thing, you’re meant to just notice and understand it.
All of this is by design. The idea is to stumble your way through it and be surprised at what happens, which can be hard to swallow in an era where everything has a Wiki and the unexplained is viewed poorly. Players want efficiency and optimization, but that desire goes against the spirit of Onimusha 2.
I’ll admit that I had a little table on my phone with optimal gifting laid bare, and on reflection I now wish I hadn’t. I love how weird and furtive this whole system is, but couldn’t resist undermining it with my sense of FOMO. Such a fool’s endeavor, since you literally can’t 100% every interaction in a playthrough. Optimization is fully resisted.
If you’re playing for the first time, take my advice - play it as I did on the PS2, and just see what happens. Save the Wiki mindset for subsequent goes.
Quirky and intriguing, it’s a lovely little web of silliness with a deceptive level of depth. Sadly, Samurai’s Destiny fully forgets about the whole thing halfway through.
Roughly the first half of Jubei’s adventure has a distinct pattern, his time split between furthering the story and hanging around in town. After a certain point, this comfy pattern is entirely abandoned, the campaign streamlining itself to focus on the main plot. No more chatting with townsfolk for funny lines and surprise items. No more downtime. Just business.
At this point, you’ll lose nearly all opportunity to develop affinity, effectively locking in your relationships. One major impact this has on characters is that they may just narratively vanish. These characters you’d spent time with, who felt so integral to Jubei’s trials, disappear without acknowledgement, as if they were never there.
It’s not like the second half is bad at all. The story intensifies, there are some fun boss fights, and the whole final showdown is utterly wacky. It undeniably loses some of its magic, however, replaced by sliding fucking tile puzzles.
If I had a wishlist for the upcoming Onimusha, the return of a friendship system would top it. Despite dropping off halfway through, it’s still a wonderfully curious thing, full of intricacies and an impressive relationship to storyline events. I want to see it come back, as unintuitive and unhinged as before, but this time done the justice it deserves.
For all its strangeness, often directly due to it, I still love this game. I love it more than even I remembered, as I did not plan on the review going this long. It’s got a ton of personality voice actors who sound like they’re relishing the silliness, and it has Gogandantess. Good lord does it have Gogandantess.
Gogandantess forever! He’s camp, he’s funny, he’s the greatest swordsman of all demons, and looking back on how much I adored him back then, it’s amazing it took me as long as it did to work out I was queer.
What a lovely game it is. Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny has its faults, but it aged really well and it’s been a blast replaying a PS2 title I truly loved back in the day. A welcome throwback to a time where publishers would put out some genuine curios, ones that stayed with me for life.
Also, Gogandantess.
8.5/10
