Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams Review (no fat)

Game Description

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams takes place 15 years after the end of the 3rd game in the series. Nobunaga, the demon warlord, is dead and his successor, Hideyoshi Toyotomi has united Japan under a banner of peace until the night of the Demon Star. Hideyoshi changes his attitude and has taken Nobunaga’s place as the Genma lord. Genma are demons from the underworld. There is one person that stands in his way, Soki or “The Oni of the Ash”. He fights against Hideyoshi by burning down demonic cherry trees. Along the way, Soki acquires other allies with special powers to aid him on his quest. Will Soki be the new Onimusha or will the Genma control all of the world?

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams Gameplay

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is an intense Action game that takes you across vast landscapes in ancient Japan. Soki is an Oni, a sworn enemy of the evil, demonic Genma. Genma are warriors of different levels that feel no pain, or hunger…they only live for the slaughter and only the people with Oni power or demonic blood can destroy the undead Genma. Soki must use his abilities to fight through hordes of Genma on his quest to destroy the demonic cherry trees and face Lord Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

During his quest, 5 allies joint to aid Soki. Though he can travel with only one other person throughout the game. Each ally has their own unique fighting styles and special abilities that may aid you in reaching special areas. For instance, if you come across a stone too heavy for Soki to move, you will need Roberto to move it aside for you. While your allies are computer controlled, you can switch over with the tapping of a controller button and switch character to control your partner.

Soki collects ‘souls’ of the Genma to advance weapon and armor levels. Upgrading weapons is a good way to unlock each individual weapon’s strongest feature and increasing your armor will expand the available slots which you can use to place special accessories.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams Skill System

Each character has a set of skills that you can increase as you gain levels. You get a point for every level you gain for each character’s (including allies) skill level. You can unlock new attack moves by upgrading certain skills past level 3. When you unlock an attack, a helpful screen appears detailing how to use the new move. Advancing your skills will make battles easier as you progress in the game.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams Battle System

Soki and his allies each have their own fighting style. If you find yourself being easily defeated as Soki, then perhaps you could change to the nimble Jubei and use her quick striking abilities. Each character has Oni power which can be used to unleash a powerful attack onto your enemies. Every time you use an Oni attack, you drain your meter and will need to fill it with souls or by using an Oni potion.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams Technicalities

The music is nothing special but it complements the game’s atmosphere. The sound effects are necessary to maintain the eeriness of the game and they are very effective when played at a loud volume.

The graphics during gameplay are pretty decent. When you slash a Genma, blood shoots out of their bodies(the color of which can be changed to Green or turned off). Each enemy is heavily detailed and shows off their unique looks. Cutscenes are frequently shown to further the storyline. These are especially nice to watch because you can see the Genma in a much cleaner detail than during the game.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams – Summing Up

Dawn of Dreams is the 4th installment in the Onimusha series and takes the best aspects of each game and combines them together. Each character has a background story that is revealed slowly throughout the game. Dawn of Dreams is a 2-disc game with an involving storyline.

The allies system is an excellent addition, though it can be faulty at times. You are able to give commands to your allies while you play as Soki, but the computer doesn’t always listen in a timely enough manner. However it is especially nice that each character has his or her own fighting style. If one style is not working for you, than you can change characters on the fly and use their style.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is a fun game with hours of playing value. There are several features that can be unlocked by meeting certain requirements during gameplay. You can revisit any location that you have been to and pick up chests that you missed the first time through. This version, like all of the others before it, has a high replay value and will be an asset to your PS2 collection.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

The game currently retails for $36.95.