Even if I die, I will destroy you.

Onimusha Warlords may have very well replaced Dino Crisis as my favorite Capcom-developed-tank-controls-fixed-camera-late-90s-slash-early-2000s-survival-horror-slash-action title. Also, yes, I like both games more than any of the classic Resident Evil titles. This is just outstanding.

Combat, while simple, has a kinetic flow—much more focused on watching your enemy’s movements and reacting in turn than it is on drawing tension out of tight spaces and limited resources. Samanosuke’s movement adds to that kineticism, but the game isn’t without tension. Actually, it’s far from an easy ride. It doesn’t shower you with healing items at anywhere near the same frequency as a Resident Evil or a Dino Crisis, and if your magic bar is depleted at the wrong moment, you’ll likely be in a lot of trouble. Save mirrors are few and far between, too. Playing as Kaede is even more nerve-wracking! It isn’t the hardest game on the planet, but it demands your attention in ways that I found extremely compelling.

Outside of that, though, the game is also a visual showstopper with great audio design. Maybe it’s because of the reduced screen size (I emulated this on the Steam Deck), but, outside of a couple of the character models, I couldn’t really believe that this was an early PS2 title. Visually, it’s an outstanding showcase of everything that Capcom had learned up to that point—beautiful fixed angles, imaginative creatures, complex animations, and so on.

All of this said, there are a couple of problems that keep the game away from all-time greatness. First of all, Onimusha’s central “Keep” isn’t quite the Spencer Mansion or the Raccoon City police station. The puzzles are elementary, and I couldn’t help but think that Capcom could’ve done more with the whole “feudal Japan overrun by demons” things. Just as well, the story gets the job done and not a whole lot else. Unlike many others, though, I’m not going to hold the game’s script or voice acting against it. We don’t hold those things against the classic Resident Evil games. Why should we for Onimusha?

Anyway, yeah. This scratched an itch that I didn’t even know I had. I cannot wait to revisit the rest of the series.