Capcom’s Onimusha 2: Why a Remaster Over a Remake?

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Over the last few years, Capcom has seen great success with their remakes of the Resident Evil series. It might leave some wondering why they chose to remaster Onimusha: Warlords in 2018 and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny for release in May 2025, rather than completely remaking them. To clarify, Capcom is taking the approach of rebuilding these Onimusha games on their RE Engine platform, as the original versions were designed to run on the PlayStation 2 console.

As a passionate gamer, I recently had an engaging chat with Motohide Eshiro, director and producer of Onimusha 2, through a translator. In this conversation, we delved into the upcoming remaster and the reasons behind their decision not to opt for a full remake. There wasn’t much disagreement on this matter, but rather a shared vision: “Our aim from the start was to highlight the brilliance of the original game and make it accessible to a broader audience.

Remaster Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny

Eshiro affirms that the fundamental structure of the initial version of “Onimusha 2” has been fully established. However, modifications have been made to enhance the graphics and swap out the tank controls with contemporary ones. Despite these adjustments, Eshiro and his team felt no need to modify any of the primary gameplay mechanics or overall experience. Some additional elements have been incorporated into “Onimusha 2,” such as a Gallery mode showcasing early concept art and a challenging Hell Mode. Additionally, players can access a Gallery mode to catch a glimpse of the game’s early development stages.

Eshirou aimed to keep the fundamental aspects of the game – characters, presents, gameplay, and criticism – intact as they were already excellent. After all, Onimusha 2 is renowned for being one of the best in the Onimusha series. According to the translator, this was Eshirou’s sentiment.

In the original Onimusha 2, he believes the overall design was thoroughly complete, leaving little room for additional elements or modifications. For the remastered version, his primary goal was to replicate the original gameplay, but a direct port to modern consoles wasn’t feasible. Upon revisiting the game before work began, he noticed that the tank controls felt somewhat antiquated and may pose challenges for players. To make the experience more accessible, he opted to incorporate stock controls, enabling players to jump right in with ease. While the original title stands strong on its own, his aim was to enhance comfort and accessibility.

The aim wasn’t to offer something completely novel, but rather an authentic recreation. Moreover, Eshiro and his team aimed to make the game more accessible given the original’s platform constraints and outdated aspects. Eshiro referred to the remastered version of Onimusha 2 as “nostalgic” for fans, evoking memories from the past, but also as a “refreshing” experience due to these minor updates. Essentially, it remains true to its roots as Onimusha 2.

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2025-04-23 01:16