Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny followed up the series' successful debut with a new hero, the young samurai Jubei Yagyu, and expanded the combat system with deeper weapon customization and companion mechanics. The player once again battles hordes of Genma demons during Japan's feudal civil wars, but unlike the first game, this one lets you recruit allies who accompany you, help in combat, and influence the outcome of side quests and even the final shape of the story depending on how much trust you build with them. Side characters stopped being mere set dressing and became a full part of both strategy and storytelling, a fairly unusual approach for action games of the time.

The combat system stayed faithful to its predecessor — fast sword slashes, blocking, and special attacks unlocked by collecting the souls of fallen enemies — but new weapons, blacksmith upgrades, and the ability to combine different fighting styles gave the game noticeably more depth than its predecessor had. Visually, the game benefited from the proven combination of pre-rendered backgrounds and detailed character models, which the PlayStation 2 handled without trouble, and the atmosphere was rounded out by dark, at times almost melancholic orchestral music accompanying the journey through a devastated land.

At release, Onimusha 2 was received as a full-fledged and in many ways improved sequel that broadened the series' story and gameplay scope, giving far more room to its side characters and their fates. The companion system and story branching based on player choices were among the things that set the game apart from other action titles of its generation. Today it's viewed as one of the series' high points and a demonstration of how Capcom, in the PS2's early years, managed to blend atmosphere, action, and story into a cohesive whole that still plays well today. Fans of the series still remember it as the entry where the potential of story branching within an action game first came fully into its own.

Why play it: For a more elaborate sequel with loyal allies and a story that branches based on your choices — many fans rank it among the high points of the entire Onimusha series.