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Set 15 years after the fall of Lord Nobunaga Oda, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is quite literally its original Japanese namesake; Shin Onimusha. Dawn of Dreams is not as much part of the original trilogy as it is a completely new chapter in the Onimusha legacy. In this installment, we are treated to a fresh, new cast of characters and an original plot, while still inhabiting the brilliant world of the Onimusha series. Onimusha has evolved, not unlike the transformation Capcom’s previous revolutionary sequel, Resident Evil 4, underwent.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, being a new beginning (of sorts) and freeing itself from a portion of the series’ established continuity, is a great starting point for those new to the series. And yet, there is still a good chunk of recognizable Onimusha lore and nostalgia present to retain the series’ atmosphere and legacy for the returning Onimusha veterans. Dawn of Dreams is very balanced in this regard; heading in a new direction while preserving all the essential aspects which made the series what it is today.

One aspect the series has slowly lost over time is the horror ambiance that the original “Resident Evil with swords” conveyed so well, and Dawn of Dreams is no different. This installment is pure action/adventure to its core. The extra layer of horror and tension that Onimusha: Warlords retained would have been a much welcomed, additional level of depth in Dawn of Dreams (as well as Warlords’ other sequels); unfortunately it’s just not as prevalent as I would have hoped it to be.

That said, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams makes up for this shortcoming by revamping Onimusha’s combat system, yet keeping it wholly familiar, and nearly overdosing on pseudo-role playing game characteristics. Dawn of Dreams retains the staple Onimusha soul absorption and Issen techniques (it wouldn’t be Onimusha if it didn’t). While soul absorption is as familiar as it ever was, Dawn of Dreams’ Issen system has been drastically revamped. While the original strike-before-struck Issen (dubbed the True Issen now) is left virtually unchanged, Dawn of Dreams adds even more Issen techniques to your combat repertoire; The ability to kick (R1 + O) a guarding enemy into a stagger, followed immediately by a strike results in an Issen. A flawlessly timed block will also stagger an enemy, which when immediately followed up by an attack like the kick-out-of-guard Issen, results in a critical as well. However, the most drastic change to the Issen system is the Oni Magic critical; immediately after connecting a level one magic attack with an enemy who can survive the initial blow, you can time a successive strike, resulting in an Issen. This move is further supplemented by the ability to instantaneously chain that Issen into another which can only be inflicted upon a different foe, and again upon another, and again and again, as long as there are enough nearby enemies to match that of your Chain Combo skill level (more on that in a second). While there are more Issen options at your disposal, the True Issen--being the most difficult to pull off--is rightfully the most damaging and rewards you with the most released orbs upon execution.

Going back to the aforementioned Chain Combo skill level; Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams’ playable cast each comes complete with a simplified skill tree, a first in the series. Slaying enemies rewards the player with RPG-style experience points; enough experience and you level up, rewarding you with a single skill point, which in turn can be added to any one of the game’s seventeen specific skills, ranging from the number of chain combos you can perform at once to the strength of your attacks. Five skills in particular, when leveled to tier three, unlock an entirely new technique. For example, when Soki’s attack rating is leveled to three, you unlock Whirlwind (performed by locking-on with R1, then essentially performing a Sonic Boom), which can also be strengthened via skill points. While not as intricate as what one would typically find in a true RPG’s skill system, it is a definite welcomed enhancement to an action game. Unfortunately, since all the game’s skills can be maxed out with enough persistence, characters will always end up with the same skill set if enough time is put into them. Had the game made you choose a definitive skill path to follow, resulting in different skill outcomes in various play-throughs, the system would have been infinitely deeper.

Another new addition to Onimusha’s game mechanics is its partner system. While the Onimusha series is no stranger to multiple heroes battling it out simultaneously onscreen, Dawn of Dreams takes it to the next level, in that you are given your choice of any two of the game’s cast of five completely unique characters to take with you at the start of each mission. However, considering that these characters seem to come and go throughout the story, Dawn of Dreams nearly forces you to lock down Soki as your primary character (at least on your first time through). What really makes the partner system shine is that combos can be performed by linking attacks from your chosen party of two, be it with the CPU controlling your partner, another real life player (making this the first in the series with co-op play), or even yourself: with the tap of a button, the game pauses briefly, sends the camera flying from your character to your partner, unpauses, then gives you complete control of your partner. This allows you to perform partner chain combos completely solo and, because of the quick pauses, permits you to be tight enough to partner switch and still maintain difficult tasks such as keeping a combo target afloat, DMC style.

Despite all the great additions (and even my admittedly ridiculous comparison to RE4), Dawn of Dreams is lacking in a few departments, the most glaring one being its difficulty; it’s too easy. Call me crazy, but after Ninja Gaiden Black, I expect a little challenge with my action titles. That’s not implying Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is a pushover--it’s relatively of average difficulty for an action title--but the game’s default difficult setting really needed to step up. One reason for this is, frankly, because it’s Capcom, and a new Capcom action title seems to come with the expectations of above average difficulty. But another, more substantial reason is that Dawn of Dreams’ combat has this weight to it, a real “drop this combo chain or miss this Issen and you're toast” vibe. But the strategy really isn’t there until later in the game (IE progressive play-throughs), then it just hits the fan. You get the standard unlockable successive difficulty levels that are now a staple for contemporary Capcom games, but the real kicker is that upon competition of the game’s hardest setting, you unlock Oni mode, in which a single hit--from anything--drops you to a single hit point despite your total HP, or even your equipped armor. Essentially, it’s a two-hits-and-you’re-dead mode, which really pulls off that “drop this combo chain or miss this Issen and you're toast” feel I was hoping to see much earlier in the game.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is a fantastic new step in the Onimusha series. A few changes could have been better implemented, but overall, they move the series in the right direction. The horror ambiance of the original seems to be gone for good, but the combat system more that makes up for this unfortunate shortcoming. Regrettably, like most games today, Dawn of Dreams makes you work for the good stuff. And while I’d like to see action games return to true replay value for the sake of replay value rather than for the sake of rewards, Dawn of Dreams will give you just enough to tide you over until the next inevitable tale in the Onimusha saga arrives.

Rating	The rating scale in detail
8.9	++ Definitely on the high end of the PS2’s visual spectrum. - Lack of HD support is disappointing, especially considering how great this game looks.
8.7	++ Most of the soundtrack consists of an excellent, dramatic score reminiscent of the original. - Threre are a few out of place techno and metal tracks that definitely don’t match the atmosphere. ++ Excellent Japanese voice acting. - Weak English dub, as expected.
8.5	++ Various great, new additions to an already outstanding series (most notably the Chain Issen). The RPG elements are a definite step in the right direction. - While the gameplay teeters on brilliance, it’s not quite up to par with the Ninja Gaidens, DMCs, and Shinobis of its generation. - Hardened on the aforementioned action classics of this gen, Dawn of Dreams’ overall challenge level is severely lacking.
8.2	++ Overall, the presentation and artistic style of Onimusha is here in full force. - Looses points for the lack of horror and tension. - Some character designs (mainly Soki) are initially off-putting. Luckily, there are a few really good alternative, unlockable outfits to make up for this. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to work for most of them.
8.0	+ 25 hour main quest. + Lots of side-quests and a massive amount of item collecting. - Lack of overall challenge on the default setting leaves you without the feeling of needing to truly master the game’s intricacies.
8.5	+ While not the be-all, end-all Onimusha game I was hoping for, Dawn of Dreams unquestionably lives up to the series’ excellent reputation.