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Onimusha Dawn of Dreams
The next instalment of
this highly popular series is here with some neat twists and turns for
those of you who have played through the previous incarnations of the
game. Capcom promised some new stuff in this game and whilst fans of the
series were worried that this would signal a change that rendered the
title unrecognisable, this has not been the case. Instead we’ve been
treated to a number of enhancements that really make a good series even
better.
In previous versions of Onimusha, the ability was
given to control more than one character over the course of the game as
you would swap roles to carry on the storyline. Dawn of Dreams allows
for five of these changes, along with a secondary character that
accompanies you along the way during your quest. This character although
primarily controlled by the AI will respond to basic commands given
during gameplay that allow you to get them to attack, rest etc. A simple
flick switch will allow you to swap with that secondary character and
take advantage of new fighting skills etc.
And this is something that you will need to do in
order to get through the game as there are a bevy of environmental
puzzles to get complete and the attributes of the different playable
characters is the only way that you are going to do it. A cool feature
of the game is that there will be some stages where you spot a ledge of
something and think, “I bet there’s something up there”. Well there just
might be and not only that, you can later backtrack.
The graphics on the game are first rate and the
effects during the game are pure eye candy. The animations are fluid and
make the gameplay move steadily along, accompanied by some fantastic
soundtrack composing that really sets the mood and pace for the entire
game.
Now there is something that I have to tell you that
might make you open your wallets. You can play this game in two player
mode! It’s not something widely known and whilst I only have the review
copy of the game which doesn’t look like the package you buy from the
store, I believe that it doesn’t tell you that you can play two player.
How do you do this? Make sure both controllers are plugged in when you
start the console. When you see the Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams title
screen appear, just hold down the L1 & R1 on both controllers and get
player 2 to hold down the START button. A sound will indicate success
and then the second player should be able to play right along.
For those of you who love their mystical Japanese
swords and sorcery titles, this was already a title that you would have
to own. With new demons and characters introduced to the game and lots
of fighting and puzzling elements to get through, Onimusha Dawn of
Dreams is a worthy successor in this excellent franchise.
Recommended.
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