The remaster to one of the most beloved action RPGs of the PlayStation 2 era now has a brand new demo available to download.
The Onimusha series became one of the best action games to play on the PS2 way back when, and it looks like the series is set to make a huge comeback next year with Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
Until then, however, we’ve thankfully got a couple of classic remasters to play, one of which was released earlier this year.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny received a current-gen remaster back in May, and reception to the game has been generally very positive. The fact that it’s the best game in the series, and one of the best games on PS2, probably had a hand in that.
If you were on the fence about trying it, however, a demo is now available for the remaster which should give you a little taste of what to expect. It’s six months late, but better late than never I suppose.
According to its publisher, Capcom, the demo lets players experience the “gripping prologue” and should serve as a nice introduction to the series.
From the sounds of it, it sounds like it might be a replication of the demo I remember playing on a PSM2 magazine disc over 20 years ago.
Reception to Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny has been largely positive since it launched. In our own review from May, we said it was “a delightful time capsule that harkens back to a much simpler time when linear games still had a magical feeling of worlds feeling much bigger than they were”.
Players Love Onimusha 2
Over on Steam, the remaster has a total positive review score of 87%, meaning nearly nine out of 10 people have left positive reviews for the game.
“Remember playing this on PS2, still no game has matched it’s lore and atmosphere for me,” reads one review for the game.
“Still a great game that holds up well even today,” another review reads. “I’d say the combat is still better than a lot of modern action games.”
“Still a fine game and my favourite in the Onimusha series,” reads a third review. “The game’s cutscenes and voice acting are great, and the pre-rendered backgrounds are a sight.”
After laying dormant for 20 years, the series will return next year with Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It’s part of Capcom’s efforts to revive some of its dormant franchises (as seen with recent reboot attempts like Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and Dragon’s Dogma 2).
However, there hasn’t been a confirmed release date for the next game yet beyond a vague “2026” window.
