Oninaki Review

Oninaki on PlayStation 4

Some games are almost frustrating to be exceptional, only to make a few mistakes and fall into the same bad habits as other titles of their kind. Oninaki is one of those games, though, fortunately, there is enough novelty in the experience to make it worthy of interest.

Located in a world where reincarnation has been proven, the game places players in the role of Kagachi, an observer who protects the living from evil spirits and guides the dead on their way to the next life.

Although his work usually involves guiding the dead in their last requests, it can also take a darker turn by killing those who have lost all hope of living in the present and wish to move on to the next life.

Although difficult, Kagachi performs his duties without asking any questions until he meets Linne, a mind without memories of his past life. She refuses to continue to soothe the spirit of Night Devil, a perverted entity engulfed in such hate that she could never reincarnate.

Kagachi agrees to attend and, as a result, is immersed in the deepest and darkest secrets of the powers behind the reincarnation itself.

This is a fantastic principle for which the game has a lot of fun. Each time, he presents difficult moral dilemmas through his traditions and tries to explore them in the most authentic way possible, training the player in stride.

Admittedly, it takes time for Oninaki's story to correctly insert Kagachi's narrative into this postulate, falling heavily to the abandonment of the JRPG.

Unexplained importance for fate, poorly developed love triangles and useless anxieties occupy a central place at one time or another and confuse the most interesting points that the world and its traditions are trying to assert.

This makes the opening hours of the game a little tedious and it is almost impossible to wait until few spectators, apart from the JRPG enthusiasts, come in to tell the otherwise exceptional story that takes place in the second act of title.

Fortunately, there is an interesting gameplay to make the trip a little more bearable. With the help of an RPG action frame, Oninaki instructs players to slice, smash and fight their way through hordes of enemies with the help of Demon spirits. Each demon has its own set of movements and abilities, which makes them ideal in some situations and troublesome in others.

In some areas, players will rely on the Dia demon's ranged attacks while avoiding Aisha's personal and close sword techniques, while in another country they will use crowd control combos based on the Izaya sickle to keep multiple enemies stuck in one combo at a time.

This motivates players to test and implement different demons to find new combinations, and the versatility of these different combinations allows simple battles to feel fresh throughout the game.

However, as for the story, the gameplay has flagrant flaws. Namely, the introduction at an insufficient pace of new items such as the modernization of weapons and the lack of variety of the enemy. Both cause quality of life headaches for players, and while they do not necessarily reduce the overall experience, they create frustrations and monotony that lead to the best elements around them.

In terms of sound design and graphics, both areas have enough maintenance. The music varies quite well from melancholy to energetic depending on the situation, and the limited Japanese copy provided to the characters is sufficiently usable with each use.

The graphics are also what Tokyo RPG Factory fans expect: a decent mix of modern graphics and classic JRPG sprite work, with some fantastic scenery and dressed for good measure.

Oninaki is not a perfect game. Its flaws are sufficiently noticeable to constitute an obstacle and delay the entire experience when it might otherwise have been brilliantly.

And yet, when the game shines, it shines brightly. Once the story has finally begun and the full gamut of game mechanics is available, the game is set in a comfortable groove that almost completely lifts the entire package beyond the weaknesses and mistakes of its first half towards something far superior to his contemporaries.

History and traditions have a lot to love, and, combined with the depth of the combat system, make it an engaging and entertaining experience that JRPG fans will want to take a look at at least.

Score: 4/5 – Excellent

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