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GBA | Strategy | Onimusha Tactics

Boxart for Onimusha Tactics
Onimusha Tactics 27 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.0
  • SOUND: 3.0
  • CONTROL: 3.5
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 5.0
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.3

Review: Onimusha Tactics

Review by Rice Burner | 11/13/2003 | 13:19:36 PM PST

Fight demons with math in Onimusha Tactics.

Onimusha Tactics takes the dark feudal Japanese atmosphere of Onimusha and injects it into the 2D turn-based strategy genre with mixed results. As chosen hero Onimaru, you will battle to stop the invading Genma demon hordes led by the Genma King Oda Nobunaga. But you won?t be alone?throughout Onimaru?s adventures, you?ll find new allies and journey on a road of self-discovery.

Onimusha Tactics has an innovative system of item generation and a character-development engine similar to that of the original Onimusha games. You relieve demon Genma of their souls, which then can be used to upgrade your equipment. You also collect Genma stones and combine them to create new items and equipment if you can find the right recipes in the game.

Players who are unfamiliar with strategy games will find Tactics easy to play and enjoyable, but the straightforward battles and victory conditions, along with a minimal learning curve, can leave more experienced players bored. A huge drawback is that the game omits any options to customize your characters, and veteran gamers may find the game mechanics too simplistic.

The presentation seems to suffer from bipolar syndrome with the engine consisting of standard cartoony role-playing graphics, which contrast with the detailed character portraits and dark story elements. The magic, special skills, and effects are well done, but they?re nothing really special, and while good for a handheld game, the sound does not really do the intricate story justice.

Despite its shortcomings, Onimusha Tactics is a solid game with an engaging story. If you?re looking for a casual strategy game without the tedious character setup options, then Tactics is for you.


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