Onimusha 2 Director Explains Why He Went With a Remaster Instead of a Remake
Keeping the spirit alive.
You can’t deny the rampant success that Capcom has had in recent years. Between series like Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, and Ace Attorney, the massive publisher has shown a penchant for both new experiences and reimagining classic ones. That success has allowed Capcom to return to some of its more dormant franchises, and the Samurai-meets-demons Onimusha is the next one on the cusp of a massive comeback. With a brand new game, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, set for 2026, it’s a prime time to bring the legendary series back into the spotlight.
One of Capcom’s most universally beloved games is Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, and the upcoming remaster was intentionally kept similar to the original, released to retain the same feeling the 2002 PS2 game evoked.
“The pre-rendered backgrounds and locked camera angles have their own kind of unique strength. So it's different from a modern 3D game, with a full rotating camera,” director Motohide Eshiro tells Inverse, “I wanted to recreate the greatness from the original version this time.”
Eshiro was the director of the original Onimusha 2, and while he’s produced a majority of the Ace Attorney games since, he’s returned to direct the game’s remaster as well. Ahead of its release in May, Inverse had the chance to talk to Eshiro about changes in the remastered version, some of the original game’s design philosophy, and the future of Onimusha.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
One of Onimusha 2’s most unique aspects is its branching story and Ally system. During the original development, why did you take that approach and break off from the first game?
Eshiro: It was a really big challenge for us because, first of all, the Onimusha 2 project started when they were still developing the first title. Onimusha 1 hadn't been released yet, so when we started the initial project, there weren’t any resources, and we couldn’t build the fundamentals based on player reactions. We had to focus on what could make the game enticing and fun to play.
Onimusha: Warlords is based on Inabayama Castle, also called Gifu Castle. But it’s just based around the castle. What we decided to do [in Onimusha 2] was to add a big village, Imasha Village, so that players can interact with the villagers and allies and give gifts to get along with them. It led to branching storylines, so we had to add a lot of content to it – that was a really big challenge, and quite tough at the time, but eventually we were satisfied with what was inside the game. It was a rewarding experience.
With the gift-giving system, it was a little difficult to see all of the branching storylines with allies. When you started this remastered project, did you look at changing the system?
We decided for this remaster to preserve the vibe of the original version, including retaining that system of the branching story. So you can't see what the conditions are to see all the branching stories, and both the concept of this and the ally system are to portray the depth of humanity, rather than just showing like an affinity gauge. That way, it feels a bit too much like a game. Like in real life, you give gifts to people and see the reaction and facial expression you get, whether they like it or not.
We wanted to show that uncertainty in the game, so events will just happen naturally. You’re not collecting event scenes, but they just spontaneously happen. Indeed, it’s difficult to see all those events, but you can see the branching story after clearing the game – a hidden cutscene here, so people will at least get clues. We didn’t want to change the system for the remastered version, as I felt the way it is, is great.
Onimusha 2 greatly expanded on the storytelling of the first game, by integrating four allies that are all playable and have their own stories.
Considering Capcom’s experience with remakes, like Resident Evil, why did you opt for a remaster. Did you consider remakes?
From the director's perspective, I was in charge of the second game as a director, but for Onimusha: Warlords, I was working as a game designer. The pre-rendered backgrounds and locked camera angles have their own unique strength. So it's different from a modern 3D game, with a full rotating camera. I wanted to recreate the greatness from the original version this time, so we decided that it would be fun to have a remastered version instead. Of course, a remake would be fun as well, but this time we decided to recreate the gameplay fundamentals of the original.
Can you tell me about the new Hell Mode? Why did you want to include it, and how difficult was it to implement a new difficult mode?
Hell Mode is a challenge for players – if you get hit even once, it leads to a game over, so you can enjoy a battle full of intensity. It’s like if you had to battle against demons in the real world, even one hit would be critical. Even I [Eshiro-San] haven’t been able to complete it yet.
What we aimed to do, it was difficult to balance, but the goal was that if there was even one person who could complete the difficult mode, it would be good. One of the team members has been able to complete Hell Mode, so I think we were able to balance.
It’s not a mode that everyone can enjoy, but it’s a challenge for players: Are you good at this game?
Just to follow-up, was it inspired at all by Dante Must Die from Devil May Cry? Which is very similar.
I wasn’t directly impacted by Devil May Cry, but I also produced DmC: Devil May Cry, so I liked that tension you could feel in a really difficult game mode in DmC. So while I wasn’t directly impacted, I do like that tension and how you can enjoy the game, so it does share some fundamentals.
Like early Resident Evil games, the backgrounds in Onimusha 2 are all pre-rendered art.
Going back to the original release, one of the notable aspects of Onimusha 2 was that it used the likeness of the late actor Yusaku Matsuda. How was that choice made, and as other games have gone on to do it, do you think it’s an important aspect of Onimusha?
As the director, I was more focused on the gameplay and the content inside the game – what the action would be like and what characters we’d have. So in terms of protagonists, I don’t think necessarily they have to be a face from an actor, but it has become a defining element of the Onimusha series. So I do admit that, but it’s not a non-negotiable thing.
But in terms of why Matsuda was chosen as a face model for Jubei in Onimusha 2. At that time, we were discussing and hadn’t decided on who would be the protagonist. How he’d look was being discussed by the directors at the time, and one of the team members who was in charge of cutscenes proposed “Would we be able to use a face model from a deceased person?”
That was something really rare at that time, but I answered if you had enough references, like films from the past or images, you might be able to do something. That person who was in charge of cutscenes had a connection with the agency of Matsuda, so they discussed with the producer if they could contact the Matsuda agency about using him for Jubei’s face – and the agency readily gave its approval.
After all these years, it’s fair to say Onimusha 2 feels like the most unique game of the series. Coming back to it now, how do you feel about that?
Onimusha 1, 2, and 3 all have different directors, so they all have different directions. And in retrospect, as you mentioned, 2 is a unique title in the series – but I’m happy I was able to do some really big challenges for the game and do things differently from the first title.
I was happy we were able to expand the world of Onimusha in terms of character designs. For Onimusha 2, what we focused on was to blend the Western taste and the Japanese taste with a fine balance. That was a great job done by the main artist for the game, Keita Amamiya. He enabled us to portray that unique blend of Western and Japanese tastes. It was a big challenge to do something new, but I like that Onimusha 2 stands out as something unique.
The remaster also includes a new Gallery mode with 100 sketches from artist Keita Amemiya — including a look at some early cut content.
Looking at where the series has gone, what do you think the most essential piece of an Onimusha game is? What’s at the heart of the series? And with a new game [Way of the Sword] coming next year, do you think it’s possible for Onimusha to recapture that?
First, I have two things that I want to mention.
One is the unique lore the game has. We make the game based on historical figures and it’s also based on Feudal Japan – but it also blends in the fantastical elements, like dark fantasy elements. Demons for Onimusha 2 are a good example. That unique lore is one of those essences.
But also the critical system, the satisfying feeling when you sever the enemies. That is something that the Onimusha titles must have. That is the core, and the Onimusha series has chain critical attacks, to evolve the system in new titles.
Talking about Way of the Sword, I’m not directly involved in development on that title, so I can’t say if they can retain that essence. But I hope they can keep that satisfying feeling and unique lore.
