Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
Encyclopedia
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, released in Japan and Europe as , is an action-adventure game
developed
and published
by Capcom
. It is the third game of the Onimusha series and was released for the PlayStation 2
on April 27, 2004. It was later ported to Windows
on December 8, 2005.
army in Japan
1582. It then jumps to modern-day Paris
2004, featuring a man named Jacques Blanc riding on his motorcycle
to help his friend Philippe. The Genma army then begins its invasion of Paris near the Arc de Triomphe
.
The game returns to Samanosuke in feudal Japan fighting his way to Honnō-ji Temple
, which is on fire from a raging battle. Samanosuke battles and kills Ranmaru Mori and approaches Nobunaga Oda. However, before they can fight, a portal opens in the floor and Samanosuke is pulled through it.
Meanwhile, the French military is fighting several monsters from 1582, but the soldiers cannot hold them for long. Jacques arrives on the scene finding his friend Philippe injured from the battle. Suddenly, Samanosuke appears from a portal in a Paris alley right where Jacques is fighting the Genma monsters. Jacques Blanc runs out of ammo just as he and Philippe are ambush
ed, but Samanosuke manages to rescue them. Samanosuke and Jacques meet but are unable to properly communicate.
The time portal reappears and pulls Jacques and Philippe through to feudal Japan. Samanosuke makes his way towards the center of the hysteria, the Arc de Triomphe. Samanosuke first meets Michelle, Jacques' girlfriend, near the Arc and makes his way towards the roof. There he encounters Guildenstern and finds out he is actually in Paris, 500 years in the future. Samanosuke then fights and destroys Brainstern, Guildenstern's robotic creation.
Jacques Blanc and Philippe arrive in 16th century Japan. Unfortunately, Philippe dies of mortal wounds from the previous battle after the time warp. Jacques encounters a different Samanosuke in an alternate timeline on his way to Honnō-ji Temple. Both men realize that to return to their own time period, they must save the respective timelines they are in from destruction. The Samanosuke in 2004 Paris teams up with Michelle and Jacques' son to save the city from destruction while Jacques and another Samanosuke (not player controlled) struggle to fight Nobunaga in feudal Japan. The two men work together across time to solve puzzles and access new areas.
Gameplay alternates between Samanosuke fighting in modern day Paris and Jacques fighting in Feudal Japan. Samanosuke fights using close range weapons whilst Jacques uses an energy whip which can also be used at certain points to swing across gaps. Like the previous games, Samanosuke and Jacques can gain elemental weapons, changing their fighting style and allowing access to magic attacks. If the player collects certain items during the game and completes it, Samanosuke will be able to use his weapons from the first game in the next playthrough. Players will also get to control Michelle, who relies on guns.
Like previous games, attacking and defeating enemies reaps souls, which when absorbed can restore health and magic, be used as currency for purchasing ammo and health items, and allow Samanosuke or Jacques to enter a more powerful Onimusha state for a short time.
New to this game is a focus on time travel when solving puzzles. For example, if Samanosuke comes across a door in the present that has become too withered to open, Jacques will need to open the door in the past so that it will stay open for Samanosuke to progress. Such as the flow of time is, things Samanosuke does in the present will not affect things in the past. However, Ako is able to transfer some items between both timelines.
Tokichiro Kinoshita
. The game managed to sell 431,000 units in its first week. The game went on to sell 569,275 units in Japan by the end of the year, making it the eleventh best-selling game in the region for 2004. Sales info from NPD Group
and Chart Track show that Onimusha 3: Demon Siege was the 10th best-selling game in both the United States and the United Kingdom during the week of its release.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. It is the third game of the Onimusha series and was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
on April 27, 2004. It was later ported to Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
on December 8, 2005.
Plot
The game opens with Samanosuke Akechi destroying the monstrous GenmaDemon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
army in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
1582. It then jumps to modern-day Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
2004, featuring a man named Jacques Blanc riding on his motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
to help his friend Philippe. The Genma army then begins its invasion of Paris near the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
.
The game returns to Samanosuke in feudal Japan fighting his way to Honnō-ji Temple
Honno-ji
is a temple of the Nichiren branch of Buddhism located in Kyoto, Japan. Its honzon is mandara-honzon from Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.-History:...
, which is on fire from a raging battle. Samanosuke battles and kills Ranmaru Mori and approaches Nobunaga Oda. However, before they can fight, a portal opens in the floor and Samanosuke is pulled through it.
Meanwhile, the French military is fighting several monsters from 1582, but the soldiers cannot hold them for long. Jacques arrives on the scene finding his friend Philippe injured from the battle. Suddenly, Samanosuke appears from a portal in a Paris alley right where Jacques is fighting the Genma monsters. Jacques Blanc runs out of ammo just as he and Philippe are ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed, but Samanosuke manages to rescue them. Samanosuke and Jacques meet but are unable to properly communicate.
The time portal reappears and pulls Jacques and Philippe through to feudal Japan. Samanosuke makes his way towards the center of the hysteria, the Arc de Triomphe. Samanosuke first meets Michelle, Jacques' girlfriend, near the Arc and makes his way towards the roof. There he encounters Guildenstern and finds out he is actually in Paris, 500 years in the future. Samanosuke then fights and destroys Brainstern, Guildenstern's robotic creation.
Jacques Blanc and Philippe arrive in 16th century Japan. Unfortunately, Philippe dies of mortal wounds from the previous battle after the time warp. Jacques encounters a different Samanosuke in an alternate timeline on his way to Honnō-ji Temple. Both men realize that to return to their own time period, they must save the respective timelines they are in from destruction. The Samanosuke in 2004 Paris teams up with Michelle and Jacques' son to save the city from destruction while Jacques and another Samanosuke (not player controlled) struggle to fight Nobunaga in feudal Japan. The two men work together across time to solve puzzles and access new areas.
Gameplay
Unlike the previous games, Onimusha 3 is played a real-time environment instead of pre-rendered backgrounds, although the camera is still controlled by the computer.Gameplay alternates between Samanosuke fighting in modern day Paris and Jacques fighting in Feudal Japan. Samanosuke fights using close range weapons whilst Jacques uses an energy whip which can also be used at certain points to swing across gaps. Like the previous games, Samanosuke and Jacques can gain elemental weapons, changing their fighting style and allowing access to magic attacks. If the player collects certain items during the game and completes it, Samanosuke will be able to use his weapons from the first game in the next playthrough. Players will also get to control Michelle, who relies on guns.
Like previous games, attacking and defeating enemies reaps souls, which when absorbed can restore health and magic, be used as currency for purchasing ammo and health items, and allow Samanosuke or Jacques to enter a more powerful Onimusha state for a short time.
New to this game is a focus on time travel when solving puzzles. For example, if Samanosuke comes across a door in the present that has become too withered to open, Jacques will need to open the door in the past so that it will stay open for Samanosuke to progress. Such as the flow of time is, things Samanosuke does in the present will not affect things in the past. However, Ako is able to transfer some items between both timelines.
Characters
- The primary protagonist of the video game, he is a master swordsman who travels across Japan seeking his rival. Often perceived as a passionless soldier because of his quiet ways, Samanosuke is actually a hot-blooded warrior with a noble sense of justice. He is a playable character.
- Another primary protagonist, he is a French policeman who lost his friend when fighting the Genma. When Samanosuke goes to his time, he goes to the past and receives the Magic Power of the Oni. He also has an automatic rifle but, due to the lack of ammo in Feudal Japan, its use is limited. Jacques is an honorable man and a dedicated worker. He is a playable character.
- A French policewoman and Jacque's fiancée. She works with Samanosuke to help save Paris. She is briefly playable twice throughout the game.
- A small TenguTenguare a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami...
that assists Samanosuke and Jacques during their adventure. She is able to travel through time to assist both characters, including taking some items with her. When she is around people, they can understand each other's language (i.e. the French characters speak in Japanese or English, depending on the version of the video game).
- Jacques son, he shows the unique ability of communicating with his father through time-space continuum (without any perceivable medium) in times of dire need. This unique ability which even surprises Ako is instrumental in solving one of the video game's puzzles. Henri has trouble imagining Michelle for a godmother, though he copes with it.
- The Genma Lord and the primary antagonist of the video game, he survived Jubei's attempt on his life and resumed his campaign on conquering Japan. He appears as the final boss at the end of the game and is slain by Samanosuke.
Tokichiro Kinoshita
- One of Nobunaga's high ranking generals, Kinoshita has the warlord's complete trust. Though he has sworn absolute loyalty to Nobunaga, the only thing Kinoshita truly cares about is his own advancement in the ranks of power.
- One of the loyal servants of Nobunaga. Ranmaru fights Samanosuke several times in the game, twice in Genma form. He is slain by Jacques in front of the Eiffel tower.
- Ieyasu's general who helps Samanosuke in the time of Sengoku many times. Ironically, he battles Jacques thrice throughout the game, each time abandoning the battle inconclusive, thus his true identity, motives and loyalties are not revealed before later in the game.
- Samanosuke's uncle and the leader of the revolt at Honno-jiHonno-jiis a temple of the Nichiren branch of Buddhism located in Kyoto, Japan. Its honzon is mandara-honzon from Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.-History:...
.
- A Genma scientist who creates most of the Genma's arsenal. He is slain by Samanosuke.
- A former Oni warrior that joined the Genma, swearing undying allegiance to Fortinbras. But after the demise of Fortinbras, he had yielded his position as the righthand man under the new Genma Lord, Oda Nobunaga. It is unknown if Gargant formed and mutated into a Genma by joining them.
- Nobunaga's loyal wife, known historically as Nōhime (濃姫). Like many of the Oda Clan, she has also taken the form of a genma. She is slain by Jacques.
Reception
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege debuted at number one on the Japanese sales charts according to FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
. The game managed to sell 431,000 units in its first week. The game went on to sell 569,275 units in Japan by the end of the year, making it the eleventh best-selling game in the region for 2004. Sales info from NPD Group
NPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading North American market research company. The NPD Group consistently ranks among the top 25 market research companies in the independent Honomichl Top 50 report, which the media and the research industry acknowledge as a credible source of information on the market...
and Chart Track show that Onimusha 3: Demon Siege was the 10th best-selling game in both the United States and the United Kingdom during the week of its release.