Onimusha Tactics

Onimusha Tactics
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Fumihiro Asami
Producer(s)Yuichi Kobayashi
Composer(s)Keiji Yamagishi
SeriesOnimusha
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: 25 July 2003
  • NA: 11 November 2003[1]
  • EU: 5 December 2003
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Onimusha Tactics[a] is a 2003 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the Onimusha series, it was the first game in the series to be released for a Nintendo system.[2] It does not follow the storyline of the previous PlayStation 2 games and is considered a side story, but it features a similar plot: a samurai who possesses the Oni Gauntlet can become the Onimusha and fights against Nobunaga and his army of genma.

Gameplay

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The player is presented with a 3/4 camera view of a detailed gridded battlefield. The point of the game is to defeat the opposing team of opponents and improve the player character with experience points gained in battle by defeating enemies. Such statistics include strength, which dictates attack power, speed which decides turn order, and others. The game allows the player to equip their warrior with katanas, spears, and other weapons.

Characters

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The samurai is Onimaru, who is supported by a wide range of characters, many of whom are the same as their PlayStation 2 equivalents. There are some returning characters from other Onimusha games such as Saika Magoichi, Ankokuji Ekei, Fūma Kotarō, and Akechi Mitsuhide. Onimaru battles the genma until the players ultimately reach the notorious Nobunaga. New to the series are additional chosen warriors who receive the power of the phoenix, tortoise, tiger and dragon to assist Onimaru. These animals correspond with the Chinese celestial animals that represent the Cardinal directions. This reference was also a puzzle in Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny.

Reception

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Onimusha Tactics received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40.[6] Game Informer gave it an average review over a month before its U.S. release date.[7] Rice Burner of GamePro was positive to the game's item generation system, the story and a characters. His reaction to the gameplay was mixed: while he noted that the players who are unfamiliar with strategy games will find the title easy to play and enjoyable, he also said that its simplistic game mechanics and a minimal learning curve will leave more experienced players "bored", in addition to his criticism of inability to customize the characters in the game. He was also critical of the cartoonish graphics that contrasted with the dark story. The reviewer ultimately called Onimusha Tactics a solid title and recommended it to the players who like casual strategy games.[14][b]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: 鬼武者タクティクス, Hepburn: Onimusha Takutikusu
  2. ^ GamePro gave the game two 3/5 scores for graphics and sound, and two 3.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.

References

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  1. ^ "CAPCOM® RELEASES ONIMUSHA TACTICS™". Capcom. 11 November 2003. Archived from the original on 11 April 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Onimusha Tactics – Overview". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Onimusha Tactics". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  4. ^ Lopez, Miguel (12 November 2003). "Onimusha Tactics". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  5. ^ Fahey, Rob (18 December 2003). "Onimusha Tactics". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Onimusha Tactics". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b McNamara, Andy (October 2003). "Onimusha Tactics [JP Import]". Game Informer. No. 126. GameStop. p. 144. Archived from the original on 17 November 2003. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  8. ^ Kasavin, Greg (24 November 2003). "Onimusha Tactics Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  9. ^ Fraioli, Alex (17 November 2003). "GameSpy: Onimusha Tactics". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 13 February 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  10. ^ Harris, Craig (19 November 2003). "Onimusha Tactics". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Onimusha Tactics". Nintendo Power. Vol. 174. Nintendo of America. December 2003. p. 148.
  12. ^ Arushan, Zosha (18 November 2003). "Onimusha Tactics". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  13. ^ Long, Andrew (24 November 2003). "Onimusha Tactics - Review". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 26 November 2003. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  14. ^ Rice Burner (November 2003). "Onimusha Tactics" (PDF). GamePro. No. 182. IDG. p. 82. Archived from the original on 7 December 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
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