Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams -- Final Opinion.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams started out a little rough and I was unsure what to expect. Having seen the credits roll some thirty-seven hours later I can safely say you get classic Onimusha gameplay and story in the end. The heart of the game is the gameplay. The gameplay is the same fun Onimusha hack and slash combat it's always been. Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams was made by the Onimusha 2 team. The original Onimusha team handled Onimusha 3. Onimusha 2 used the device of multiple characters for you to control. That returns in a big way in Onimusha 4. There are five playable characters each with their own weapon style and speeds. They all essentially follow the classic Onimusha formula as to how they control. You're able to play through the stages with the computer controlling one of the other playable characters. You're able to issue them basic commands like full attack, hold and heal, and absorb souls. The game is made up of actual stages this time around. No overworld maps of Onimusha 2. You're able to revisit the stages from a menu in the hideout that acts as the in between area for the stages. You'll want to revisit the stages with other characters because they each have specific abilities that will enable you to get by obstacles that the main character isn't able to clear. There aren't any towns or merchants from Onimusha 2 this time around either. You access the shop via the menu again in the hideout. There aren't any NPCs anymore to gather information from as there were in Onimusha 2. Again in the hideout you'll go around to the playable characters and talk about this or that via menus.  The series puzzle chests return. You'll have to rotate orbs to align them in the correct colored rows within a set amount of turns. There is an awful lot of leveling up of the armor and weapons for each of the five characters. You'll find 10-15 weapons for each character. They'll offer different attack values and elemental properties and they'll enable special bonuses. So'll you're going to want to fiddle around with more than a few of them. And you'll be switching between them as you face off against specific enemy types and bosses as one will normally work a lot better than the others. You'll need to level their armors and weapons because the other characters are fully involved in the story and have their own character specific battles and scenarios. The story also started out a tad strange but ends up very well. The story ends up very well connected to the last three games. The game's subtitle is very misleading as it doesn't apply to what you might think it should. You do get a lot of answers. You'll find out what happened to Hideyoshi after you last saw him leading an army during the after the credits FMV from Onimusha 3. You'll learn what happened to more than a few characters from previous games. It just might not be who you're expecting. The story is smart and surprisingly effective by the ending. The ending is very well done in my opinion. One of the better endings I've seen in a long time. And the after the credits FMV from Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is infinitely more of a tease than any others of the series. Bring on Onimusha 5. I really do want to see what's next as far as the story goes. It's clear they have an idea. I'm willing to bet it's a good one. I really liked the game but it's not perfect. I don't mind the corny style for which they've chosen to tell the story. The classic Capcom cheesy writing doesn't harm the game. The mixed bag voice acting doesn't either. The problem comes in the total amount of leveling you'll have to do. You'll need to be prepared for the final level and parade of bosses and that will take some work. It also takes about halfway through the game before the story starts hinting at the cool things to come. That's a long way to go with a game that's huge because of leveling issues. Get over the hill, and you'll find the ride to the bottom well worth the climb up. I'm giving Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams a 9.