Onimsha: Dawn of Dreams is a quality game from start to finish. (real score: 9.5)
Story:
The story starts off with one of Capcom's epic introductions. We see a demon, or as fans may know, the Onimsuha. After the long introduction, the story fastforwards to two years later, where we see a new protagonist. That protagonist is Soki, the Oni of the Ash. His objective is to elimate the Genma trees taking over Japan. As Soki goes through his adventures, he meets many new allies and enemies. The story is Capcom's best so far, as it combines action with drama and romance, and the story is easy to follow. 10/10
Gameplay:
The main part of the game, is similar to the other Onimsuhas. Issen moves, or critical moves, are now easier to perform. There are more weapons than ever and they are just as good as Onimsuha 3's Raizan, Enryuu, and Shippu. Controls are simple and fluent, so any newcomer to the Onimsuha series will love these controls. While you can't jump, Capcom has made up for that by adding team based gameplay. Instead of a one man army, you control two people in team based puzzles. The puzzles can get a bit hard at times, but most of the time the puzzles are simple and not too complex. Character customization has also been expanded. You now get skill points, and exclusive stats, much like an RPG. There are also more ways to upgrade your character's stats, weapons and armor. The camera is now controllable, so there are no camera problems. Overall, the gameplay has improved dramatically compared to it's predecessors. The only problem is the amount of tedious, complex puzzles you must solve. 9/10
Graphics:
The cutscenes are some of the nicest ones Capcom has done. It feels like a movie when the cutscenes are view, since they use a different engine for the gameplay. The gameplay also looks nice. Character models are well designed and so are the enviroments. Oni attacks look nice and stylish. The weapons also have been desinged wonderfully. Overall, the graphics look nice but there are some parts where there is too much lighting or there is too much darkness. Despite that, graphics are flawless. 9/10
Sound:
The voice acting is smooth, even for the english voice actors. There is an option for Japanese voice acting, and as usual, the Japanese acting is superior. Dialouge said among the characters are not cheesy at all, and fits into the mood and tone for the game. The sound effects are nice and crisp, especially the sound of Soki's sword swings. The background music sounds nice, and is quite comforting at times. Overall, sound is perfect, and there are no problems with it. 10/10
Value:
The game has a really long single player campaign. It took me 30 hours to complete it, but I was exploring half the time. Even without exploring, the campaign will take a LONG time, especially since the game runs on two discs. After you beat the campaign once, you get harder difficulties, and other extras. One of the intresting extras is the Onimusha Arena mode, or the 2-player versus mode. I have not tried this yet so I cannot comment on it. Overall, the value for this game is really solid and a second playthough is defenitly worth the time. 10/10
Tilt:
Overall, Onimsuha: Dawn of Dreams is a masterpiece that surpasses it's predecessors. With great combat, perfect difficulty, and an engaging story, Onimsuha: Dawn of Dreams is a game that fans of the series and newcomers will enjoy. Despite the complex puzzles and the minor graphic problems, Onimsuha: Dawn of Dreams is a must buy. 9/10