Ono: "Time is right" for Onimusha return

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 7 February, 2011

But new Darkstalkers sounds unlikely.

Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono reckons the "time is right" for samurai action series Onimusha to return.

Ono has pledged to pitch the series' resurrection to the higher ups within Japanese company Capcom once he's sorted out his vision for the hack and slash.

"The time feels right to me," Ono told IGN. "It feels like it's the time to resurrect that series."

The last Onimusha game was Dawn of Dreams, released on PlayStation 2 in March 2006. Eurogamer's Kristan Reed awarded it 6/10, saying, "Rather in the same way that Capcom milked the Resident Evil series to death before it reinvented itself, Onimusha is one of those really enjoyable games that's now been left behind and seems content to be stuck in a rut."

If Ono is successful in his case for the return of Onimusha, any new game would provide a modern experience, he said.

"I wouldn't want to do the things we've done before. I think it might be time to progress beyond the standard single-player adventure. There should be ways to expand upon what we've done while involving the community more. Perhaps implement some sort of multiplayer into a game like that.

"I don't have those ideas solidified yet, but when these ideas come to fruition, when I feel good about them and I feel we can do something, I will most certainly take them in for approval with the higher-ups. It's something I'm very interested in doing."

Meanwhile, it sounds like the launch of a new entry in the vampire fighting game series Darkstalkers is unlikely.

"A new Darkstalkers... I know people want it," Ono said.

"At Comic-Con last year I brought it up at the panel discussion and virtually [everyone in the] entire auditorium raised their hands when asked if they were interested. I took that information back to the company. I've been lobbying for it ever since. They haven't warmed to the idea just yet, but I haven't given up. I'll continue to push for it. People still do ask for it.

"I'm basically running into the same sort of hurdles I ran into with Street Fighter IV, so if I can show there's enough interest, maybe something will happen."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (21) Latest comment 1 year ago

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  • mfnick #1 1 year ago

    Hell yes! Loved Onimusha 1-3, especially the 2nd one. Lets forget Dawn of Dreams happened eh?

    Edit - just read the article rather than the headline:
    I wouldn't want to do the things we've done before. I think it might be time to progress beyond the standard single-player adventure. There should be ways to expand upon what we've done while involving the community more. Perhaps implement some sort of multiplayer into a game like that.

    MP Onimusha game? What the shit?! Thats definitely NOT what I want from a new Onimusha. FFS! Better do a HD update of the original 3 if you're going to pull that kind of bullshit so I still have something to look forward to.

    Edited by mfnick at 07/02/11 @ 09:09

  • PixelPirate #2 1 year ago

    After Jean Reano being his "buddy" in 3, expecting its about time for a cameo by Nick Nolte.

    What this series needs is a wise cracking American with guns.

    //sarcasm

  • JoeGBallad #3 1 year ago

    Loved onimushas 1 and 2. Got stuck at a boss in 3 and haven't gone back to it since, cos I'm a big wuss.

  • Kanselier #4 1 year ago

    I thoroughly enjoyed all previous Onimusha games, more can not be a bad thing. Especially when Robot creates the CGI movies again.

  • bad09 #5 1 year ago

    I can see why they don't like the idea of more Darkstalkers but I'd take a new Darkstalkers over Onimusha any day. I found Onimusha very boring, but then for me Hack 'n Slash is genre where all games get repetitive and boring really quickly, I don't know why I dabble with them from time to time TBH.

    / glares at Darksiders

    Darkstalkers wasn't the greatest fighter but a lot of the joy was the beautiful and whacky artwork and characters. With the sheen of current gen a new Darkstalkers game could be eye poppingly wonderful and I'd lap it up...on PC of course Ono you little SSF4 tease you :)

  • MojoDex #6 1 year ago

    opposition to street fighter 4. that's more than stupid really!

  • taurus82 #7 1 year ago

    How's about a Devil May Cry style game set in the Darkstalkers universe?
    Edited by taurus82 at 07/02/11 @ 10:06

  • menage #8 1 year ago

    I actually liked Dawn of Dreams, better than that Jean Reno fail em up at least. 2 was still the best though.

  • spiritsnake #9 1 year ago

    PLEASE NO MULTIPLAYER!! that is all

  • 5h1nj1 #10 1 year ago

    "...beyond the standard single-player adventure"
    What? Are you kidding? No, that is certainly NOT, what I want from Onimusha. I actually like the series just because of the single player adventure. Not everything has to have a MP, geez.

  • menage #11 1 year ago

    Don't ,know. I was always pretty outraged when MP started to intrude into the SP. But after UC2, AC:B and Demon's Souls I don't see what's actually being done wrong.

  • Lunastra78 #12 1 year ago

    I have to admit I only ever played one Onimusha game, the first one, which was brilliant. I'd love to see 1-3 re-released in HD some day so I get to play them all.

  • RobotRocker #13 1 year ago

    I'm hoping the delay in getting Darkstalkers approved means that they are waiting from Niitsuma to be freed up from MvC3 expansions via DLC or whatever to head that project. He'd be far better suited for it while Ono could go off and do SF x Tekken or whatever.

  • Username_0074 #14 1 year ago

    Oh yes, please! And while you're at it, how about reviving Breath of Fire too?

  • devil_badger #15 1 year ago

    I never played any of the Onimusha games for some reason. Might have to hunt a couple down and dust off the PS2

  • Kaminari #16 1 year ago

    Onimusha by Ninja Theory? Multiplayer? No thanks.

  • drumbaby #17 1 year ago

    This is wonderful news, but if Capcom do what I think they'll do (exclusive DLC for Xbox 360, leaving PS3 owners in cold with the additional insult of a substandard port) then I will probably go postal.

  • rivuzu #18 1 year ago

    I'd like to see a new Onimusha, but perhaps done in the way Demons Souls was. Multi-Not quite Multi-Singleplayer.

    People say the action genre is stale... Honestly, I disagree. Devil May Cry was a bit poor, I admit, but Ninja Gaiden was superb. We have a tasty new Tomb Raider on the way. Devils Third with everyones favourite pervert, Itagaki. Even Enslaved was alright for a bash and a giggle. That game where you hack your own limbs off and still control them. The futures looking good for the smash your face in category - and a new Onimusha might be well worth considering.

  • Ord #19 1 year ago

    Doh! Onimusha? Really? How dull.
    Get the new Darkstalkers made Capcom! You know people want it but you don't listen to the fans? Foolish.

  • Phishfood #20 1 year ago

    Ah I remember playng the first Onimusha on the xbox, spent most of the time trying to get those counter kills to release more souls from fallen enemies

  • Bander #21 1 year ago

    I've been wanting a new Darkstalkers for ages, and didn't really care that much for Onimusha; possibly because I got a PS2 fairly late.

    I wouldn't mind if Darkstalkers was to be branched off into another genre though, like action-adventure. The series did have a more interesting scenario than other fighting games, yet didn't have anything to do with a tournament. Several of the characters didn't really have any reason to be fighting each other.

    The early development art for Bayonetta suggested that the main character may have initially been based on Morrigan. It's never been stated that the game was ever intended to be connected to Capcom's franchise, but it made me wonder what it could have been like if it was.