After the resounding success of the original Onimusha Warlords, the announcement of Onimusha 2 came as little surprise. What was surprising, however, was Capcom's decision to stick with the pre-rendered 2D backgrounds in the wake of Devil May Cry’s successful use of all three dimensions in glorious real-time. But Capcom assured its public that Onimusha 2 would improve on the first game despite not taking the leap into 3D.

Happily, they proved themselves men of their word, and Onimusha 2: A Samurai’s Destiny (to give the game its full title) bettered its forebear in pretty much every department.

Now in control of a new hero, swordsman Yagyuu Jubei, the theme is no longer rescuing kidnap-prone members of royalty, but one of revenge as Jubei returns home to find his village decimated by the army of marauding despot Lord Oda Nobunaga.

Initially out of his depth against his aggressors, Jubei stumbles upon a strange, benevolent demon lady, who grants him the power to absorb the souls of his fallen victims, and also to use weapons and magic representing the elements of Fire, Lightning, Wind and Earth. And that’s where the fun starts.

In terms of gameplay, veterans of the original game should feel at home instantly, as the core of the game is completely untouched: the basic sword moves, the handy 180° turn button, using magic mirrors to save game and upgrade weapons and armour remain. But Onimusha 2 offers far, far more for the player to get their teeth into.

Jubei has more weapons at his disposal, and for each of these there are hidden scrolls that unlock special attacks which, otherwise, would not be accessible. Swords can also be charged up to unleash devastatingly powerful hits, necklaces enhance certain abilities and, most interestingly, the player now has the ability to briefly transform Jubei into an indestructible and mightily powerful demon, in a move not in any way dissimilar to Devil May Cry’s “Devil Trigger” feature.

In addition to the solo swordplay, at certain points Jubei can now team up with any or all of the four secondary characters; Magoichi, a quiet but determined rifleman; Kotaro, a young impetuous ninja; Ekei, the jolly fat monk; and Oyu, a beautiful female Knight. By showering an individual with gifts, Jubei can, in turn, count on their support in a tight spot, open up various sub-quests and maybe even take control of that character at a pre-determined part of the game. Whilst it's an interesting concept, and the help can certainly be useful, the execution of the partnering system sometimes feels a little random - what might work for a character first time round seemingly has no effect at another time. With a little more consistency, this area of the game could have been great; as it stands, it's a serviceable curiosity that doesn't quite gel with the game as a whole, and it is quite possible to finish the game without exchanging a single gift.

Perhaps the biggest improvement seen in Onimusha 2 can be summed up in one word: scope. Far from being shackled to the same hub-like location for the whole game, Jubei has a much larger world to explore than the original hero, Samanosuke, moving through locations such as a village (complete with a decent variety of non-player characters, some who offer small missions to Jubei), mines, woods, swamps, beaches, factories, ice caverns, air ships… the sheer quantity of places to explore is highly impressive, even if a few of the locales are the same as those in the first game. Some may comment that the sharing of these areas exhibits a lack of imagination, but given that progressing through them is usually done by one of the bonus characters, it can be forgiven.

The graphical standard has been significantly raised, too. One of the first things that strikes the player is the now almost seamless way the 3D models blend with the (gorgeous) pre-rendered backdrops, a technique improved upon further in the Resident Evil remake on the GameCube. The illusion is enhanced further by the use of subtleties like animated grass, leaves falling off trees, brilliantly realised weather effects, and creatures moving about in the thicket.

Kudos must be given to the musical arrangement, every bit as grand and dramatic as you would hear in a big-budget movie, from the sweeping theme tune down to the traditional Japanese incidental music. Disappointingly, there is no language option to chose from here. The English voice acting is as poor as it was in the original, but this time the player does not have the choice of using Japanese language with English subs. As the game is set in Japan, this sadly goes a small way to spoiling the suspension of disbelief.

Upon completion of the game the player is ranked and a chapter map shows the exact route taken and hints at where other scenarios can be unlocked on the next play – to complete the game 100% and attain the much sought-after S Rank will take repeated plays from start to finish, but the newly opened paths make this a joy as opposed to a chore. If the main game has been completed to a satisfactory level, there are the Team Oni and Man In Black sub games (the latter being a bizarre challenge to collect the in-game cutscenes, with Jubei running around in a Blues Brothers outfit, brandishing a sponge sword), as well as DVD-like features such as making of documentaries, trailers, concept art, and photo galleries.

Onimusha 2 is in every sense what a gaming sequel should be: bigger, better, and bolder than the previous incarnation in every almost respect imaginable. With huge steps forward in terms of design, graphics, and gameplay, this should equally delight and entertain fans of the original, as well as newcomers to the trilogy.