Oninaki in the Test
What would happen if death would no longer be the end? What if the world knew with certainty that it is only a Transition into a new life? That souls who live to die in the spirit world, and eventually re-born can be? What if we had the possibility of our deceased Beloved there again? These are exactly the questions the new game from Tokyo RPG Factory, Oninaki, and takes us into a world that our understanding of life and death completely on the head.
Between life and death
In Oninaki you take on the role of Kagachi, a guard, whose task it is to ensure that deceased souls made their way to the Afterlife find, and again starts to be born. For this purpose, he has a special ability: He can travel between the world of the Living and the spirit world “behind the veil” back and forth another Dimension, in the Faded, to be kept by the grief of their friends and Relatives, or by other things, in this world, stay. The Problem with the thing: Remain these so-called Lost for too long, as the spirits in this world, you can Fallen are monsters, all of your negative emotions free rein and all attack each and every one of them gets in the way – preferably, of course, you on your way through your adventure.
With daemons in tow
Who is already using the first two works of game developer Tokyo RPG Factory is familiar, the will of Oninaki sometimes a little surprise: The Story is very episodic in structure and allows us to, as well as character Kagachi more of an experience to the next slide, instead of a density, a continuous story to tell – even if in the end everything in a big Story Arc together, and also the battle system has a unique change made by: Oninaki is more Hack and slash than role-playing, the lively Melee that combines Fixed, however, sent with role-playing elements.
The main premise of the combat system is, therefore, to acquire using daemons – special Lost, the can connect to you, various combat skills, you you battles then Live with the Fallen use can. Each demon has different skills from the Buffs and Debuffs on various Close and ranged combat Skills, to passive Abilities such as increased damage, as long as the demon is in your active Party. Here, you can make up to four demons at the same time in the service, and then in the fight directly switch between them to use their special attacks – up to four at a time.
While you take with demons in tow on a variety of enemies in ever-increasing variants, your affinity for the active allies. This achieves a certain brand, you can go into a Trance-mode, in the attacks deliver more damage and depending on the unlocked Skills of your pet is also additional effects can use. Speaking of the Skills of your companion: These are arranged in a Skill-Tree and can be unlocked by using the stones, the defeated opponent to fall.
Also in the Skill-Tree you will find the memories of the respective Daemons. These small passages of text office of the illustrations and the Japanese reader to give you more information on the background history of your companion, what has the game done not influence, but the world and its residents additional depth provided.
You have in the Skill Tree enough skills unlocked, the corresponding companion will Level up and his skills are stronger. And then the bonuses would be the combat skills themselves: is using this regularly, you can awaken to what switches additional effects free. In the Skill-Tree you can then even up to four of them per skill to create. Sounds complex? It is also.
Guardian, Daemon, Master Weaponsmith
Anyone who thinks that the combat system with daemons, and Co is already challenging enough, let me tell you that it has not done so yet: in addition to about a dozen daemons, the recruit so that Skills supply and leveling up can play namely, also your weapons have a crucial role in the fight.
Each Daemon comes with its own weapon, such as swords, Axes, bows, and chains. These have a strength value, as well as from time to time, including Slots, in the shadow stones can. The latter will leave from enemies or find in treasure chests in the veil world. Among their effects, among other things, increased damage against certain enemy types, faster increase in Affinity or resistance to Debuffs. In addition, you are allowed your weapons by Merging with other such – regardless of the type or genus – upgrade, which increases your strength value. As you can see, the combat system of Oninaki a lot of possibilities.
Behind the veil
After so much explanation of the – almost a little too – extensive battle system, of course, is also interesting, what you needed all of these Skills at all. During the experience, your travels, as already mentioned, always between the world of the Living and the world behind the veil. The Maps look always the same, however, different enemies appear, and – particularly interesting – in part a is only in one of the two dimensions is possible.
In the spirit world, you start with the so-called veil of blindness. This means that the entire environment appears to be lightless and each hit of enemies in a fatality. To override them, you must find in the world of the Living, first special opponent and turn it off. You travel through the after death coming portal in the veil of the world, the blindness, and you can make it, to explore the surrounding area, including new enemies, even here. To find there are treasure chests, which are only in this Dimension, as well as from time to time, wormholes that drop you in at another point of the Map, you have not been able to achieve in the world of the Living. The disadvantage of this concept is that you run basically every Map two Times – first in the world of the Living, the veil of blindness, and to find again in the world behind the veil, to all of the treasure chests.
Lost Souls
In addition to the Main Story that leads you from the capital, and at the same time the “base” Deto in one Region after another, you can as side quests also Lost to the Beyond send. For this purpose, you need to with these in the spirit world to speak, and then specific tasks to fulfil, ranging from the Defeat of their monster form, about the location of objects, to the monitoring service still Living. The tasks are not very demanding and run in the end, mostly just to re-iterate already played Maps in addition to in which, moreover, no indicator is displayed, exactly where the Quest-scene is triggered. At least one Marker so as to avoid unnecessary run-of-ways, would have been nice. After all, you can see the Lost – unlike the treasure chests, but also of the world of the Living, and must occur only at the appropriate place through the veil, to be able to respond to you.
Beautiful Death
While the game system of Oninaki a little grow, the title, at least in a absolutely to Shine: his audio-visual presentation. The world of the Living is presented in contrasting colours and has been decorated with much attention to Detail, while the veil of the world sprayed with luminescent artefacts and inhabitants of the mystical-magical charm. The regions show varied and also the enemy design like that, even if it is to be here on color variations of the basic types is.
Particularly the Soundtrack does, however,: The beautiful melodies give exactly the right atmosphere and inspire, to listen, sometimes just a few minutes, rather than in the Story travel further. The narrator, however, has also failed, however, unfortunately, available only in Japanese, and so some of the line (world changing!) a small is then repeated, but a little too often for my taste.
CONCLUSION
After the Lost Sphere and I am Setsuna, I was also on the third game of the Tokyo RPG Factory stretched and was surprised, but not disappointed: Oninaki breaks with classical role-playing game aspects, and provides us with instead is a Hack and slash with lots of role-playing elements, all of which in combination, almost a little overwhelming – or, at least, not all can be used, unless the game just by playing and not in the endless Post-Game Content lose want. The disadvantage of this, however, is hardly – after all, so everyone can choose for themselves what aspects he has to focus and what game style he wants to choose. A little criticism I have, however, the Story exercise: The episodic narrative would dismiss the game fun hardly anything, however, the character development is a bit too short, and the other lapping events, especially in the first half of the game a little bit objective, and in vain. The journey is the destination encounters Oninaki thus completely. Particularly the audio-visual presentation of the title can stand out in contrast: the graphics of the two worlds, as well as, in particular, the Soundtrack dropped to full length. All in all, Oninaki certainly not the best of the previous title Tokyo RPG Factory, but still a solid Hack-and-slash role-playing game, which is especially fun when instead of in-depth Stories, more complex Gameplay value.
What Oninaki is? Complex Hack and slash with lots of role-playing elements and a Story about life, death, and rebirthPlatforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC
Tested: PS4 Version
Developer / Publisher: Tokyo RPG Factory / Square Enix
Release: 22. August 2019
Link: Official Website
