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| We talk exclusively to Yoshinoro Ono about the new dawn for the Onimusha series - and what the next-gen future holds... 11:29 We know what you are thinking: 'Wasn't Onimusha 3 the end of the trilogy?' Well, yes it was. But then Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is not a continuation of the legendary hack-n-slash series. It's a totally new breed of Samurai slasher. To get the exclusive lowdown on what Capcom has planned for Dawn of Dreams we sat down with Yoshinoro Ono, a veteran of the series and the producer of this new title alongside Keiji Inafune. His information on why Dawn of Dreams will propel the Onimusha series in a totally new direction is essential. And his views on why Resident Evil 4 was such a high-risk project and what the next-gen era holds for gaming are unmissable. On top of that, we've got reams of exclusive Dawn of Dreams screens, plus some never-seen-before artwork of the game's main characters. Enjoy! Introduce Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams to us This is an all-new Onimusha game. It's the fourth game in the series, but it's not Onimusha 4. I'd like to make it very clear that this game does not continue the storyline of the first three Onimusha games. It still has all the traits Onimusha fans know and love, but it is not Onimusha 4. I want to be very specific about that. But wasn't the Onimusha series conceived as a trilogy? We thought it was finished with Onimusha 3... When Keiji Inafune, the creator of the Onimusha series, and myself were showing people Onimusha 3, we pretty much said it was the last game in the series. Famous last words, right? But the first three Onimusha games still exist as a closed trilogy. Oda Nobunaga was the bad guy in all three of those games and was defeated at the end of the trilogy. When we finished Onimusha 3 we thought, 'Hey, this is it! This is our Star Wars! We're done!' But with R&D you often find out the next step you want to take with a particular game series when you are developing a different game. When Inafune-san and myself were working on Shadow of Rome we realised that we could add more action to Onimusha and breath more life into the series. So right when Shadow of Rome was finished we decided to create this new Onimusha with a larger emphasis on action. We put together a demo and it worked very well. It felt like a new direction for the series. The Onimusha has a very loyal fanbase. Are you worried you might alienate those fans by changing the formula too much? A key point for us was the fact that Onimusha is the original Samurai game. Since we started we've been copied and imitated by many other games. We wanted to see if we, as the originators of that genre, could do something new and fresh. A good comparison is Resident Evil 4 - that team took an established franchise and an established genre and pushed them in a whole new direction. What we found with the first three Onimusha games is that people aged around 25-30 would buy it, but younger gamers seemed to think it was meant for older gamers. We wanted to reset that whole concept of Onimusha so that it appeals more to younger gamers while also satisfying older players too. So we've got the movable camera and the fast-paced action that will appeal to younger gamers, reinforced by the classic beauty and style of the Onimusha series. What's the storyline of Dawn of Dreams? We're working on a very deep storyline. The in-game cutscenes will be of a very high graphical quality and there will be around three-and-a-half hours of footage in the final game. But I want to keep specific details about the storyline under wraps at the moment. I can tell you that you will not be fighting Oda Nobunaga. We have a new enemy called Hideyoshi Toyotomi. We also have a number of important main characters in this game, which is something else very different from other Onimusha games. But our main, lead character is called Soki, who is from the same clan as the hero from Onimusha 2. Will there be elements in the Dawn of Dreams storyline that will particularly appeal to long-term fans of the series? While we're committed to taking the series in a new direction with Dawn of Dreams, we are also very aware that long-term fans of the series want to be rewarded for their loyalty. To that end, we've added things into the storyline and the events of Dawn of Dreams that relate directly to characters and events from earlier in the series. Players who have had thoughts like "What ever happened to so-and-so in Oni 2?" will have all their questions answered in Dawn of Dreams. One little hint of backstory I can give you at the moment is that a character called Jubei Akane features in Dawn of Dreams. She is actually from the same family as the main character in Oni 2. Basically that family had sworn an oath to always support the Onimusha against the Genma, and yet we have another evil character Yagyu Jubei, which is the other half of the name of the main character in Oni 2. What has happened within this family to cause such a split? You'll have to play Dawn of Dreams to find out! Can you tell us anything else about references back to the previous Onimusha games? Okay, I can also reveal that while you are playing Dawn of Dreams the story of Samanosuke and Oda Nobunaga from the first three games is actually going on in the background. As you proceed through the game you'll find out more about those characters and their conflict. We think the important thing is to reward our fans by taking the series in a new direction while also increasing the depth of the total Onimusha world. Will the storyline remain strictly linear as in past Onimusha games, or are you introducing any new ideas? Previous Onimusha games had a very linear storyline where you went from one level to the next. With Dawn of Dreams we're aiming for something much deeper. We're adding a third-dimension to the storyline. As you play through the game you'll discover items and abilities that may let you go backwards and access a new area you previously couldn't. These new areas are triggered by many different things. It could be the weapon you are using, the character you are using, or the item you are using. There are so many different branches you can go down during the course of a level, but you don't have to. You can complete the game without going near them. But if you want the whole Onimusha experience you'll really have to think your way through the game. The Onimusha series has always used famous actors to play the roles of lead characters. Will you be doing this with Dawn of Dreams? While that's a nice promotional tool, it really doesn't add that much to the game itself. The other problem with using a famous actor in a game is that their image becomes a problem. They'll say "You can't have me looking like that, or doing this, or not doing that," and we were sick of it. This time we've decided not to use tricks. Instead we're going to concentrate solely on the gameplay and polish it until we're sure it's the best game we could possibly make. What about the legendary Onimusha intro sequence? Onimusha has become famous for having a very beautiful intro movie that really pushes the power of the PS2 to the max. With Onimusha 3 we showed it very early, but with Dawn of Dreams we are only going to show about a minute at E3, followed by more at the Tokyo Games Show. I hope you look forward to it. Onimusha 3 had a rather novel time-travelling storyline that blended modern-day Paris with ancient Japan. Are you doing anything similar with Dawn of Dreams? Onimusha 3 was certainly very different. The idea was to address the idea of 'what would a Samurai do in the modern world, and what would a modern cop do in the ancient world?' Unfortunately many of our fans didn't like this. They didn't think it felt like a proper Samurai game. With Dawn of Dreams we are going to go back to a uniquely ancient Japan setting, as it should be for a Samurai game. You will not see any Western settings. So what kind of visual style should we expect from Dawn of Dreams? Onimusha has always been famed for its beautiful graphics, but in Dawn of Dreams we really wanted to capture the beautiful aspects of Japanese culture. In addition to that we wanted to capture the unique aspects of Japanese horror, the kind of thing you see in movies like The Ring and The Grudge; that unsettling, unnerving creep of terror. You'll notice that both aspects - the beauty and the horror - are both drawn from Japanese culture exclusively. One of the biggest challenges is to communicate these Japanese ideals of beauty and horror to a Western audience. It's difficult - after all, the Western gamer is dealing with a foreign culture - but I think we have done an excellent job so far. Is it getting difficult to create great visuals on the PS2, giving the age of the hardware? The PS2 has been around for a long time now. With the new hardware just around the corner, we're starting to see a lot of PS2 games reaching the peak of what the system can do. But we don't want to lose that wow factor, so we've concentrated on making sure that our visuals and backgrounds are as attractive as possible. We have beautiful cherry trees showering stages with blossom and several weather effects. We've pushed the PS2 to the limits and we're really proud of what we've created. Perhaps the biggest change you've made to Dawn of Dreams is adding a fully movable 3D camera. What effect has this had on the game? There were several key areas we knew we had to hit to make this new Onimusha game interesting. We wanted to keep the great graphics and beautiful scenarios, but we also wanted to add a fully controllable 3D camera like we had in Shadow of Rome. We've managed to keep the graphical quality just as high as the other Onimusha games while also offering full control of the 3D camera. And for those hardcore action nuts out there who need everything to be smooth, we have been able to maintain 60 fps! One of the problems of giving control of the camera to the user is that it's difficult to keep it locked onto the enemy you are looking at. This is a big problem in games like Devil May Cry. But in Dawn of Dreams it is clearly indicated which enemy you are locked onto, and by tapping the right analogue stick you can select other enemies in real time. You've also mentioned that Dawn of Dreams is far more action-packed than other Onimusha games. Why? Our main gameplay theme in Dawn of Dreams is fast-paced action. In previous Onimushas you were only ever attacked by a couple of enemies at a time, and you could only take them out one at a time. This is the first in the series where we have fifteen or twenty enemies on screen simultaneously and allow players to rip through them enemies. It's faster, more action-packed, and more exciting. The previous Onimushas also had quite limited critical hit features, while in Dawn of Dreams we have far more criticals. Also, many will become available as you level up your characters and supply them with new weapons and items. That's when the hardcore gamer will really begin to enjoy the action - he'll be able to use his favourite critical at the right moment for the ultimate bragging rights. Tell us more about how the player will use the multiple playable characters. In previous Onimusha games you only played with one character at a time, but in Dawn of Dreams you will always play with two. The true main character is called Munenoi Yagyu, and you'll lead him through the game while choosing other characters to go with him. Depending on a particular character's background he or she will be able to show you certain things or direct you to certain places, so that adds another strategic element. As you are controlling two characters finding a control system that suits everyone is tricky, so we allow you to totally customise how you issue commands to your ally. Added to that is a 'Friendship' factor. If you have a good relationship with the second character they will react better to your commands, but if they dislike you the results will not be as good. But as you fight together the Friendship factor will build up. Will you be able to switch between characters on-the-fly or will we be forced to use certain characters at certain times? We've got all of our bases covered! In some levels you will pick only one character and control only them, while in others you'll be able to switch to other characters in real-time. We're also planning to allow the player to stop the action for a limited amount of time to issue an order to attack a specific target. That brings in a real element of strategy because you can concentrate your attacks in different places, or order your ally to do, for instance, gather items while you fight off enemies. That will mean players will enjoy intense battles where they are switching back and forth between characters. Of course, players who aren't interested in that strategic element can just concentrate on levelling up one or two characters so they are so strong they can defeat anything the game throws at them. What about weapons and unlockables? In previous Onimushas you could choose from a select group of weapons and unlock a few outfits, but that was as far as the character customisation went. With Dawn of Dreams we're moving towards total customisation so that you can make it the game experience you want. Not only are there five different main characters to control, but each one has loads of weapons to choose from. It's far more than what you had in the last Onimusha. You can find them or win them from defeated enemies, but there are so many that you will probably complete the game without finding anywhere near all of them. Another interesting element of the weapon system is that by combining weapons with the abilities and equipment of the main characters you can make them stronger or weaker. It's all about finding what the best combination of weapon, equipment and character is most suitable for the particular circumstance. Each main character has a base weapon that they focus on, so one is the master of the sword, another is master of the gun, and so on. Within those individual characters are strengths and weaknesses, so for instance the character with the gun will be more useful on stages where you can keep a distance between yourself and the opponent. Any other new features you'd like to tell us about? We have a selection of minigames we call Test of Valour. As you play through the game these will pop up. They require you to perform certain feats like killing fifty demons within a minute, and if you are successful you'll be rewarded with unique items. Again, these Tests don't need to be completed, but it's another added bonus for hardcore fans. What's the most important thing you'd like to tell Onimusha fans about Dawn of Dreams? More than anything else I want to make it clear that we are not just churning out another sequel. With Dawn of Dreams we are resetting the series, and resetting the idea of what Onimusha is. Just like Resident Evil 4, which took some of the old and added some of the new, we're returning to the roots of the Onimusha series while also pushing the Samurai genre in new directions. Dawn of Dreams represents a new start. Make of this what you will: We're not going to speak about it as a one or two player game. We're going to say the number of players is 'unknown'. The buck does not stop here. We're going to link Dawn of Dreams in with other games, other fields, other businesses. This is a new starting point for the brand, but the horizons are very broad. Has Resident Evil 4 raised the bar for sequels within Capcom? There are two different ways of looking at Resident Evil 4. The gamer looks at it and says 'Wow, this game is amazing, Capcom have really nailed it.' But the producer, who has to control the purse strings, looks at it and says 'Eeeeee, that's a scary project!' It was a big budget game, and that means big budget risks. I think Resi 4 is a game that must be respected for what it has done to push gaming forward, but from a business perspective it was a very big risk. So we should expect a PSP version of Onimusha? Well, I don't want to discuss specific plans for the future of the Onimusha brand at the moment. So much still depends on luck, support - and finance! What about next-gen consoles? How do you think an Onimusha game would look and feel on the next-gen consoles? That's a tough question. I can imagine someone from Microsoft holding a gun to my head, and someone from Sony holding a gun to my head! But I can foresee a next-gen Onimusha game featuring real time graphics that resemble the CG intro movies we're famous for on the PS2. With Dawn of Dreams we're letting the player command multiple characters, but in a next-gen Onimusha I feel that online multiplayer will begin to play a bigger part, or other characters will be controlled by extremely sophisticated AI routines. Overall, we're looking at a huge increase in the amount of commands that can be processed by the console. I feel that you won't feel bound by missions or the confining restrictions of current-gen game design. I see games where every action causes a reaction, where one person fighting will influence the gameworld for several other people. If you imagine what is happening at present with the cost of items in MMORPG games and how that fluctuates due to player action, apply that to every aspect of a next-gen game and you're getting close. Like the real world! Of course, creating that kind of game will take a lot of time and a lot of money, and just thinking about it is giving me a headache! Okay, so tell us what your ideal next-gen Onimusha game would be... Well, like I said, I think it would take place in a totally free-form world where the player is free to do anything he wishes. I don't think it would be like a movie - that's a fallacy that a lot of people associate with games in the future. A movie can't be controlled, but a next-gen game should give you control and freedom over what you want to do. So I'd like to offer an alternate world to the real world, while offering players the kind of freedom they can't usually enjoy. With that freedom comes spontaneity. In current games you pretty much know what is going to happen, but I hope that in a next-gen game you will constantly be surprised by things happening around you. What's your opinion on the Japanese developers who have very publicly signed up to produce Xbox 360-exclusive games? It's no secret that PS2 won the last console battle, so Microsoft knows that it needs to do everything it can to hit not only the US and European markets, but also the Japanese market where it did not do so well with Xbox. Financial backing is the key for Microsoft. By giving that kind of backing to Japanese developers they are going to start building relationships and Japanese developers will be happy to work with them. The more those relationships bloom the more Japanese developers will jump on Microsoft's ship. Whether that ship sinks or sails depends very much on the relationships that are built now. The Japanese developers in question have been quick to evangelise about the power of the Xbox 360, claiming that's the reason for their choice. From what you've seen will the Xbox 360 out-perform PS3 and Revolution? [Laughs] As a developer, my feelings are that all three next-gen consoles are absolutely fantastic! After E3 you'll see things clearly for yourself, and I don't want to ruin the suspense! Many thanks Ono-san, and best of luck with Dawn of Dreams! Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams will be available for PS2 exclusively towards the end of the year. |
| QUOTE (Gall_4185 @ May 7 2005, 09:35 PM) |
| I found out about this a couple of weeks ago, |