Oninaki Reviews

Oninaki is an action RPG from Tokyo RPG Factory with themes about death and reincarnation. Is the game a powerful exploration of heavy topics or does it simply wallow in darkness?

The gameplay is great, but the game’s other problems are too substantial to simply overlook. This game is being sold at near-AAA-title prices ($50 on PC and higher on console), but it has too many issues to recommend as a full price title. The gameplay aspects are very solid and you may get a good amount of fun out of this on a Steam sale. But if you’re like me, the hole-riddled story might make you quit before you get far enough to truly appreciate the fun combat system.

Once you fall into the groove, Oninaki is greatly enjoyable, even if it initially falls flat because of its repetitive combat. The story heads to dark places surrounding the central theming, occasionally in a ham-fisted way, but still manages to have emotional impact. Ultimately though, Oninaki is a gem of a game if you’re persistent in putting in the work. Tokyo RPG Factory have done it again

Oninaki has a pretty intriguing premise: the people of Szaka believe in the Cycle of Reincarnation, in which the dead move on to ‘the Beyond’ where they are reincarnated into their next life. However, souls who still have regrets about life may remain trapped in the Beyond, turning into monsters that must be destroyed. For this reason, the living are discouraged from mourning the dead, lest their grief prevent them from being reincarnated.

Oh now feel it, comin' back again.

Overall, Oninaki isn’t a bad game, but it’s not going to wow you in any way. Its story is interesting but presented in a way that fails to truly grab your attention; like the recent Crystar, it stands out by not being cheery like most JRPGs. But what really cements it as a ho-hum action RPG is its combat, which never develops quite as you’d expect it to despite its fairly unique Daemon system. With some additional tweaking, including making its combat a bit more fluid, Oninaki could have been something special. As it is, it’s simply okay.

Oninaki has one foot in the grave while the other doing a pleasant tap dance. It has an interesting story held back by bland characters and filler, and its gameplay can feel great when you’re not getting pounded in the face and stunned to death. Unless you can find it on sale, I’d skip this one.

Oninaki is a gorgeous, distinctive, entertaining RPG that isn’t afraid to explore some heavy themes in novel and thought-provoking ways. It never rises above the fact that the combat feels like it’s not quite there. And at times, it can be overly wordy in the fashion that JRPGs often are. But its dark, beautiful world is a place I never tired of exploring, and the in-depth progression and customization systems provided plenty for my inner D&D nut to sink his teeth into.

In the world of Oninaki, death is inevitable, but the aftermath is different. Spirits who are grieved may become shackled to the living world, so everyone tries to approach death with a practical stoicism. However, when playing Oninaki, maintaining that kind of measured neutrality is impossible. This is an action/RPG full of highs and lows, with erratic swings between the two extremes that had me loving it one minute and hating it the next.

Some games come frustratingly close to being exceptional, only to make some missteps and fall into the same bad habits as other titles from their genre. Oninaki is one such game, though there’s thankfully enough novelty to the experience to make it worth seeing.

Oninaki proves that Tokyo RPG Factory is not simply built on nostalgia and definitely has the chops to make a captivating modern RPG.

Tokyo RPG Factory still has something to prove. The studio was founded back in 2014 with the goal of recapturing Square Enix’ mid-90s magic, and, thus far, they haven’t really achieved that task. I Am Setsuna had its charms, but ultimately didn’t leave much of an impression, and Lost Sphear was a straight-up bore. Enter Tokyo RPG Factory’s most ambitious, and risky, project to date, Oninaki.

Visually, Oninaki can be incredibly colorful and pleasant to look at. Switching between the world of the living and the other side of the veil makes every environment feel multi-faceted. One moment, a forest path is bright and relaxing, while the next, it’s dark and harshly-lit with intense color. While the character models look fairly simple, this design choice fits the tone of the story. The detailed art for each character and spirit that can be found in the game’s menus are sharp and just plain cool.

Despite a handful of missteps and some convoluted narrative decisions in the final act, Oninaki is a really fascinating game that I want to learn more about even after completing almost everything it has to offer. Quite frankly, Oninaki sits boldly next to some of the best Japanese games released this console generation. While it may give off a smaller indie vibe, there are some bold ideas explored that really affected me in ways I didn't expect.

Oninaki is a fairly traditional action RPG with intriguing characters. The price is a bit steep, but if you liked the studio's previous works, you won't be disappointed.

Tokyo RPG Factory's newest game has a lot of great ideas on paper, but never manages to fully realize them.

Oninaki is a nostalgic throwback to old-school action RPGs such as Secret of Mana and Brave Fencer Musashi that doesn’t quite stick the landing. The story is ominous and surprisingly compelling, but due to a lack of meaningful characters and a somewhat convoluted mid-section, it ends up spiraling out of control. At least there’s some fun to be had in the combat as there’s a decent number of Daemons to find and use in battle, each with their own unique fighting skills and stories to be told. Disappointingly, this doesn’t last too long. Forty hours for an action RPG seems like it would offer a decent value for your dollar, but because the latter half of the campaign feels sluggish and utterly repetitive thanks to unwavering scenario makeup, it only devalues it. You should never have a game where you’re just rushing through the final dungeons because you don’t want to deal with the same old enemy encounter it has been throwing at you for so long. Tokyo RPG Factory appears to have one goal: remind us of the Golden Years of RPGs. Unfortunately, Oninaki captures that era of gaming and does nothing remarkable with it.

For some time now I’ve felt burnt out on the JRPG genre. It started with Final Fantasy XIII, and then Tales of games began to lose their luster. Every day I long for a return to the old school games I loved so hard. Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger. Final Fantasy IX and VIII. Sure, I could play them again thanks to remasters or dusting off my sturdy grey PlayStation, but my brain craved a new tale to enjoy. The announcement for Tokyo RPG Factory’s third title, ONINAKI, seemed to check off all the items on my wishlist and I figured now was the time to see what this studio had to offer a gamer such as myself.

Tokyo RPG Factory has been crafting lovely RPGs since 2016's I Am Setsuna and they're at it again with the action-packed Oninaki.

Oninaki manages to pull off some interesting story beats and has some great environment designs. However, the excessive padding and re-use of several gameplay elements leaves a sour taste in the mouth with 20 hours of gameplay stretched into 30 and beyond.