Compare High on Life 2 vs Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Bugs are the most persistent complaint, including softlocks, broken triggers, missing objects, clipping, dialogue failures, and progression blockers.

The reviewers who discussed technical reliability reported playthroughs without notable bugs, glitches, or crashes.

Crash frequency varies by platform and build, from isolated incidents to repeated hard exits. Several reviewers still encountered crashes after patches.

The reviewers who addressed crashes reported stable playthroughs without crashes, reinforcing the broader impression of strong technical reliability.

Currency and upgrade spending can give exploration tangible value, with useful improvements tied to finding resources rather than pure grinding.

The material economy is a weak point for some reviewers: common upgrade resources can be oddly expensive or grindy, and their relationship to the broader progression loop feels less refined than the combat.

Loading can be a major annoyance in some builds, including long shader compilation and noticeable pauses between areas.

Transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are described as seamless, and retries after defeat are quick enough to keep difficult fights moving.

Frame-rate behavior varies dramatically by platform and build, from stable high-refresh play to severe drops, stutter, freezes, and near-slideshow moments.

Performance is strong across PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC, and handheld testing, with many reports of stable targets and smooth combat. Steam Deck’s Eastern Kyoto hub is the main recurring performance caveat.

Reviewers repeatedly praise how missions change structure, tone, and mechanics, with fewer repeated scenarios than the original.

Fetch quests, repeated demon-clearing jobs, and reused overworld activities create a clear sense of repetition between the stronger set-piece missions.

Dialogue can be genuinely funny and characterful, but overlapping lines, nonstop chatter, and uneven audio mixing sometimes bury or interrupt the jokes.

Character banter and comic exchanges give the cast personality, while quieter conversations help sell relationships and the reluctant-hero tone.

A recurring verdict is that the game needed more development time. Technical roughness, visual problems, and broken scripting frequently undercut otherwise strong ideas.

The combat, animation, and major presentation beats feel highly polished, but reviewers also point to camera issues, repetitive content, minor technical roughness, and uneven secondary systems.

High-concept missions, hub activities, retro games, side quests, and strange one-off diversions create strong variety. A few critics still find the overall package thin.

One recurring complaint is that the overworld leans on repetitive objectives and familiar enemy groups, reducing variety outside the bespoke story stages and bosses.

Combat is faster and often tighter than before, but opinion splits sharply. Some reviewers call it a blast while others find it shallow, sloppy, chaotic, or lacking impact.

The sword combat is the overwhelming consensus highlight: precise, weighty, reactive, and deeply satisfying, with parries, deflects, dodges, Issens, clashes, and Oni Armaments giving players meaningful options. Even critical reviews tend to praise the core fighting.

Post-story value is inconsistent: one critic notes there is effectively no dedicated postgame, while others point to hubs, collectibles, and side activities that remain to finish.

Post-game play includes harder Carnage difficulty and New Game Plus-style replay, giving mastery-focused players a reason to continue after the credits.

Progression is generally not described as chore-heavy, and the campaign lets players engage with side content without forcing excessive grinding.

Several reviewers criticize material gathering and repeated combat as unnecessary grind, especially around upgrades. Others found resources plentiful enough that deliberate grinding was rarely required.

Lighting and reflections can look spectacular, but heavy effects, strobing, shadow instability, and reconstruction artifacts sometimes hurt readability.

Sparks, slow-motion reactions, attack effects, and cinematic finishing flourishes make clashes look dramatic without obscuring the swordplay.

Normal mode is often described as approachable or easy, while tougher settings and a few boss fights provide more resistance without changing the basic combat structure.

Difficulty is demanding but generally regarded as rewarding, with Story mode offering a gentler route and Action mode asking for precise play. Opinions split where normal enemies feel too easy or late bosses become punishing and unforgiving.

Alien worlds can look gorgeous and richly styled, but muddy reconstruction, pixelation, pop-in, weak textures, and inconsistent character rendering recur across several reviews.

The game is widely regarded as gorgeous, with strong character models, lighting, environments, and RE Engine presentation across platforms. Performance modes and the gap between cinematic and gameplay rendering introduce only minor visual compromises for most reviewers.

Skateboard mobility, secrets, side activities, and ability-gated routes make exploration rewarding for many. Oversized or sparse hubs frustrate reviewers who want denser discoveries.

Exploration can be rewarding when it leads to charms, upgrade materials, myths, portals, or secrets. The strongest praise comes from reviewers who enjoyed searching every corner despite reservations about the hub structure.

Handheld play is possible and sometimes enjoyable, but Steam Deck and Switch 2 coverage highlights substantial performance or image-quality compromises.

Steam Deck and Switch 2 coverage is notably positive, with playable performance and strong visuals on the go despite heavier battery or CPU load in Eastern Kyoto.

Skateboarding is the standout improvement: fast, fluid, and satisfying in open spaces. Some reviewers still hit jank, sluggish speed, or clumsy behavior in tighter areas.

Movement is mixed: modern 3D navigation and wall-running can feel good, while the dodge roll, lack of a normal jump, and some traversal friction draw criticism.

Weapon roles are clearer and some new guns feel excellent, but reviewers also call the arsenal uneven, with weak returning options and inconsistent impact.

Oni Armaments fill distinct roles such as healing, stamina damage, and crowd control, and at least one reviewer found each option useful rather than redundant.

Platforming benefits from the skateboard’s mobility and simple inputs, but unregistered jumps, awkward momentum, and demanding sections can make precision inconsistent.

Wall-running is a small but well-liked traversal addition that expands movement without turning the game into a platformer.

The sequel introduces a broader mix of enemies than the original, but variety does not always translate into smarter or more engaging fights.

Common-enemy variety is a recurring weakness, with several reviews noting repeated basic foes and armored variants across a long campaign. Boss variety is much stronger.

The sequel adds more context around its setting, conflicts, and characters, though the deeper world detail does not satisfy every reviewer.

Japanese myths, legends, readables, collectibles, and side stories give the world substantial optional lore without requiring prior knowledge of the series.

Denser hubs, bustling alien spaces, and small visual touches help locations feel alive. Some areas and models still look sparse or under-detailed.

Kyoto, temples, forests, palaces, and supernatural spaces are praised for dense detail, historical texture, lighting, and small visual touches that reward close attention.

The writing is often sharper, funnier, and more sincere than the original, but long riffs, crude shock jokes, and uneven punchlines remain divisive.

The writing is strongest in character banter, relationships, and emotional moments, though a few reviews describe the larger script as more serviceable than exceptional.

It preserves the first game’s talking-gun chaos, crude comedy, and irreverent sci-fi identity while expanding movement and scale. Detractors see too much structural repetition.

The revival modernizes movement, camera, scale, and combat without losing the Oni Gauntlet, soul absorption, Issen timing, horror flavor, or eccentric Onimusha identity. Longtime fans largely see it as a successful return.

Subtitles, text sizing, colorblind settings, aim options, and chatter controls are useful. Missing rebinding and limited help for demanding skateboard sections leave notable gaps.

Story mode earns strong praise for wider timing windows and real-time action prompts that teach parries, dodges, deflects, and Issens. One review still wanted broader visual accessibility options.

The skateboard and expanded weapon utilities make the sequel more dynamic, but some critics argue the underlying systems remain shallow or awkwardly integrated.

The layered defensive options, soul management, armaments, environmental tools, and resource systems create unusually rich moment-to-moment play. A few explanations and secondary systems can feel confusing or less polished.

The sequel keeps its loud, surreal sci-fi personality while adding some calmer, more lived-in spaces. A few reviewers found the larger world less cohesive than the original.

The blend of samurai action, body horror, mythology, and distinct locations creates a strong dark-fantasy atmosphere. The best areas feel eerie and characterful rather than like generic combat spaces.

The shooting-and-exploration loop stays entertaining for many reviewers, though completion-focused play exposes repetitive encounters and limited combat depth.

At its best, the loop of dueling, mastering defensive timing, absorbing souls, and upgrading Musashi is highly compelling. Some reviewers felt the opening and repeated hub chores obscure that excellent core.

Ability-gated routes and upgrades connect exploration to character growth in a satisfying Metroidvania-like way, though some reviewers find the overall progression straightforward.

Progression is split between useful skill growth and incremental stat upgrades. Some reviewers enjoy how new abilities change combat, while others barely feel the numerical gains.

Frequent checkpoints usually limit lost progress and can rescue broken encounters. They do not prevent every softlock, but they reduce the sting of many failures.

Checkpointing is usually generous, especially around difficult fights, though one reviewer disliked having to restart multi-phase boss encounters from the beginning.

The opening tutorial earns praise for teaching movement and shooting with humor and pace. Automatic puzzle hints can feel overbearing for players who want to solve things themselves.

Story mode’s prompts and the practice systems make the timing-heavy mechanics easier to understand, with reviewers praising their usefulness for newcomers and mastery alike.

Most reviewers still find plenty of fun in the skating, strange set pieces, colorful weapons, and jokes, even when technical flaws or repetitive combat intrude.

Most reviewers found the swordplay and boss mastery intensely fun and addictive, often seeking extra fights simply to keep playing. Repetition and padding are the main factors that wear down that enthusiasm.

Expressive faces on the Gatlians help sell their personalities, with weapon characters receiving especially strong visual presentation.

Facial animation is repeatedly described as among the game’s best visual work, especially Musashi’s expressive mannerisms and subtle reactions during both cutscenes and gameplay.

Accuracy becomes inconsistent in hectic fights, and one reviewer specifically wanted gyro aiming. Precision-oriented weapons can still feel satisfying when the action is readable.

The bow’s generous auto-aim makes headshots easy, but lock-on and targeting can occasionally keep attacks moving in an unwanted direction.

The talking guns increasingly feel like companions rather than joke dispensers, with stronger personalities, relationships, and emotional beats.

Shizuka, Okuni, Takamura, and Ganryu often earn praise for personality and chemistry with Musashi, though some reviewers wanted the rival storyline to go deeper.

The game often rewards poking at scenes, NPCs, and environmental details with playful reactions that reinforce its comedy, though some interactions remain oddly inert.

Combat benefits from environmental tools such as carts, planks, flames, and destructibles, but one reviewer disliked how many seemingly fragile objects cannot be touched.

The psychedelic alien style is distinctive, colorful, and often striking. Even critics of the image quality generally recognize a strong visual identity.

Reviewers consistently praise the grotesque Genma, corrupted Kyoto, historical architecture, and supernatural imagery. The aesthetic feels recognizably Onimusha while benefiting from much richer modern detail.

The talking guns and first-person weapon work earn strong praise for expressive, polished animation that gives the arsenal personality.

Animation is one of the game’s clearest showpieces, with bespoke parries, blocks, executions, facial reactions, and combat transitions repeatedly singled out as exceptional. A few reviewers noticed a gap between cinematic and gameplay presentation.

Travis, Jan, Sheath, and other Gatlians receive more satisfying arcs and relationship beats than many expected, giving the talking weapons more emotional weight.

Musashi’s reluctant-hero arc and growing acceptance of the Oni gauntlet are widely appreciated, as are several supporting arcs. Some reviewers wanted the Ganryu rivalry and parts of the cast developed further.

The skateboard takes a little practice, but several reviewers say it clicks quickly and becomes natural once momentum and aiming are understood together.

The combat is easy to understand but demanding to master, and many reviewers enjoy the process of learning timing and boss patterns. Some training and system explanations could be clearer.

The interactive opening montage is widely praised as a funny, efficient way to recap events while teaching the basics and getting players into the action quickly.

The easiest Story setting is praised as an effective introduction to modern timing-based action, especially because it teaches defensive responses without turning the game into a passive tutorial.

The main campaign often moves briskly, but long jokes, dialogue stops, puzzles, and a sagging middle can interrupt momentum.

Pacing is the most repeated non-combat concern: early hub stretches, side activities, backtracking, and recycled fights can drag. The linear story missions and final run of set pieces are much more frequently praised for momentum.

Lived-in cities, reactive spaces, and environmental detail can make the world feel convincing. Sparse hubs and technical glitches regularly break that effect.

Detailed environments, expressive characters, fluid presentation, and the historical-fantasy setting create strong immersion for many reviewers. Repetitive Kyoto layouts and repeated activities can break that spell for some.

Stronger character bonds, a clearer emotional throughline, and a choice-shaped finale give the sequel more heart than its outrageous premise suggests.

Despite the action-heavy premise, reviewers frequently found the character relationships, personal arcs, and later story beats funny, heartfelt, or unexpectedly moving.

The expanded Gatlian lineup is widely liked, especially the new companions and their distinct personalities, voices, and utility.

The supporting cast is a major strength, with Shizuka, Okuni, Takamura, Ganryu, and the villains repeatedly praised for personality and memorable interactions.

Upgrades can meaningfully improve weapons and reward exploration, but some reviewers find the system basic or unable to fix deeper combat weaknesses.

Upgrades are mixed: combat skills and some equipment boosts feel meaningful, while incremental stat gains and material requirements can feel dull, imperceptible, or grindy.

The sequel’s best ideas are boldly inventive, especially skateboarding, menu-breaking bosses, and one-off mission mechanics, even if the core formula remains familiar.

Reviewers praise the way the game modernizes Onimusha and combines familiar action ideas into a distinctive parry-centered system rather than simply becoming another Soulslike.

High-concept missions and fourth-wall experiments give the sequel a distinctive identity. Some critics still see too much recycled structure from the first game.

The best reviews argue that the swordplay has a rhythm and identity of its own despite borrowing from modern action games. More critical voices feel the broader structure follows too many familiar contemporary conventions.

The story is often tighter, more cohesive, and more character-driven than the first game. Criticism focuses on messy reveals, thin plotting, and a rushed or underwhelming finale.

Story reception is divided. Many reviewers love the character-driven tale, humor, relationships, and emotional beats, while others call the plot thin, convoluted, or less memorable than the combat.

Enemy behavior is a weak spot: several reviewers call foes dumb or predictable, even when the enemy roster itself is varied.

Regular Genma can be overly passive and easy to dispatch without using the full defensive toolkit, making ordinary encounters feel weaker than the bosses.

Camera control feels clean in some builds, but other reviewers report jerky motion or camera-related glitches that can disrupt movement.

Cinematic camera work can make attacks look spectacular, but combat framing is inconsistent. A few reviewers found the camera could get trapped or become frustrating near walls and bosses.

Optimization is a major weakness on several systems, with demanding hardware requirements and inconsistent performance. Some patches and configurations show meaningful improvement.

Technical optimization is a strong point, with reviewers highlighting smooth frame rates and good visual quality even on less powerful or handheld hardware.

The music divides opinion sharply, ranging from fitting, relaxing, and atmospheric to abrasive, forgettable, or headache-inducing.

The score is praised for mixing traditional Japanese instrumentation with cinematic fantasy and horror tones without overpowering the action.

Text sizing and interface behavior are mixed: menu options help, but dialogue text can still be too small and some UI presentation is awkward.

The UI is praised for being restrained, clear, and largely out of the player’s way.

Puzzles range from clever murder-mystery and weapon-ability standouts to tedious, overused roadblocks that interrupt the action.

Puzzles are a light part of the experience, but the secrets and environmental challenges that do appear can be enjoyable diversions from combat.

Murder mysteries, conventions, strange infiltrations, and other high-concept detours make many missions memorable. A few still feel checklist-like, shallow, or overextended.

The bespoke story missions work well, but generic Encounter-style objectives and busywork are repeatedly called filler.

Bosses are often a campaign highlight, using distinct mechanics and memorable fourth-wall tricks. Some critics still find certain fights too long, repetitive, or spongey.

Boss fights are the standout attraction: dramatic, mechanically distinct, visually memorable, and built to reward mastery of parries, dodges, deflects, and Issens. The main caveat is repeated use of some minibosses and recurring foes.

Voice-led audio is strong, but weapon impact and combat feedback can sound thin. Other reviewers praise the organic, squishy alien effects.

Sharp sword clashes, parry impacts, executions, and other combat sounds give the fighting strong physical feedback and make successful timing feel satisfying.

Levels are often built smartly around rails, verticality, and varied set pieces. Linear or cramped arenas can work against the skateboard and make combat harder to read.

The handcrafted linear stages are generally the strongest spaces, with memorable temples, castles, laboratories, and supernatural areas. The hub and a few repetitive routes are less consistently praised.

Optional missions often add personality, jokes, and worthwhile detours, but some feel thin, repetitive, or token compared with the best side content.

The side content is uneven: Lady Murasaki’s Mysteries and character-focused quests receive real praise, while generic fetch, kill, and resource jobs are frequently dismissed as filler.

Maps, pings, and route guidance help in some versions, while unclear markers and rough wayfinding make exploration frustrating in others.

Eastern Kyoto can feel maze-like, and map controls or blocked routes sometimes make simple travel more awkward than it should be.

The alien worlds are colorful, dense, and cohesive at their best, with strong regional personality. Some larger hubs trade that memorability for scale.

Real mythology, Edo-period details, optional legends, and character stories give Kyoto a rich backdrop that many reviewers found unusually rewarding to dig into.

Expanded hub spaces support more secrets and side activities, but their larger scale can feel sparse, empty, or directionless.

The central Kyoto hub is the most consistent structural complaint. Reviewers often see its fetch quests, repeated streets, and resource chores as padding between much stronger linear levels and boss encounters.

Platform support is uneven: reviewers note useful PC options alongside missing gyro, weak PS5 Pro gains, limited HDR control, and absent performance modes in some versions.

Console and Switch 2 versions are generally well supported with useful performance options and stable play; Switch 2-specific control features are seen as fun if somewhat gimmicky.

Value depends heavily on timing and tolerance for technical issues. Several reviewers recommend Game Pass or a sale, while others still consider the campaign worth playing.

Reviewers who directly discussed price generally felt the campaign quality, replay options, and production values justify the cost for action fans.

Completionists can spend much longer exploring and collecting, but replay motivation is inconsistent and some reviewers see little reason for a second run.

Boss rematches, harder difficulty, challenge rewards, and New Game Plus give combat-focused players meaningful reasons to return. Replaying padded missions is less appealing to some critics.

Shooting and skating can feel responsive and fluid, but unregistered inputs, deadzone complaints, and occasional unresponsive jumps undermine precision for some players.

Reviewers who directly addressed the controls describe them as tight and responsive, which helps the demanding timing-based combat feel fair.

There are plenty of cosmetic choices for the skateboard, suit, and home base. Because the game is first-person, some reviewers felt those rewards were hard to appreciate.

Cosmetic options exist, with additional looks unlocking through play and harder modes, but the selection initially feels limited.

The voice cast is one of the strongest areas, with newcomers and returning Gatlians repeatedly praised despite a few flatter deliveries.

Japanese performances receive near-universal praise, while English-language reactions are more mixed because of accent choices and occasional odd delivery. Several English cast members are still singled out for excellent work.

The comedy is deliberately adult, with crude, sexual, gross-out, drug-focused, and profane material that several reviewers warn can be excessive or inappropriate for younger players.

The interface and menus are praised for staying unobtrusive and avoiding unnecessary tab complexity.

Musashi is one of the strongest points of agreement: reviewers repeatedly call him charismatic, funny, cool, expressive, and easy to root for, with only a small minority finding his arc less compelling.

The use of Toshiro Mifune’s likeness and the game’s performance casting are generally viewed as fitting and distinctive, even though a minority questioned the ethics or necessity of recreating a deceased actor.

Optional conversations and side decisions can affect the epilogue and finale, making choices feel more consequential than in the original.

Collectibles often reward exploration with mythology, story details, cosmetics, or progression, and the Lion Dogs and Oni Portals are particular favorites. Some completion-oriented tasks still feel repetitive or low-value.

This is not family-friendly comedy: vulgar, sexual, gross, violent, and foul-mouthed material is central to the experience.

Spirit Mirrors make revisiting areas straightforward, although travel is tied to those points rather than available from anywhere. One reviewer specifically liked that restraint.

Opinions on length are mixed, but the strongest criticism says a superb shorter action game has been stretched into a 25–30 hour experience. A smaller group felt the adventure did not overstay its welcome.

The body horror, grotesque Genma, corrupted environments, and occasional Resident Evil-like sequences add genuine unease without overwhelming the action-adventure focus.

Busy effects, small text, and uneven brightness can make fights or interface information hard to read. A few settings help, but clarity remains inconsistent.

Collectibles can feed useful upgrades and cosmetics, but at least one reviewer felt there were too many low-impact pickups.

The single-player design earns praise for focusing on the campaign’s gimmicks and fun rather than squeezing players with intrusive monetization.

One critical review argues that some late skill upgrades feel more like delayed quality-of-life fixes than genuinely meaningful progression choices.

Stealth exists, but the reviewer who evaluated it found direct sword combat far more rewarding.

Autosaves often limit lost progress, but softlocks and an infinite respawn loop show that saves can still become trapped in bad states.