Oninaki Reviews
Oninaki is strange. At first you think you love him, then the feeling changes and in the end you almost can't stand it anymore. The truth is in the middle: it is a good game with some interesting mechanics and others much less well chosen.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Oninaki is a heartfelt mess. Its unique world and challenging themes are more memorable and moving than anything Tokyo RPG Factory has done before, but it's hard to fully recommend the game given its humdrum action and strange design choices. Depending on how much frustration you're willing to put up with for a good story, Oninaki may be worth owning, or perhaps better left beyond the veil.
All in all, Oninaki falls short of being a great action RPG, but it's not without its charms. An intriguing world and story keep things afloat, while an addictive character progression system distracts from repetitive dungeon crawling. This definitely isn't Tokyo RPG Factory's best game, but it is an interesting diversion. With a little more depth, a sequel would be a tempting proposition.
Oninaki is my favorite Tokyo RPG Factory game to date, with its gorgeous art style and melodic music and its more appealing storyline. It may be far from perfect, but it is certainly worth a look if you fancy a slightly different take on a well-established genre.
Fight with crowds of enemies with slow progress through the levels over time gets boring. But the plot can hold you back. And although it is not a real revelation, it can offer several unexpected surprises.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Tokyo RPG Factory's Oninaki is the studio's most ambitious project yet with characters and themes that are as fascinating as they are tragic.
Meditative action role-playing game with a very successful, thoughtful story, but stumbling block in the flow of the game.
Review in German | Read full review
No question, ONINAKI has reignited my long extinguished JRPG spark. I've actually been looking forward to booting up my PS4 every day to follow Kagachi and Linne's journey. It's not a slam dunk game; there is a lot of predictability in the storyline, but even then, I'm compelled to see this through to the very end. There are Daemons I absolutely do not enjoy having in my party but will eventually grind out simply to view all of their lore and max out skill trees. All in pursuit of that feeling of accomplishment for hitting the one hundred percent completion mark, or perhaps in this case, my next Platinum trophy.
We’d give Oninaki a recommendation to anybody who loves RPGs; although it isn’t the best, this is another solid showing from Tokyo RPG Factory.
On the surface, Oninaki might seem like a rough-around-the-edges action RPG lacking depth to its combat alongside an anime-inspired melodramatic story. However, for those who are patient enough to explore its world, characters, and ability-based battle system, there’s a lot to like an dive into after all.
Oninaki is a compelling game, the artstyle is the best from Tokyo RPG factory yet. Its story is dense, as the studio uses to, but it has its mishaps when delivering said story. The change of pace in the combat serves it well, but unfortunately the complex system renders useless once you get to the higher levels. It goes from a strategy based combat to a mindless button masher. But nevertheless, one you could enjoy.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With Oninaki, Tokyo RPG Factory finally delivers a game with a true personnality in its art direction and its plot and atmosphere. Alas, the exploration seems dull and the structure of the game in general is too repetitive. Promising maybe, frustrating nonetheless.
Review in French | Read full review
Tokyo RPG Factory's Oninaki is a return to form for the relatively new studio, channeling the best parts of I Am Setsuna with some fresh JRPG form.
It’s story and lore have plenty to love about them, and when paired with the depth of the combat system, it makes for an engaging and entertaining experience fans of JRPGs will at least want to take a look at.
Overall, I had a blast playing Oninaki and not only enjoyed the gameplay and story, but the art style and music in-game is also top-notch. I did find the story to be mostly predictable; however, there were also a few moments which surprised me. In fact, at one point I thought I had come to the end of the game but it turned out it was just the end of that section. The combat can be a bit challenging to get the hang of, even on the easier difficulties, but it's well worth the effort.
While the combat initially feels flawed it ends up growing with the player, and the variety of customization options stands out in the best way. All in all, ONINAKI is an interesting effort with a good lifespan that deserves a close look.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Oninaki feels hollow. It's dark but has no message. It's complex but has no need for that complexity. It builds an interesting world and never does much with it. It's a game filled with great ideas that just go nowhere. Unfortunately, that is par for the course for Tokyo RPG Factory games.
Death is never a comfortable topic. Oninaki, however, doesn't just address it but wholeheartedly runs with it. It doesn't always succeed but it does make you think about the meaning of mortality — perhaps a bit too much as people die left and right. The combat also could be a bit tighter and the story overstays its welcome a bit. Beautiful visuals compared with a haunting score, however, make the game a treat to behold. Here's hoping Tokyo RPG Factory further builds on this for their next new JRPG IP.
If you want a different RPG story with familiar elements, Oninaki is a fine choice but if you want the next big thing, well, this simply isn’t it.
Tokyo RPG Factory's newest game has a lot of great ideas on paper, but never manages to fully realize them.