The sequel takes place ten years after Samanoske first defeated the evil Lord Nobunaga. The games' new hero - Yagyu Jubei is on track to defeat Nobunaga after losing his village to the evil Lord. New to the series is a supporting cast of characters to help Jubei on his adventure - The gun-toting Magoichi, the jolly Ekei, the ninja Kotaro, and the lovely, yet mysterious Oyu. The characters add camaraderie for Jubei and don't make the adventure seem like an entire solo effort. Characters can come in at random times to help battle and there are some instances where you'll need to control them.

The basic fighting elements remain the same in Onimusha 2, but there are a few changes. Rather than forcing players to upgrade their weapon before proceeding to the next area, players can advance at their leisure with the appropriate weapon. New fight techniques can be learned in documents, and a new spear and hammer weapon are available to get rid of nasty demons. Jubei can perform a new counter-attack called Hissatsu - attack right before an enemy does and you'll counter - though timing it is pretty difficult.

Jubei still uses the soul-sucking glove used in the first title. After an enemy is killed certain types of souls - health, special attacks, weapon/armor upgrade - can be sucked to the glove. New to the sequel is upgrading armor. Collected souls can be distributed to Jubei's vest, leggings, or gauntlet to upgrade their power. Players can also collect purple souls to change to an invincible Onimusha form for a few seconds.

A nice addition to Onimusha 2 is the town scenario and trading. In a portion of the game Jubei will rest in a town area to gather information. In town he can trade items with other supporting cast members. For example, if you hand Ekei a good bottle of sake, he'll give you medicine, an herb, or another helpful item. You'll have to cater to whatever the character likes to get a good item. Resting in town and trading are two really interesting aspects of the game that just aren't used to their capacity.

Onimusha 2 is tougher than its predecessor. It's common to have three or more enemies surrounding you in each area. The enemies are a bit quicker than before and don't seem to give back as many yellow souls to restore health. They also re-spawn over and over. The good news is that the sequel takes twice as long to beat - about 7 hours. When you beat the game there's a few extra play modes to keep you slashing.

The visuals and sounds in Onimusha 2 are amazing. The characters have a life-like look to them, as do the moving backgrounds. They aren't as technically impressive as GC Resident Evil, but they hold their own to create a real environment. The orchestral flutes and drums in Onimusha 2 fit the ancient setting to a tee.

The game has as few annoyances that knock it down a few points. The auto-targeting system can take you away from the enemy you intended to fight. The stab down finishing move doesn't seem to want to work as well anymore. Many camera angles hide the view of enemies that get a free hit off you. Enemy placement can also be real cheap. Three archers on a rooftop and several guys on the ground make it a chore to even run through. Lastly, all dramatic story effect is lost on the poor voice acting - bring back the Japanese speech option Capcom!

Onimusha 2 is good sequel. The visuals, sound, and play are all top-notch. Newbies will be treated to a quality adventure. But if you didn't like the first one, you won't find much new to like here.