Oninaki

 PlayStation 4
Oninaki Image
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

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  • Summary: Reincarnation is the foundation of our way of life. We celebrate the lives we’ve been given, and offer up prayers for the next. It is grief of death which shackles the living, and causes the dead to stray. Indeed, there is no greater affront to reincarnation. So do we turn our grief to joyReincarnation is the foundation of our way of life. We celebrate the lives we’ve been given, and offer up prayers for the next. It is grief of death which shackles the living, and causes the dead to stray. Indeed, there is no greater affront to reincarnation. So do we turn our grief to joy as we send off the dead. But the souls of those who held back their tears in life still need salvation in death. A duty that falls to the Watchers. Their task is to guide the wandering souls known as the Lost, and serve as keepers of the Living World and the Beyond.… Expand
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Oninaki Release Date Trailer | Square Enix Press Conference E3 2019

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 45
  3. Negative: 2 out of 45
  1. Game Revolution
    Aug 21, 2019
    90
    Oninaki tackles the theme of death brilliantly thanks to some poignant scenes and a willingness to go where most games won’t. That thorough exploration of death ties into every aspect of the game from its hack and slash gameplay to the ending choice that will leave players reflecting upon the journey they just went on. It isn’t often that a game truly succeeds as art, but every part of Oninaki goes back into its core motif and that’s why it is an essential action RPG.
  2. Twinfinite
    Aug 22, 2019
    80
    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.
  3. LevelUp
    Sep 4, 2019
    75
    Oninaki, Tokyo RPG Factory most recent attempt to reinvent the classic JRPG experience falls short. While the story is emotive and the concept of reincarnation is memorable, it’s hack’n’slash formula turns boring in a flash. Nevertheless, Oninaki remains as a beautifully crafted experience designed for those that are fed up with the traditional turns-based systems, and newcomers in the genre.
  4. DarkStation
    Aug 21, 2019
    70
    Oninaki is a flawed but overall an enjoyable experience. Instead of joylessly emulating turn-based RPGs of the old days, Tokyo RPG Factory took a step in the right direction and created a fantastic and refreshing action combat system. Apart from that, the game offers nothing special when compared to many similar RPGs. Still, Oninaki is the best game by Tokyo RPG Factory so far.
  5. Softpedia
    Sep 16, 2019
    65
    Clunky combat, flat story, repetitious gameplay, lack of enemy and loot variety make Oninaki a monotonous experience that no one should go through. I wanted to like Tokyo RPG Factory's latest game, but with Oninaki the studio is taking a backward step from its previous titles. The game's unique world can't save it from mediocrity. However, despite its shortcomings, Tokyo RPG Factory fans who liked Lost Sphear will probably find some enjoyment, at least to some extent.
  6. God is a Geek
    Aug 21, 2019
    65
    A brave choice at something different by Tokyo RPG Factory finds a game that’s good but crying out for new ideas.
  7. Gamer.no
    Aug 21, 2019
    40
    Oninaki has a solid and fun combat system, and an interesting setting, but the story is poorly told and the level design is so dull you'll be looking for something better to do pretty soon.

See all 47 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10
  1. Gamingking007
    Aug 22, 2019
    10
    So yes this game isn’t perfect, they have to fix a few things like dodge mechanics and the combat feels a little sluggish. I must say that ISo yes this game isn’t perfect, they have to fix a few things like dodge mechanics and the combat feels a little sluggish. I must say that I love the premise and look of the game. I would give the game a 8/10 but im giving it a 10 because of the biased reviews that don’t make sense.… Expand
  2. chronofantasy
    May 9, 2021
    10
    Giving this a 10/10 because it definitely doesn't deserve an overall 5.5/10. It has a really good story once you get to the end of it. I justGiving this a 10/10 because it definitely doesn't deserve an overall 5.5/10. It has a really good story once you get to the end of it. I just finished it myself and got all the endings. The gameplay is fun although clunky, and the switch between both worlds makes this mechanic a more interesting take on this indie jrpg. It's a small studio within SE and sadly their last RPG, and the concept of death told in this story is intriguing. The final boss is somewhat disappointing. I'd maybe give this a 7 or 8 out of 10. But as I said 5.5 is way too low for user score and I feel like people only tried a little bit of this game and gave up on it so easily before giving it a fair score.… Expand
  4. dubula
    Aug 23, 2019
    9
    I believe this game is an introduction to a new format of RPG that keeps the classic and nostalgic tones of the RPGs from the 80~90 whileI believe this game is an introduction to a new format of RPG that keeps the classic and nostalgic tones of the RPGs from the 80~90 while introducing new features to couple with the new generation games. The story have a good core and I can really see me playing this for a while. The fighting mechanics perhaps is a bit slow (if you want to compare it to RPGs that were doing it that way for a while), but personally I still think is an interesting approach. A lot of people may say that I am Setsuna was better, but I suggest not to compare it and you will be able to enjoy it very much.… Expand
  5. Chakarlito
    Aug 29, 2019
    6
    Was looking for something similar to Nier Automata but it is not even close, combat is somewhat fun but overal is a quite mediocre game, noWas looking for something similar to Nier Automata but it is not even close, combat is somewhat fun but overal is a quite mediocre game, no cinematic scenes is like playing a Ps1 game.… Expand
  6. SWERY_51
    Aug 22, 2019
    5
    I put 4 hours in this game, and i will not go any further.

    If the story seems nice so far and the dark atmosphere works pretty fine, i    I put 4 hours in this game, and i will not go any further.

    If the story seems nice so far and the dark atmosphere works pretty fine, i found the combat system horrible. Have you ever played a PlatinumGames game like Nier Automata? Well, Oninaki's gameplay is at the extreme opposite. Heavy, boring (when you kill a bunch of enemies, more enemies appear!), and with a dodging mechanic that simply doesn't work! It takes literally 2 seconds to your character to actually dodge after you've pressed the god damn button, why??

    I really enjoyed Lost Sphear and I Am Setsuna with their turn-based combat system, but i just hate what they've done with Oninaki. It just feels like a slow hack n' slash with very few rewards, it is not fun to play at all. Graphics are one step ahead of previous titles, which is a good point. Otherwise once again, the price is a way too high, a $25 game sold $50. So even if you really enjoyed the demo, you should probably better wait for a sale...    … Expand
  7. SplitMind
    Oct 23, 2020
    5
    I randomly tried Oninaki as a demo from the PSN store and was really intrigued. I absolutely loved the story and graphics. The gameplay took aI randomly tried Oninaki as a demo from the PSN store and was really intrigued. I absolutely loved the story and graphics. The gameplay took a slight bit of getting used to but the theme of grief, death and the afterlife really captured my interest on a personal level, so I went out of my way to find a UK version of the game from Ebay.

    Little did I know that the demo was excellent because it captured everything good about the game in a nutshell. The story continued to be interesting with characters pondering the possibility of an afterlife and leaving loved ones behind, but this is marred greatly by the gameplay.

    The gameplay boils down to an oversimplified hack-n-slash. You are mashing the same button repeatedly with the occasional special move that needs a timed recharge for variety. Combined with this are some very annoying and extremely repetitive and endless enemies. There isn't a lot of variety between them an rather than use this homogeneity sparingly, you're subjected to an onslaught of bland enemies everywhere you go, with mini-bosses often being just a larger version of them.

    All in all, this game is a huge missed opportunity. The graphics are very charming but also one-dimensional, much like the personality of the protagonist. Switching between the living and dead worlds to traverse the landscape is an interesting concept but can easily sink into irritation and repetition as you can often traverse the same areas looking for your goal.

    In the PS3 era, this game would have been a shining star, but in the present generation it fades into a crowded genre of JRPGs, which makes it hard to recommend where there are games like Trails of Cold Steel.    … Expand
  8. mattlarrubia
    Oct 5, 2019
    3
    Unispired artstyle and boring gameplay. You can't even cancel your attacks into dodges and et cetera. This game sucks, what were they thinking?

See all 10 User Reviews

Trailers

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83
#83 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

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