Oninaki the Dark Souls of JRPGs

I've decided to take a punt on the physical verison of Oninaki, yes on Switch not PS4.

I don't know why but it looks like a Switch game to me.

Anyone else picking it up or tried the demo?

I am curious to know why you've given it that qualification in the title Mas. Does it have Soulslike elements? Or are you just trying to lure Jas into a JRPG thread?

Anyway, are there any reviews from people y'all like/trust doing the rounds? I'm pretty keen on picking this up (to add to NNK, DQXI, and FETH in a golden half-year for Switch JRPG fans [no FETH for me though]), but I'd like to see something about it first.

Because you go into a Dark realm to capture Souls from what I gather.

I've honestly not seen much on it, just some reason saw a trailer and really fancied playing on Switch.

Still reckon you're missing out on FETH due to stubbornness but if this reviews well and you get DQXI & NNK, it's not like you could fit them all in

Balla wrote:

Or are you just trying to lure Jas into a JRPG thread?

I was very nearly the first to reply then I had my eyes burned out at the trailer I watched first, and for a game that looks very anime it had some weird Irish-style jaunty music to it.

Tried the demo, thought it was pretty eh and boring

OrangeRakoon wrote:

Tried the demo, thought it was pretty eh and boring

If it sucks, I can trade in etc as I've ordered the physical verison.

It may even go up in price, if you have a look on CEX some of the small print runs have.

masofdas wrote:

Still reckon you're missing out on FETH due to stubbornness but if this reviews well and you get DQXI  & NNK, it's not like you could fit them all in

It's not really stubbornness because your latter point is right on the money: I don't have time to play the games I'm trying to play, before I get into genres I'm a bit iffy about!

The_Jaster wrote:

I was very nearly the first to reply then I had my eyes burned out at the trailer I watched first, and for a game that looks very anime it had some weird Irish-style jaunty music to it.

Too weeb for you? I'm up for jaunty anime tunes so that's good to know!

OrangeRakoon wrote:

Tried the demo, thought it was pretty eh and boring

I mean... it is a JRPG, right? It'll likely take a bit of time to get going. That said, I've dropped JRPGs for less.

Balla wrote:

Too weeb for you? I'm up for jaunty anime tunes so that's good to know!

Of course it was! Also jaunty is all well and good but the Irish fiddles didn't fit at all.

I think good JRPGs can take a while for the plot to raise the stakes, but I don't think they start out boring to play. Regardless it was the talking figure cutscenes and uninspired combat that wasn't doing anything for me.

More genre diehards might get more out of it I'm sure

I probably qualify as that, although with Jay and Athrun about... I intend to give the the demo. a shot and we shall see.

Balladeer wrote:

I probably qualify as that, although with Jay and Athrun about... I intend to give the the demo. a shot and we shall see.

Hmm I'm buying the game.

I can be iffy with RPGs, I can either find a "good" one like Xenoblade not great and some that might be muh I do love.

I've played the demo. and I got on with it.  The culture of the world, with its very different perspective on death, is really interesting.  The developments at the end of the first segment and the start of the next (which is where I wrapped up) are almost shocking in nature, certainly dark.  The battle system... well it's no Xenoblade (despite wanting to be - sentient weapons with no memories of their past lives, eh? ), but it's better than e.g. Chrono Trigger, and it looks like it'll evolve when you get more weapon-people to switch through.  I wonder whether it might work better on hard difficulty, since then it'll be come more about dodging and less about damage-sponging.

Talking heads are a staple of the genre and these are better than most to be honest.  I'm happy to pick up the full game on this basis!

Oh and the soundtrack was fine.

I still need to play Chrono Trigger, that's something Square really should bring to current consoles even if it's the shity steam port.

Having enjoyed the demo. because I felt like it could go interesting places, most of the reviews I've seen suggest it doesn't go those places. Maybe one for a sale then, or the inevitable dry period early next year.

I thought it was reviewing rather well but hey mine should be here in a day or two and I'll let you know if it's any good.

I do like the sound of it being like 20hrs as DQXI will be a very long JRPG and two right off, wouldn't be great.

I'll check the demo out - think I'll play through the DQ11 demo and this - and see what I think, but like Balla said himself, this will likely be one for a quieter period of releases or for a sale. Or perhaps not at all if I end up hating the demo.

Balladeer wrote:

 I wonder whether it might work better on hard difficulty, since then it'll be come more about dodging and less about damage-sponging.

I wondered that too as the normal difficulty felt rather dull. Honestly, not sold on this at all after the demo - the story seemed a bit too tropey for my tastes and the light/dark world mechanic really has been done to death in games now, hasn't it?

The Eurogamer review did rip it apart in that regard.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-08-21-oninaki-review-hints-of-fun-combat-cant-salvage-a-terribly-written-jrpg

Well even if it's just okay, be worth a play then selling for almost double at the moment (that's a sealed verison).

JayMoyles wrote:

Honestly, not sold on this at all after the demo - the story seemed a bit too tropey for my tastes and the light/dark world mechanic really has been done to death in games now, hasn't it?

See I actually liked the writing, or at least the themes, quite a bit. It's a fair sight darker than yer average JRPG, I'd say! The light/dark on the other hand... yep, and from what I've read the game doesn't make very good use of it.

That said, Sterling seems to like it.

Played last night, wasn't overly keen and seeing I got £70 for it. Made sense to cash in and maybe rebuy digital jn5 a sale if I do want to play.

But loads to play at the moment.

It does seem as though Tokyo RPG Factory are cursed to make RPGs which don't really move above "not bad, I guess". I liked I am Setsuna but not enough to strongly recommend it and it appears as though that's happening again with Oninaki.

I tried Lost Sphear and played about as much as I did of Okinaki. I'd recommend the latter leaps and bounds above the former, but it seems like not many would agree. Faster start, less build perhaps? Anyway, chalk this up as 'a shame'.