Onimusha 3: Demon Siege continues the monster slashing tradition of the series and says goodbye to the RPG fancies of Onimusha 2 - there are no longer different storyline paths, and gone is the trading system. The RPG elements of Onimusha 2 actually didn't blend too well into the straightforward action-focused nature of the series, so I doubt that many players will miss them.

Overall, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege plays very similarly to the other instalments, featuring the same weapon upgrade system and an even more hectic pace, but the developers took the time to retune everything for Onimusha 3. What was good in the previous instalments it's still here, but it's just better.

The biggest change is in the controls. Onimusha 3 is the only game of the series to finally feature fully analog controls; the old control scheme is still available - you must just use the d-pad - but playing with the analog stick to move your character in the environments is one of the elements that make of Onimusha 3: Demon Siege the best chapter of the series, and the only one able to rival the agility and the speed of the Devil May Cry series.

Jacques and Samanosuke control identically - they are equally responsive, fast and agile, despite their different features. Their weapons are what truly distinguish them. Like Samanosuke, Jaques is granted the Ogre gauntlet in order to defeat Nobunaga. For all you newcomers, the Ogre gauntlet gives its bearer the power to collect the soul of the demons and to use special magic elemental weapons that vary according to the stone equipped in the gauntlet. There are four types of souls you can collect from demons. Red orbs are used to enhance weapons and armors; yellow orbs restore HP; blue ones replenish Ogre power for special magic attacks; purple orbs are used to turn into an Onimusha, a demon form of your character that can make Samanosuke or Jacques invincible for a limited amount of time. In Onimusha 3, if you have collected 5 purple souls, the Onimusha mode is activated automatically when your character dies, bringing you back to life with a few HP and temporary invincibility. For this reason, the Onimusha mode is more useful in Onimusha 3 than it was in the past instalments of the series, since it will often prevent your characters from dying, especially during boss battles. Like in the previous games, you can still activate the Onimusha mode by pressing the R3 button.

Samanosuke can use the weapons from the previous game only in the first minutes of Onimusha 3; when Samanosuke is sent to the future, he is deprived of all his old weapons. Gradually, he will find new magic weapons while exploring Paris and the Genma hideouts. On a note, the old swords are available as unlockable extras after you have completed the game.

Samanosuke remains the great swordsman he was in Onimusha - his short-range magic weapons are still a pleasure to use, and as you upgrade them by collecting the souls of the demons, the game becomes more and more fun. The new weapons includes the Tenso, two swords with the power of light, the Kuga, a very long sword with the power of air, and the Chigo, a battle axe with the power of earth and fire. Each weapon has different strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes it's fundamental to choose the proper one to kill a certain type of enemies or to defeat a demon boss. The Tenso, for example, are the fastest weapon Samanosuke can use in Onimusha 3, but they are relatively weaker than the other ones; the Chigo causes great damage, but it's also extremely slow when compared to the others. It's actually extremely fun to choose the right weapon in any occasion, and the upgrade system, which asks you to choose which weapons you want to enhance first, is as addictive as in past games. It's a light RPG element that blends perfectly in a game so focused on action. Samanosuke will also get two more weapons during the game - but these are a surprise I don't want to spoil for you - and he can use his bow and arrows, which can be found in different types throughout the game. The bow is more than gimmick; it's extremely useful when you really need to avoid direct confrontations or when there are enemies that Samanosuke can't reach with his swords.

Jacques Blanc is given an Ogre gauntlet by the Oni at the beginning of the game. His main weapon is a whip, which comes in the forms of three different magic weapons during the game. Jacques will get his hands on the Enja, a sword/whip with the power of fire, the Hyosai, a morning star/whip with the power of ice, and the Raisen, a spear/whip with the power of thunder. All this weapons are used like whips, so Jacques can use them to grab enemies, to grab objects and then throw them at the enemies, and even to get to places that would be otherwise inaccessible. This is done by using the Oni Fireflies. The Oni Fireflies are usually hidden into treasure boxes: Jacques can aim at them (hold the R1 button) and then grab it (press the X button). Like Samanosuke's, Jacques weapons vary in speed and attack power.

Also thanks to the new fully 3D graphics engine, Onimusha 3 is a faster game than its predecessors; while playing as Jacques, the agility and rich selection of moves of the main character reminds the fast paced action of Devil May Cry. The heroes have many special attack moves at their disposal. By pressing Square you can perform a basic attack, while R1 can be used to lock on a target. By holding the R1 button you can prepare to perform special charged attacks - the destructive "Charge Slash" for Samanosuke and the "Ogre Lasso" for Jacques. The Ogre Lasso is a juicy move, easily the best one in the game, as it lets you grab a monster with your weapon/whip and then launch it away or to finish it off with another attack: there are many combinations that you can experiment in the game and that make of Jacques probably a more fun and varied character to play with than Samanosuke, even if the samurai's swords gave me a reassuring feel that Jacques's whip weapons just hadn't. Magic attacks are still your trump cards, like in the other games, and you can unleash them, if you have enough Ogre Power, with the triangle button. Each weapon has a unique magic attack and a unique charged attack that cause different damage to the enemies. For example, the Tenso's magic attack consists in hitting a single enemy multiple times with your swords, while the Kuga has a devastating area effect. Also for this reason, it's vital that you choose the proper weapon according to the dangers you are facing.

Defence and counterattacks are also fundamental in Onimusha 3 - it's impossible to complete the game without learning to block the enemies attacks, especially during the most crowded battles. To block an attack, you must hold the L1 button or press the L1 button right before the enemy hits you (this is called Hajiki Kaeshi). Issen are deadly counterattacks that can slice all normal enemies in two: unfortunately, it's extremely difficult to perform them, since you must hit the attack button in the exact moment in which the enemy is hitting you with his weapon. Hajiki Issen are easier to perform: you must first deflect an enemy attack, and then strike back. Mastering the Hajiki Kaeshi move and the counterattacks can really make the difference from an excellent player and an average one.

There are other elements that add strategy to this action game. Jacques and Samanosuke are helped in their adventure by a small flying fairy of the Oni tribe, called Ako, which looks a bit too much like an annoying character taken from a Disney movie, but that can be extremely useful during the battles. This little helper not only flies over the targeted enemies and retrieves objects in the surroundings: by equipping special vests she can give you a hand during the battles. You will find many vests for Ako during the game. The vests require Eco Spirit to be activated (magic gems that you can find during the game) - usually, the more powerful a vest is, the more Eco Spirit is required to activate it. Just to make some example, the vests can allow you to absorb souls faster, to regain your character's health while you stand still, or even to let you perform only chains of critical attacks.

Like in the past games, you can enhance your weapons at one of the many save points by spending the souls you have collected from demons. In order to make sure that all players arrive to key boss battles with a sufficient attack power, many doors in the game have special magic seals that can be unlocked only with weapons that have reached a certain level. Sometimes, if you didn't upgrade your weapons wisely, you might have to enter and exit an area to kill respawning enemies and collect more souls - this is probably the most annoying and old style mechanic of Onimusha 3, but the game is so genuinely fun that I was rarely annoyed by the fact of being forced to kill dozens and dozens of enemies. Like weapons, also armors can be upgraded - a good armor is invaluable against stronger bosses and demons.

The monsters come in different forms, many of them taken directly from the previous game, others just clearly inspired by monsters already seen in the series. These zombie monsters comes as swordsmen, archers, the fast 3-eyes, the Zorm (swordsmen with four arms), the Zagat (3-eyes with four arms), the powerful Dordo, the huge but slow Gacha, and many, many more. The bestiary of Onimusha 3 is indeed impressive for an action game, with roughly 40 different types of enemies that you have to face during the adventure. A.I. is also pretty good for an action game, with each Genma using many different attack patterns. Crowded battles with four, five or more Genma to kill also show how these bad guys try to hit you from multiple directions instead of waiting in line to take your life. The good enemy behaviors and the fact the developers carefully developed the game so that it gets more and more difficult - but also more and more fun - as you progress in the adventure shows an extraordinary attention to game balance that few action games can attain like Onimusha 3 does.

As the game goes on, you will also be given more freedom and more things to do at once. While in the first 3-4 hours you must play the two main characters in a predefined order, at a certain point, the Jacques in the past can interact with the Samanosuke in the future thanks to Ako, who has the power to travel through time and space. This means that you can switch from Jacques to Samanosuke according to your needs. For example, you might have to retrieve an item in the future with Samanosuke that you can then send to Jacques in the past to open a door or solve a puzzle. While fans of pure action games might see this whole Time Warp thing as something that slows down the action, this feels much more well integrated into the game than the item trading system in Onimusha 2.

Puzzles are extremely simple, and they usually require classic old style backtracking; throughout the game are also scattered puzzle boxes that you are not forced to open, but that like in the past games contain items that can usually permanently power up your character, for example by increasing the amount of health your character can have.

Overall, while there are still many and many elements that anchor this game to typical old style game mechanics, Onimusha 3 is definitely the game of the series that offers the best gameplay. It's a fine and extremely rare work of game balance that creates an experience that while being entirely focused on action, never gets repetitive or brainless.