Oninaki

Oninaki is a gorgeous and entertaining, if slightly clunky, RPG that isn't afraid to explore some heavy themes in novel ways.

Oninaki's fascinating world and beautiful visuals promise a lot, but frustrating action-RPG combat and awkward story presentation keep its potential from blossoming.

One good idea isn't enough to make a good game - not unless you put a bit of love in the building blocks that surround it. Many JRPGs have that heart, the same one that mellows you even to their most ridiculous qualities. Oninaki, on the other hand, comes across as loveless.

Combat is fun on a basic level, but repetition and a lack of evolution blunt that over time. The story and setting also fail to live up to their initial promise

This role-playing adventure's interesting, haunting premise can't stop you wanting to fling your controller at the wall

I'm emotionally torn on Oninaki because there's so much to like here: it has a lot of great ideas, it just doesn't execute them all as well as it should. Maybe Tokyo RPG Factory should look at changing their formula and scaling down to tighter 10 hour adventures. By cutting down the scale they can focus on what they do best.

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.

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.

Tokyo RPG Factory's newest game has a lot of great ideas on paper, but never manages to fully realize them.

I'm frustrated because I wanted to like Oninaki a lot more than I do. It's absolutely not a bad game; rather, it's yet another "serviceable" outing from Tokyo RPG Factory, who continue to try their hardest.