Onikura Preview

Developed by Too Dark Studios, Onikura will have you taking control of Japan's last hope. Armed with a katana, you'll embark on a journey to defeat the Onis that are haunting the world and make your way to the Oni God.

Onikura is a boss rush title where you'll fight against a variety of enemies utilising the abilities you unlock. Originally armed with a parry, a heavy attack, and light attacks, you'll have to cut through the bosses using a mixture of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Hollow Knight combat.

Patience and not letting the jitters get to you will be paramount during Onikura — enemies have clear tells that let you know whether an attack is parryable or not, and then timing will be the key to defeating the boss. While some of the attacks are dodgeable, standing steadfast and learning the parry timers will give you far more opportunities to get in a few hits of your own and charge up spiritual energy that you'll use to cast strong, heavy attacks, or heal up any damage you've taken.

Before having even read the description, the Hollow Knight inspiration took front and centre. Bosses feel smooth and enjoyable, and they have a distinctive feel to them that's reminiscent of Team Cherry's title. Though there is a heavy inspiration in the healing and design, Too Dark Studios innovates on the experience by giving you the opportunity to parry attacks, which edges it closer to my favourite FromSoftware soulslike to date — Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The innovation on these mechanics makes it more enjoyable to master any given fight, as instead of dodging and using your weapon to move with flowy combat, you'll instead have to fight against the desire to block too early, and it makes for a delightful experience.

After having defeated the boss, you'll be given the opportunity to pick from two upgrades. These will decide your skills and capabilities as you progress into the game, and though I felt there was a clear "winner" for each of the abilities that I was presented with, it was still enjoyable to take a part of the bosses I'd fought with me into the next encounter.

It's all enhanced by visuals that very closely resemble Celeste, with a gorgeous pixelated art style that stands out heavily from other titles typically in this genre. The use of cherry blossoms, Torii gates, and vibrant colours contrasts with the otherwise dark atmosphere that you're embarking on as you face numerous Onis. It's an enjoyable contrast that separates itself from the over-used dark environments and gloomy colours, giving you the opportunity to enjoy a more colourful approach to a difficult/soulslike title while still teetering the line into the darker themes colours that keep the environment in-tone.

Honestly, I'm genuinely looking forward to playing more Onikura. I can't wait to see what else Too Dark Studios has in store in terms of environments, boss fights, and skills; if the demo is anything to go off of, you won't want to miss out on this one.