Onigiri (video game)

Onigiri(鬼斬, lit.Demon Cutter)is anactionmassively multiplayer online role-playing game(MMORPG) byCyberStep. It is set in afantasyland reminiscent of ancient Japan in which humans and non-humans such asOniand otherYōkaicoexist. The game was originally released in Japan on February 6, 2014and in North America on July 1, 2014. The English console versions were released on October 2, 2015for the Xbox One, on October 6, 2015for the PlayStation 4 and January 31, 2019 for Nintendo Switch. The game's title means "oni cutter", reflective of the player characters' background as an Oni; the title can also be taken as a pun ononigiri, the Japanese rice ball.As of July 31, 2020, the Xbox servers were shut down and the game was removed for purchase from the Xbox store; however,Onigiriremains supported on other platforms.
The game is set in a fantasy version of ancient Japan that is filled with creatures of myth. Ages ago, the terrible Kamikui made a trail of death and destruction across the land before being stopped by the goddess of the Sun,Amaterasu Oomikami. The goddess had placed three great Seals that forced Kamikui to retreat, but one of the Seals has now been shattered.
The player character is an Oni whose peaceful life in the Western island of Onigashima is disturbed by the revival of the Kamikui.
The game has different servers for the PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PS4 versions but the gameplay is the same for all versions.
Unlike most other MMORPGs, which have different races or classes, inOnigiri, players can only play as Oni and choosing a class simply requires the player to pick a favored weapon to specialize in. When creating a character, players choose one of five traits that will determine which weapons they can use. The traits are Power (Axe, Oodachi, Spear, or Sword), Defensive (Spear or Staff), Kind (Staff or Wand), Daring (Axe, Oodachi, Dual Swords, Bow, or Sword), and Cautious (Dual Swords, Bow, or Wand). Characters level up five basic stats: Power, Vitality, Wisdom, Mind, and Dexterity.
InOnigiri, players have eight NPC partners, who have distinct personalities and abilities;these can be improved as they gain more affection for the player. Affection levels can be raised by giving the companions gifts that they prefer.
Onigiri has garnered a number of favorable reviews. Bradly Storm of Hardcore Gamer felt that it was "a fairly competent and enjoyable hack-and-slash experience" even though the launch suffered from server-side latency issues.Reviewer Angelique Stokes praised the game's combat and wrote that the game was "bursting with personality."Sheattack's Charnelle Schindel found the plot "lackluster" but overall she feltOnigiriwas generally "great fun to play."Crunchyrollcalled it "a very solid title."
On the other hand, many players have criticized the game for its monotony after reaching a certain level. The game creators have tried to address it by adding more high level content, event exclusive items, as well as collaboration events with other Intellectual Properties. Recently, the English PC server has raised the player level cap to level 135. No players have reached the new cap yet (as of January 2018).
Ananimetelevision adaptation of the game was announced by CyberStep on January 27, 2016. It aired from April 7, 2016onTokyo MXandBS Fujithen finished on June 30, 2016.Pierrot+produced the anime with Takashi Yamamoto directing the series, Takamitsu Kouno handling series composition, Takashi Aoshima and Atsushi Oka writing the scripts. Yukiko Ibe designed the characters and is the series' chief animation director.
Sentai Filmworkshas licensed the series for North America.
The opening theme is "Hime wa Rankiryuu☆Goikkou-sama" (姫は乱気流☆御一行様, The Princess is Turbulence☆Her Party) bySTARMARIE.