is a strategy

Strategy game

A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...

 installment in the Onimusha series released for the Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance

The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

. It does not follow the storyline of the previous PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 games and is considered a side story. However, the game features a similar plot: a samurai who possesses the Oni Gauntlet can become the Onimusha and fights against Nobunaga and his army of genma.

Gameplay

Onimusha Tactics is very similar to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...

, also released for the Game Boy Advance. The player is presented with an 3/4 camera view of a detailed and grid-like battlefield. The point of the game is to defeat the opposing team of demon or opponents and raise the player's character by experience points gained in battle. By defeating enemies, such statistics for a character include strength to dictate attack power, speed to decide turn order and others. The game allows the player to equip their warrior with various weaponry for different situations, such as katana

Katana

A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

, spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

s and other bladed tools.

Characters

The samurai is Onimaru, who is supported by a wide range of characters, many of whom are the same as their PlayStation 2 equivalents. However, there are some returning characters from other Onimusha games such as Saika Magoichi

Saika Magoichi

, better known as , was the name given to the leader of the Saika Ikki. He is famous for arming his troops with arquebuses and donning the yatagarasu as his family crest....

, Ankokuji Ekei

Ankokuji Ekei

was a diplomat of Mōri clan, a powerful feudal clan in the Chūgoku region, Japan, as well as a Rinzai Buddhist monk following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century. He went with Toyotomi Hideyoshi on his invasion of Korea, was named abbot of Tōfuku-ji in Kyoto Prefecture, and was given a...

, Fuuma Kotaro

Fuuma Kotaro

was the name adopted by the leader of the of ninja during the Sengoku era of Japan. According to some records, his name was originally Kazama .- Fūma clan :...

, and Mitsuhide Akechi. Onimaru battles the genma until you ultimately reach the notorious Nobunaga. New to the series are additional chosen warriors whom receive the power of the phoenix, tortoise

Tortoise

Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...

, tiger

Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

 and dragon

Dragon

A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

 to assist Onimaru. These animals correspond with the Chinese celestial animals

Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)

The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:*Azure Dragon of the East *Vermilion Bird of the South *White Tiger of the West *Black Tortoise of the North...

 that represent the cardinal directions. This reference was also a puzzle in Onimusha 2

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, released in Japan as is the second installment in the Onimusha series of video games. The plot revolves around a new protagonist, , as he battles a demonic Genma army which is invading 1571 Japan. Nobunaga Oda, a sinister warlord who was slain in the previous game,...

.