Oni

About

You play as Konoko, a cybernetically enhanced agent in a polluted near-future world. Tasked with enforcing the World Coalition Government's laws, you'll switch between third-person shooting and brutal melee combat as you figure out a conspiracy linking your employer to your family's past. The story unfolds through action set pieces and environmental storytelling, with your choices affecting how much of the truth you uncover. Combat emphasizes fluid movement and weapon switching, letting you mix pistols, shotguns, and brutal close-range strikes against hordes of enemies. The game’s anime-inspired visuals and moody atmosphere stand out, with detailed environments that reflect its dystopian setting. While its 2001 release date shows in some technical limitations, the writing and character depth earned it a 71 on Metacritic, with critics praising its mature narrative. A 100% completionist score unlocks a bonus ending, adding extra layers to the mystery. The PC and PlayStation 2 versions remain playable, though Mac support is rare.

Storyline

The events of Oni take place in or after the year 2032. The game world is a dystopia, an Earth so polluted that little of it remains habitable. To solve international economic crises, all nations have combined into a single entity, the World Coalition Government. The government is Orwellian, telling the populace that what are actually dangerously toxic regions are wilderness preserves, and using its police forces, known publicly as the Technological Crimes Task Force (TCTF), to suppress opposition. The player character, code-named Konoko (voiced by Amanda Winn-Lee), full name later given as Mai Hasegawa, begins the game working for the TCTF. Soon, she learns her employers have been keeping secrets about her past from her. She turns against them as she embarks on a quest of self-discovery. The player learns more about her family and origins while battling both the TCTF and its greatest enemy, the equally monolithic criminal organization called the Syndicate. In the game's climax, Konoko discovers a Syndicate plan to cause the Atmospheric Conversion Centers, air-treatment plants necessary to keep most of the world's population alive, to catastrophically malfunction. She is partially successful in thwarting the plot, saving a portion of humanity.