Onimusha: Warlords includes the following ground-breaking features: Finely detailed character graphics rendered at an average of 10,000 polygons per character Realistic emotion and character animation – Special emphasis on facial animation brings characters to life. Story written by Flagship – Subsidiary of Capcom responsible for script writing, famous for their work in Resident Evil 2. Motion picture quality, five minute opening movie sequence Dramatic storyline – Blends actual Japanese history with fictional and non-fictional characters Famous Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro joins the project – He is the face and the Japanese voice of the main character. Kaneshiro also lent his talents in designing a few boss characters. Introduces a unique weapon system – Players obtain gems that add various effects such as fire, thunder and wind to the selected weapon. Background Animation Technology – Innovative special effects that allows players will see the wind rippling through tree branches and the character's clothing. True to life light-sourcing and shadow design add an eerie realism to overall game design. Highly detailed 3D rendered backgrounds with dynamic camera angles – Beginning at sunset, players will be enveloped in stunningly detailed lighting effects that is part of the intricate background design. Onimusha: Warlords is set in the year 1560 in Feudal Japan as the feared and powerful warlord, Nobunaga Oda begins his takeover to rule Japan. Nobunaga has just defeated Yoshimoto Imagawa, another famous warlord, in a surprise attack and now sets out to attack Yoshitatsu Saito's famous castle in the Mino Prefecture. During a confrontational chaos, a young princess, sister to the mighty Yoshitatsu has been kidnapped. Out of honor, a samurai warrior and remarkable swordsman, Samanosuke boldly volunteers to rescue the princess. But, these are the days of darkness and magic. Samanosuke does not realize that a legion of demon warriors stand between him and the princess. Based on both actual Japanese historical accounts and Capcom's engrossing fictional storylines, Onimusha: Warlords will delight all that dare to take the challenge. Onimusha: Warlords invents a unique weapons system. As players progress through the game, they will obtain three different gems that will fit into Samanosuke's gauntlet. The three types of gems are wind, fire or thunder and cause an elemental effect on the player's weapon. The player can use these various effects to inflict heightened damage on an opponent or to solve an action based puzzle. Players must use strategy when it comes to choosing the appropriate gemstone and some areas in the game are unobtainable unless the player uses the right gem at the right place. These gems will cause visually stunning special effects to each of Samonsuke's weapons.