Oni 2 (Angel Studios): Difference between revisions

'''Oni 2''' was a sequel to [[Oni]] which was in development from 2001-2002 before being cancelled. The game was being developed by Angel Studios for the PlayStation 2 under publisher Take-Two Interactive. Development stopped when Angel Studios was acquired by Rockstar and renamed [[wp:Rockstar San Diego|Rockstar San Diego]]. An ISO of a development build of the game (presumably one of the last builds) leaked in 2016 and was promptly documented by the game preservation YouTube channel PtoPOnline [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZItobLIJJMY here]. The name of the game seen on the main menu, '''Oni 2: Death & Taxes''', was likely a working title or a light-hearted placeholder; the game data internally uses the name '''Oni 2: Rebirth''', and this title can also be seen in an unused menu screen (right).

Shortly after Oni was released, it was [http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2001/apr01.html rumored] that Take-Two had put Oni 2 into production; however, no sequel was ever officially announced. In 2007, the rumor of a cancelled sequel was bolstered by [http://www.lostlevels.org/wordpress/2007/11/07/such-things-that-never-was/ a leak] which asserted that Oni 2 had been under development by Angel Studios for the PS2. In 2016, the full story finally came out when an actual development build of the cancelled game was leaked, documented by PtoPOnline, and covered by [https://kotaku.com/bungie-s-cult-classic-oni-almost-had-a-sequel-1789693658 Kotaku].

At this time, interviews with former developers revealed that the game had started development at the beginning of 2001 or even late 2000, which might mean that its development overlapped with Oni's. Since the development build is dated Dec. 10, 2002, that means that the game was in development for as long as two years. After all that time, it was apparently not even close to completion. The project suffered from a lack of clear direction, and when Angel was acquired by Rockstar and renamed as Rockstar San Diego in 2002, Oni 2 was cancelled in favor of other projects.

A concept artist for Oni 2, Eric Lin, has done some original art in subsequent years that reflects his work on the game. Click [https://www.deviantart.com/hinxlinx/gallery?catpath=/&edit=0&q=oni here] to search his gallery for Oni-related art.

Oni 2's melee combat was shaping up to be considerably more complex than Oni's, incorporating the grappling and parrying that some Oni fans have wished for in a sequel. Other additions to Oni's gameplay include ledge grabbing, AIs that can disarm the player, contextual attacks, and blocks that stun the attacker. Gunplay is still present, and is as simple as it is in Oni. Konoko retains her agility, with the ability to perform melee strikes in all four directions, strafe sideways, and perform a jump-flip while still using her weapon. A curious choice was made in allowing Konoko to double-jump as if she is a character in a platformer (of course, no design decisions were finalized at this point in development). Konoko can also perform wall flips (see "Controls" section). When she is facing a wall, the wall flip sends her backward away from the wall, but when her back is to the wall, she comes back into it with her flip, and can continue to perform additional backward wall flips ad infinitum. This allows her to climb any wall, which is essential to clearing level 8, The Rooftops.

|lariat (yes, ''the'' Lariat from Oni)

The dev build was originally leaked on the EmuParadise forums in a post stating that the ISO is uploaded [https://mega.nz/#!x9oHxaLZ!-bOo-wwdj1fh925DYv1Qc6ErDSRl2HEgtWC-i2FtxtY HERE].