Onee Chanbara ORIGIN

While the story is unremarkable and the gameplay doesn't provide any innovations to the aged formula, I still very much enjoyed my time with OneeChanbara Origin as it still left me with a satisfying feeling even with the short time I spent with it.

74%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

optimization, grinding

83% User Score Based on 382 reviews

Critic Score 65%Based on 17 reviews

Platforms

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About

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN is a single player survival hack and slash game with anime, violence and erotic themes. It was developed by Tamsoft and was released on October 14, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the sword fighting action game series Onee Chanbara, the events of THE Onee Chanbara and THE Onee Chanbara 2 have been completely remade in full HD.The story of Aya and Saki, two sisters bound by mutual hatred and locked in a brutal fight to the death, has been revived and reimagined.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 382 reviews

story29 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

Fast-paced and satisfying hack-and-slash combat with responsive controls and rewarding timing mechanics like dodging and parrying.
Stylish cel-shaded anime-inspired graphics that enhance the B-movie aesthetic and character expressiveness.
Entertaining, campy story with likable characters and humorous moments, supported by decent voice acting and soundtrack.

Short main story and limited content, with repetitive levels and low enemy variety; DLC contains much of the extra content leading to a high overall cost.
Problematic and unstable PC port with frequent crashes, performance issues, save corruption risks, and complicated workarounds required.
Camera control issues and occasional awkward animations or hitboxes that can impact gameplay experience.

story
229 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
86%
1%
The story in Oneechanbara Origin is generally viewed as short, straightforward, and campy, providing basic context for the characters' conflicts without aiming for depth or complexity. While it doesn't impress with originality or narrative innovation, it contains some engaging character banter and a touch of humor, making it a serviceable backdrop to the fast-paced, stylish combat. Most players see the story as secondary to gameplay and appreciate it mainly for its entertainment value rather than literary merit.
- “Designed as a modernized retelling of the franchise’s origins, the game rebuilds the first two titles from the ground up with high-definition visuals, reworked mechanics, and expanded story presentation while remaining deeply rooted in the series’ identity.”
- “Unlike the first game where the story starts out with saki killing her father and aya going on a revenge quest, Origin’s story starts with aya searching for her missing father and sister Saki, featuring themes of reconnecting with family and sisterhood, with a mix of lighthearted and humorous interactions.”
- “The story balances melodrama with grindhouse flair, embracing its own campy tone without overextending its ambitions, with stylized storytelling that offers dramatic confrontations and blunt dialogue prioritizing spectacle.”
- “The story here isn't going to win any awards, and in truth, is presented in a rather lazy, cheap looking, and ho-hum way.”
- “The story is so throwaway and bland.”
- “The story is typical anime trash.”
gameplay
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
60%
5%
The gameplay is a fun, fast-paced hack-and-slash experience blending simple mechanics with rewarding combo and timing systems, including character-switching and unique features like the blood gauge and weapon maintenance. While it offers polished, fluid combat with addictive simplicity and some light RPG elements, the gameplay can feel repetitive and short, with limited depth compared to previous series entries. Overall, it’s a stylish, satisfying action game best enjoyed for its enjoyable combat and charm rather than innovation or complexity.
- “Its combat mechanics, while simple and more in tune with something like Dynasty Warriors than Devil May Cry, still offer an experience with enough verity, impact, and button mashing to result in a decently fun (but short) time.”
- “A defining mechanic is the blood gauge, which increases power as enemies are cut down but must be managed carefully to prevent negative status effects, adding a light risk-reward layer to otherwise straightforward combat.”
- “While the core mechanics are accessible, mastering positioning, timing, and enemy patterns becomes increasingly important on higher difficulties.”
- “All this would have been fine if the gameplay was good but it's not that great; it's a hack and slash but lacks any real impact.”
- “This is not one of the most refined character action games there are; you cannot control when to activate your transformation, the parry is very temperamental, you can just spam the evasion button as a response to everything, there are some iffy hitboxes and animations, and sometimes it feels like just button mashing. However, with proper timing and flow, the combat can be enjoyable.”
- “While the gameplay itself is competent, this is a short, shallow game with very little enemy variety, poor level design, and some egregious price-gouging.”
graphics
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The graphics feature a distinct, cel-shaded anime art style that many find visually appealing and a strong upgrade from previous entries, bringing vibrant colors and expressive character designs. However, performance issues, especially on AMD graphics cards, occasional frame drops, and some graphical roughness prevent it from being technically impressive. Overall, the stylized visuals enhance the game's fast-paced combat and b-movie aesthetic, making the graphics a highlight despite technical shortcomings.
- “Designed as a modernized retelling of the franchise’s origins, the game rebuilds the first two titles from the ground up with high-definition visuals, reworked mechanics, and expanded story presentation while remaining deeply rooted in the series’ identity.”
- “The graphics are outstanding, the effects are flooding the screen, animations smooth as silk and the controls are dead perfect.”
- “Main character designer Katsumi Enami breathes new life into the characters with cel-shaded graphics reminiscent of Japanese style animation making the silky-smooth high-speed action game an unmissable treat.”
- “The visuals are so ugly.”
- “From the get-go you're met with horrible performance unless you do some graphic panel tinkering outside of the game; but even then.”
- “Really poor job at optimizing such ancient tech, as the visuals are barely above PS3 standards and it should really run like butter on a modern PC at 200 fps minimum (Origins allows for max 60 fps though, and barely so).”
optimization
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
55%
24%
The game's optimization on PC is widely criticized for stuttering, frame rate drops, and audio issues, often requiring manual tweaks or community patches to improve performance. While some players experience stable gameplay after adjustments, the port appears to be poorly optimized, reflecting its console-focused design. Despite these technical challenges, the core gameplay remains enjoyable once performance problems are mitigated.
- “Performance on PC is generally stable, though some players may encounter minor technical quirks or UI limitations that remind you of the game’s console-focused design origins.”
- “No performance hitches, it is a very smooth game.”
- “I didn't have any performance issues or crashes.”
- “The biggest issue I had with this was definitely the performance.”
- “By default, the stuttering makes it nearly unplayable.”
- “From the get go you're met with horrible performance unless you do some graphic panel tinkering outside of the game; but even then.”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
21%
10%
The music and sound design are widely praised for their energetic, intense, and fitting soundtracks that enhance the fast-paced combat and overall atmosphere. While some note a limited number of standout tracks and compare unfavorably to previous entries, the soundtrack is generally considered a strong and enjoyable aspect of the game. Additionally, the ability to customize music adds to the immersive experience, despite criticisms about some music being locked behind paid DLC.
- “The soundtrack and sound design support the frantic pace with energetic music and impactful attack cues.”
- “The sound design is very good, the dub is really great for the product at hand, despite some lines being recorded in different studios (the quality varies a bit from line to line) and the music, as always, fits the themes perfectly.”
- “A game for the discerning and classy type of gooner, featuring fast hack and slash combat with stylish moves, a story of estranged families and betrayal, and an OST that sounds like a Babymetal album.”
- “But could I ever recommend it at a base price of 50 euro, with 98 euro in optional cosmetics and music packs stapled on top?”
- “In terms of music, the game got only 2 cool tracks, sadly.”
- “The music can't compete with Z II, in my honest opinion.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often described as excessive and tedious, particularly for unlocking content and achievements, which can feel unrewarding or overly time-consuming. While some players tolerate the grind due to enjoyable core gameplay or sale prices, many find certain grind-heavy quests and unlocks, like characters or stat boosts, frustrating and not worth the effort.
- “Achievements are super grindy and not worth it at all for me.”
- “Most of the gallery contents are locked behind very grindy missions. The extra missions that you unlock after beating the game are actually one survival mode and more of the same missions you had to experience during the main game (only with more useless story context). The extra unlockable character not only feels less fun to play than the main characters, but also gets no achievements of her own to encourage playing as her.”
- “Unlocking Lei either takes insane grinding that isn't worth it or paying $4.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, often stemming from over-the-top voice acting, out-of-sync dialogue, and campy character interactions that balance between comedic and dramatic tones. While some players enjoy the quirky, B-movie style humor and lighthearted banter among characters, others find the dialogue hilariously bad and the story filler. The humor tends to shine more in certain character segments, adding charm despite the game's primarily serious or risqué themes.
- “+While the main story itself is often solemn and tragic, there's just enough humor and endearing banter between Aya, Saki, and Lei to strike a harmonious balance between the comedic and the dramatic.”
- “Also, at a later point in the story, Aya meets up with Saki and Lei, having lighthearted and humorous conversations, all whilst during gameplay and the player battling zombies.”
- “The story is kinda fun and the characters are funny.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
34%
22%
The game offers moderate replayability primarily through multiple difficulty levels, character leveling, and unlockable content that encourage mastering its hack-and-slash combat. While the main story is relatively short, players find value in replaying to improve skills and experience additional challenges. Overall, the mix of accessible gameplay and rewarding progression makes for an enjoyable and replayable experience.
- “The leveling system encourages replaying on higher difficulties, enhancing the replay value.”
- “Replay value is supported through multiple difficulty levels, unlockables, and additional modes that encourage refining combat mastery.”
- “The game feels infinitely replayable because it encourages you to improve your hack and slash skills with the cool system.”
- “So at the end of the day it is a very short yet enjoyable experience that took me around 14 hours to get all of the achievements. Too bad there isn't much replayability, but it is what it is.”
- “The main replay value comes from beating story mode over again on a higher difficulty, but with the characters leveling, higher difficulty ends up being even easier than normal.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including buggy keyboard and mouse input, broken mouse support, and resolution glitches, particularly noticeable in the PC port. These technical problems detract from the overall experience, making the release feel rushed and poorly optimized despite the game's enjoyable combat and visuals.
- “I don't think this port is worth $60; it has broken mouse support among other resolution-related glitches.”
- “Keyboard and mouse input is buggy.”
- “It's a good game, but the PC port is so buggy I'm surprised they're still selling it.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features distinctly appealing character designs by Katsumi Enami, blending Japanese-style cel-shaded graphics with provocative and over-the-top aesthetics that enhance its playful atmosphere. This artistic approach breathes new life into the characters, complementing the smooth, high-speed action and making the brawler visually engaging for fans of the franchise.
- “Good brawler with lovely character design.”
- “The environments and character designs are deliberately over-the-top, creating an atmosphere that's both amusing and engaging.”
- “Main character designer Katsumi Enami breathes new life into the characters with cel-shaded graphics reminiscent of Japanese-style animation, making the silky-smooth high-speed action game an unmissable treat.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is driven by the complex relationship between half-sisters Aya and Saki, whose tragic family history and conflicting motivations create a compelling and heartfelt narrative, featuring genuinely touching moments.
- “The story centers on half-sisters Aya and Saki, whose tragic family history and clashing motivations form the emotional backbone of the campaign.”
- “There were some legitimately touching moments.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by intentionally exaggerated environments and character designs that create an amusing and engaging vibe, while dynamic weather elements like rain, thunder, and lightning further enhance the overall ambiance.
- “The environments and character designs are deliberately over-the-top, creating an atmosphere that's both amusing and engaging.”
- “Oftentimes, rain, thunder, and lightning in a game greatly add to the ambiance and atmosphere.”

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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 17 critic reviews

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5h Median play time

5h Average play time

5-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN is a survival hack and slash game with anime, violence and erotic themes.

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Onee Chanbara ORIGIN.

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN was released on October 14, 2020.

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN was developed by Tamsoft.

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN is a single player game.

Similar games include Valkyrie Elysium, WARRIORS OROCHI 4, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA, Samurai Warriors 4-II, Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars and others.

Onee Chanbara ORIGIN

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