Oniken

About

Oniken is a single player arcade platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by JoyMasher and was released on February 5, 2014. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Inspired by the demanding gameplay of 8-bit action/platformers, Oniken pits your agility and swordplay against a gauntlet of enemies, traps, and challenging bosses.

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 476 reviews

graphics50 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

Oniken is a well-crafted homage to classic 8-bit action platformers, capturing the aesthetic and feel of games like Ninja Gaiden and Contra.
The game features tight controls and responsive gameplay, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate challenging mechanics.
The retro graphics and chiptune soundtrack effectively evoke nostalgia, enhancing the overall experience for fans of the genre.

The game can be frustratingly difficult, with cheap deaths and punishing level design that may deter some players.
The lack of checkpoints and the need to restart entire levels upon losing all lives can lead to repetitive gameplay and frustration.
Some players have reported issues with input responsiveness and control mechanics, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.

graphics
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their authentic retro aesthetic, effectively capturing the essence of 8-bit and NES-era visuals with vibrant colors and well-crafted pixel art. While many reviewers appreciate the nostalgic feel and artistic presentation, some criticize certain design choices, such as clashing colors and unpolished elements, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully evokes a sense of nostalgia, though opinions vary on its execution and comparison to other indie titles in the genre.
- “Great pixel art graphics, great chiptune music, great cinematics; the presentation is just phenomenal.”
- “The graphical influence of older systems feels appropriate and genuine in this title, and it might heighten your enjoyment during play, if you are looking for that nostalgic and/or retro feel.”
- “The graphics are colorful and well-detailed.”
- “Yes, it reeks of that NES era nostalgia, but honestly there are tons of better looking SNES-aping indie platformers out there which grab the feel better and don't try to hurt your eyes like Oniken does. Seriously, whoever thought of using clashing colors in a fast-paced platformer needs to get sent to a graphic design class for beginners, pronto.”
- “The graphics are dated from the Atari classics, as well as the cutscenes, which, by the way, are pretty cool.”
- “Ok, 5 minutes into this game and it gave me a headache. I'm not trying to be cute here; I mean my head is splitting, and the causes are the graphics and the music. Seriously, don't buy it unless you know what you are getting into.”
gameplay
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
The gameplay of this game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its retro aesthetic and challenging mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like Ninja Gaiden, while others criticize it for unfair difficulty spikes and repetitive trial-and-error gameplay. Many reviews highlight the solid controls and responsive mechanics, but also note that the gameplay can feel tedious and frustrating due to cheap deaths and a lack of unique features. Overall, it appeals to fans of old-school platformers but may not satisfy those seeking a more polished and innovative experience.
- “With a nice retro palette and some very solid gameplay, this game is very 80s in its aesthetic experience, as well as its action romp segments, all while managing to skillfully dodge most of the pitfalls games from that time had, namely bullshit difficulty.”
- “The gameplay is very satisfying, and anyone who enjoys action-platformers will have a blast playing it.”
- “Great, bold visual design, a catchy soundtrack, tight controls, solid level design, and challenging-but-fair gameplay are all here in spades.”
- “Sadly, it's the gameplay itself that is woeful and lacks polish.”
- “Making the core mechanic of a game purposefully hard to extend playability, to me at least, is not a very viable option as it can cause the gameplay to feel frustrating and tedious.”
- “The gameplay is horrendous.”
music
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
40%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic 8-bit chiptune style, effectively capturing the essence of classic NES titles while enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the catchy and energetic soundtrack, which complements the retro graphics and tight controls, although some note that certain tracks can feel generic or forgettable. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The game has a wonderful blend of what made those games charming in terms of gameplay, cutscenes, and music.”
- “Great pixel art graphics, great chiptune music, great cinematics; the presentation is just phenomenal.”
- “From the great music, challenging and difficult gameplay, along with wonderfully crafted and aesthetically pleasing 8-bit graphics, Oniken is well worth all the money it is going for, especially for those hardcore 8-bit challenge hounds like me.”
- “The music is painfully generic and terrible.”
- “Ok, 5 minutes into this game and it gave me a headache. The causes of which are the graphics and the music; seriously, don't buy it unless you know what you are getting into.”
- “The music follows those self-imposed limitations, although I found it to be generally average.”
story
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
75%
3%
The game's story is a nostalgic homage to 80s action films, featuring a lone hero battling against a robot army with a mix of cheesy dialogue and engaging cutscenes. While the narrative is straightforward and somewhat cliché, it effectively serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, with players appreciating its retro aesthetic and fun twists. However, some reviewers noted that the story lacks depth and innovation, often feeling like a mere excuse to facilitate the challenging gameplay.
- “Oniken plays like a 1980s cyberpunk anime story.”
- “The sprite work is simply amazing, the story is pure nostalgia and a simple excuse for fun boss fights.”
- “The story is classic 80's action: a lone one-man army must battle his way through ninjas, robots, and mutants in order to save the world.”
- “The real hell begins with the 5th mission, and if you look at the achievements statistics of completing this small game, it becomes clear that players dropped this mediocre 'Ninja Gaiden' in attempts to complete it.”
- “It's not perfect... aside from the music, the story's pretty pathetic (though so fitting for the time period it's forgivable) and there's just no depth or innovation here at all.”
- “When I beat a mission in Oniken, I thought 'ugh, I’m glad that’s finally over' and not 'that was a fun and worthwhile way to spend my time.'”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
Overall, the game's replayability is enhanced by features like boss rush modes, hardcore challenges, and speedrun achievements, appealing to players who enjoy tackling difficult content and collecting achievements. However, some reviewers noted that the linear structure and limited hidden items may restrict replay value for others. Despite these criticisms, many found the clever level designs and difficulty to provide enough incentive for repeated playthroughs.
- “The boss rush, hardcore mode, and speedrun achievements are well thought out and fun to do, enhancing replayability.”
- “Clever level designs and pretty hard difficulty of the game will add to replayability.”
- “Awesome graphics, great gameplay, and good replayability if you are into achievements or speedruns.”
- “Replayability - 2/5 - the game is extremely linear and doesn't offer any deviation from the main path.”
- “There isn't that much replayability for the game; there are a few hidden items, one per level, and there are achievements for beating a level without dying.”
- “The challenge and struggle is real, and that just makes it all the better for catching your attention and its replayability.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as frustrating and tedious, with players expressing dissatisfaction over the high difficulty level and the need to repeatedly replay sections after losing lives. Many find the gameplay cumbersome, lacking flow and freedom, while a few appreciate the challenge for its nostalgic appeal. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, making the game less enjoyable for most players.
- “Making the core mechanic of a game purposefully hard to extend playability, to me at least, is not a very viable option as it can cause the gameplay to feel frustrating and tedious.”
- “Worse yet, losing all lives results in starting the entire stage over, meaning even if you can ace the earlier parts of a stage, repeating them just to get practice on the later parts becomes very tedious, reminding me of some of the worst aspects of games like Ninja Gaiden.”
- “Lots of repetition, cheap deaths, tedious gameplay - unfun.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users experiencing frame drops and freezes that impact gameplay, while others report minimal bugs and glitches. The presence of glitches is often attributed to design choices rather than hardware limitations, leading to frustration for some players. Overall, while some enjoy the nostalgic challenge, others find the stability issues detract from the experience.
- “I get a frame drop or a 'freeze' from time to time, but the game freezes with it so it just doesn't affect you, it affects everyone. MSI game launcher made Curse of the Moon 1 and 2 playable, so I'll see if it fixes it.”
- “Half the fun of the NES classics comes with twice the glitches!”
- “The few points I would mark against the game are its short length and its buggy launcher.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its effective color scheme and aesthetic, which enhance both the storytelling and the action. Reviewers note that the combination of visuals, music, and engaging cutscenes creates an immersive experience that stands out among both retro and modern titles. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's excitement and enjoyment.
- “I'd like to praise the game for having a nice story, good visuals, and a cool atmosphere.”
- “There's a nice mixture of action, atmosphere, and excitement that combines with the gameplay, which is done better than many games, both retro and many AAA games.”
- “The color scheme is extremely effective in both setting the atmosphere of levels and making the hectic action look clean and presentable.”
- “Oniken is a short, side-scrolling action platformer in the vein of Contra that nails the aesthetic, music, atmosphere, gameplay...and most importantly, the cutscenes.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a nostalgic charm reminiscent of classic video games, with players finding amusement in both intentional comedic elements and unintentional glitches, such as the slow text display during cutscenes. Overall, the game successfully blends challenging gameplay with a lighthearted, retro vibe that appeals to fans of old-school side scrollers.
- “Good old style game, it's really funny and it feels like a video game from the old era.”
- “- Cutscene framerates are hilariously bad. I don't know if this is intentional or a glitch, but when text pops up on the screen, it takes a solid 5 seconds per word. No NES game would behave like this.”
- “Would be funny if you could catch those and throw them back! Anyway, Oniken is a great tribute to old NES era side scrollers. It is challenging, has cool boss fights, and it is not that long, only 6+1 levels. It also has some extra modes, like boss rush and 'hardcore mode' if you were not satisfied with the difficulty.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly on various machines, including the Steam Deck, though players may need to be prepared for some challenging gameplay.
- “Runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, though you’ll need steady thumbs and perhaps a stress ball.”
- “Optimized, your beautiful graphics run very well on almost all machines.”
- “The optimization is lacking; the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end machines.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes and long loading times, indicating poor optimization.”
- “Despite the beautiful graphics, the game is poorly optimized and runs sluggishly on many systems.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the game's mechanics, particularly the hitbox and jump controls, which often lead to unexpected deaths. This inconsistency creates a heightened emotional response, as players feel a sense of helplessness and disappointment when their efforts to dodge attacks are undermined by the game's design. Overall, the emotional impact stems from the struggle between player intent and the game's unpredictable mechanics.
- “Your hitbox feels enormous every time you want it to feel small; several enemy attacks demand you dodge them with good timing, movement, and/or a proper leap, and your jump always feels just lacking enough for the physical damage to be secondary to the emotional.”