The Oni-Killer is badass, hard to play, and will get stomped by even half-way decent teams of survivors.

BY SCUTTLE GAMEZ

The Killer:

Oni is a Samurai spirit wrought to the appearance of the monster he was in life. So evil and bloodthirsty was he that the dark thing known as the Entity sought him out and pulled him from the nether, placing him under its control in a game of killer hide and seek.

Power:

The Oni is skilled in the art of bloodletting, and it fuels him to greater heights of rage and power. Wounded survivors leave blood droplets, orbs, that can be consumed by the Oni. By feeding on his victim’s blood, the Oni powers himself into a rage. While raging, his attacks can instantly down survivors, and he is able to dash far across the map at the cost of directional control.

Perks:

• Zanshin Tactics allows the Oni to “See what others cannot see.” The auras of all nearby pallets and vault locations will be revealed to him.
• Blood Echo: “Make them Suffer.” When a survivor is hooked by the Oni, all injured survivors are pained and suffer exhaustion and hemorrhaging status effects.
• Nemesis: “Know your Enemy.” When a survivor stuns or blinds the Oni they become his obsession. They momentarily lose track of the Oni’s presence and have their aura revealed to him for a short time.

The Good:

Oni is really awesome to look at. He rocks demonic armor and masks, and wields massive swords and clubs. He is like an Oni straight from Japanese folklore, and it shows that the art team had some fun in making him.

Blood Drops are a neat addition to the game. Blood drops spawn anywhere an injured survivor runs or stands. Thus, they make for an additional tracking method for killers – one that stays around a lot longer than running marks.

The Mixed:

The Oni’s perks are nothing special. They’re fine, and I can see mixing them into other builds with other killers sometimes, but they are not really all that exciting or new. We’ve seen perks that have done similar, and ultimately I don’t see these perks changing up play in any real meaningful way.

The Bad:

I’m torn putting the Oni’s special power here, but I think I have to do it. Overall, it’s a decent power that can be effective if used right . . . but we’ve seen it before. Other killers have the same abilities, but better.

The Hillbilly has a chainsaw sprint that has more control and ends in a one-hit. The Shape has a similar gauge to charge to activate a mode that can one-hit that is very similar to the Oni as well. Both of these others killers have more control over their powers though.

The Oni can’t charge and hold his one-hit swings. He can’t end a charge with a fast one-hit either.

The Verdict:

I want to like the Oni. He is awesome to look at, and he wields a sword, making him one of only two killers to do so. The design of his character is sound, but it’s not very exciting. Other killers have done similar, if not better, and this comes out feeling very boring and uninspired.