tears of an oni: the story of hikuri the hair spinner

story..

my mother was a beautiful oni....she fell in love with my father who betrayed her trust enslaving her with treacherous magic. using my mothers haunting ability to rise and control legions of yoma and the undead with her singing my father soon ruled a dark army which terrorized feudal japan.... when i was very young my mother left me on the streets of a small village dressed as a little girl so that i could live free from the shadow of my father‘s evil....since i had an aching beauty from my oni heritage the villagers could not tell i was a young boy....later i was taken in by a kabuki theater troop who agreed to help me keep my secret safe. i learned the joys of acting and dancing bringing joy to people’s lives with my performances. one day an old samurai took me aside. he somehow knew i was half oni..that my powers could be used for a greater good. under his tutelage i mastered the sword and my supernatural heritage. not long after the town and people i so loved were ripped away from me. my father’s hordes killed men,women,and children. they killed my friends and my loved ones...they burned down my master’s dojo and the theater i used to call home. it was then i realized what i must do.....that i could no longer hide from my destiny..i paint my face this day not to perform...but to seek revenge.....i draw my sword so i may slay my evil father and free my mother...the tears i shed will not be in vain..

gameplay and graphics: in tears of the oni you play the role of hikuri, a achingly beautiful half oni swordsman who seeks to kill the evil sorcerror that is his father so that he may free his mother and avenge the deaths of his loved ones. trained as a samurai hikuri can use traditional japanese weapons such as wakizashis,katanas,tonfas,shuirken,sais,and the naginata as well as oni attacks that actually utilize his long silvery hair as a lethal whip like extension to do wonderous feats. his mane of hair can also aid him in various scenarios in that he can use it to latch onto higher ledges and use it to climb up. pretty much hikuri’s hair is alive. it can become razor sharp and cut through armor and thick hide or it can entangle and strangle enemies. the graphics would be very much like onimusha 2...bright vibrant colors and detailed enviorments. hikuri keeps his oni bar and life bar charged by absorbing the errie spectral souls of his fallen foes. these souls appear as skeletal wraiths surronded by etheral mist. unlike samurai survival horror games of the past tears of the oni places very little emphasis on puzzles. rather it is an action packed ride through large levels in which stealth can be employed but it is not necessary. like in stealth assassins hikuri can sneak up on foes from behind...he can also lay low in reeds and target enemies with the blow gun or shuirken. or he can hang up high in the rafters and wait for guards to come in and strangle them with his hair of death. there are also opertune times where hikuri can be quite under handed in that he can kill enemies as they sleep or even slip poison into their food or drink. enemies range from common human soldiers to hideous demons and grotesque undead. bosses are usaully huge and horrific and deal out alot of damage though they all have beatable patterns. missions in the levels usaully deal with saving children,helping towns folk,and talking to important key characters which may agree to help hikuri on his quest.

oni attacks

auric hair pins: by swinging his hair violently hikuri can fire out chi charged hair pins that actually seek out an enemies aura.

mane shredder: hikuri swings his hair in a circular wave as it slashes,decapitates,and severes the limbs off any enemies in hikuri’s way.

hair entangle: a technique that can be used by hikuri to wrap around enemies ankles if they are beneath them to trip them or two wrap around an enemies wrist so they cannot attack using their weapons. once entangled in hikuri’s hair most enemies can be thrown or ripped in twain.

rope trick: where hikuri uses his hair to latch onto ledges and scale walls.

mane shield: a technique that allows hikuri to wrap his hair about himself like a protective shield.

basic techniques

crouch

back flip

role

run up wall

standard kick

round house kick

jump kick

weapon slash

weapon combo

stealth techniques

slit throat

poison enemy grainery or water supply

meld into shadows

weapons: samurai believed that their weapons housed powerful spirits that could teach them secret techniques. by practicing with different weapons while sparring with zan (zan will be described in the character section) hikuri can learn to mix oriental magic with melee style combat.

wakizashi: the wakizashi is a sharp light weight short sword. it is said some samurai used these for ritualistic suicide but hikuri uses it to slit enemy throats and also in combination with his katana. the wakizashi can infect enemies with magic poison so they lose hit points gradually. it can also be used to kill enemies with a single lethal blow. at hikuri learns more the wakizashi can grant him temporary invisibility.

katana: the katana is a beautiful blade that is much larger than the wakizashi. it can be used to block enemy projectiles or with hikuri’s oni strength cut off enemy limbs and heads. the katana has two magic attacks. the first is a blinding ray of light that temporarily stuns all enemies on screen..the second is a powerful lightning attack.

ifreet tonfas: the ifreet tonfas are excellent hand to hand weapons housing a powerful ifreet inside. while wielding these hikuri does graceful and beautiful martial arts combos while engulfing his enemies in flames.

blow gun: the blow gun has two kinds of darts...the sleeping darts are none lethal while the poisonous ones kill quickly.

shuirken: shuirken all have different elemental properties. seeker shuirken follow enemies anywhere on the screen. ice shuirken freeze enemies in ice. poison shuirken gradually do damage to an enemies health and fire shuirken cause enemies to bursts into flames. normal shuirken do standard damage.

sais: the sais are blessed with quickness and their prongs can be used to break weapons or to disarm enemies. the sais magic is simple...it increases hikuri’s striking speed and gives him divine sight allowing him to see things he normally would not be able to.

naginata: the naginata is a long pole with a wicked curved blade at its end. with it hikuri can keep foes at a distance, impale , or twirl it in a circular arch to knock groups of enemies off him. the naginata’s magic is based on the principles of wind. by spinning the pole quickly hikuri can create small tornadoes that do devastating damage or knock enemies into the air.

characters

zan: zan is a tengu (were raven) swords master. while zan is trully a great warrior his landings need alot of work. zan meets hikuri when he accidently crashes into a tree nearby. as hikuri collects more weapons zan can teach him to unlock their magic potential. free wheeling and fun loving zan is the comic relief of hikuri’s new found friends. though zan plays the role of a fool his wrath is quite frightening and he has slain many yoma in his day. zan often entertains children with his slight of hand tricks.

sano: sano is a beautiful ninja girl. because she is half nagah her blood is poisonous and her touch can be quite fatal to most humans. hikuri saves sano when a group of his father’s men try to have there way with her. though sano seems aloft and cold hearted nothing could be further from the truth. over time sano falls in love with hikuri but fears getting to close to him. in the end however the two become lovers for a half oni can survive a nagah’s kiss.

yagashi: a cantankerous old monk yagashi offers hikuri advice from time to time whether he wants to hear that advice or not is another story all together. though yagashi can seem quite vulgar and disgusting he carries with him a hidden gentle wisdom and wishes for hikuri’s and sano’s happiness. unbeknowst to most people yagashi is an ancient dragon that uses his human guise to walk among the mortals he cares deeply about.

hideo: hideo akumasada is hikuri’s evil father. hideo keeps hikuri’s mother in a magic cage just so he can use her oni magic to control demons and undead.

taki: hikuri’s beautiful kind hearted mother.who was decieved into believing hideo loved her. now within her magic cage taki weeps every night while praying for her sons safety. like her son taki has a magic mane of hair as well.

lao: lao is a daoist monk that observes taki from afar and has fallen deeply in love with her. though a gentle pacifist lao is still willing to fight to get taki free. being an asian were wolf lao is very strong when in his true form and will help hikuri in whatever way he can.

bosses: hikuri will face many dangerous foes including hideo’s five most trusted yoma.

gora the demon turtle: gora is a huge demon that actually has a shell like armor. wielding a war hammer he will try to squash hikuri and also flatten him by pulling into his spiked shell to dish out a vicious role attack.

gora often indulges himself by eating human flesh.

caron the four armed slaughter: caron is part of the demonic xill clan which have reptilian hides,spiked tails,and four arms. caron wields a wicked blade in each of his four hands and can whittle down hikuri quickly...fortunatelly caron’s eyes are sensitive to bright light which hikuri can use to his advantage

steam heart the massacre: steam heart is a living mechanical golem that grinds up people with its many blades than harvests their blood to be used as oil. every once and awhile steam heart will leave its beating heart vulnerable and out in the open so hikuri can strike it. just be wary of steam hearts sickles and massive drills.

lily of the wasp: lily is a sadistic woman that feeds on fear. since she is blind she uses her giant wasps as her messengers. to beat lily will require cunning...kneel low in the lagoon nearby her to avoid the wasp then pick at her with your blow gun. just beware of her occasional powerful magical lightning attack which does triple damage when you are in water.

shroud the lethal shadow: shroud relishes raping and killing women. his preferred weapon are bladed gauntlets because he enjoys killing while being pressed up against his victims. beware of being scratched by shroud’s blades for they have a numbing poison that can make you slow and sluggish. shroud also uses chained sickles which can lash out at you from any shadow. use your sai’s and divine sight ability to tell where shroud is hiding than start throwing your shuirken.

hakada: hakada is hikuri’s twin which taki was unable to save. hakada is not pure evil as might be expected and actually feels sorrow for the actions of his father against japan’s people. however hakada is still brain washed enough to think the ends justify the means and that his father plans to unite yoma,oni,and humans together for peaceful coexistance. hakada is a hair spinner oni that has all of his brother’s attacks. he also somewhat resents hikuri for he sees him as an inferior fighter. hikuri will fight hakada many times before their last epic conflict in which hakada gives his life to save his brother by pushing him out of the way of one of hideo’s fatal strikes.

common enemies

bokedomo: bokedomo are large powerful hairless humanoids with baleful red eyes and sharp teeth. most eat human flesh and attack with their bare claws.

restless dead : restless dead are undead soldiers that wield a variety of nasty weapons.

human soldier: misguided samurai that serve hideo in the hopes of attaining ultimate power. they are more intelligent than restless dead but also easier to kill.

fang hound: fang hounds are reptilain like draconic dogs from the yoma plane. most communicate by their errie howls. fang hounds are hard to put down. some can even breath flame.

ratling: humanoid creatures with the heads of rats...ratlings are clever and inginutive using large numbers and traps to overwhelm there foes.

goblin spider: giant spiders with a potent venom.

carrion hawk: carrion hawks look like nightmarish black birds with a large beak and only a single red eye. most travel in flocks of three and attack by pecking with there sharp beaks.

yoma asp: a large poisonous snake that moves quickly and swims through the ground like its water.

yoma crab: humungous crabs with a taste for human flesh...beware their giant claws.

shade ninjas: spectral ninjas made of shadows that are quick and lethal.

that’s all for now...comments and critiques welcomed!