Clockwise from the top right: General Doozor, Geist, Co-Dragons Dr. Grimm and Hackan
L-R on the bottom: Rico Maox, Zaku, Jenny Connor
L-R on the bottom: Rico Maox, Zaku, Jenny Connor
"The machines can't stop him. No one can stop the unstoppable."
Oniken is a 2012 retro 2D action platformer by Joymasher, made for PC in Multimedia Fusion 2. Set in a post-apocalyptic environment, it tells the story of Zaku and his quest against the eponymous Oniken organization, which rules the world with an iron fist.
In 2016 it got an Updated Re-release on GOG.com that has better compatibility with controllers, more graphical polish on certain characters and some gameplay changes.
This game features the following tropes:
- 1-Up: They're hidden in often obvious breakable walls. It's essential to collect them in Hardcore mode, as you begin with a single life and can't use continues.
- Action Girl: Jenny Connor proves to be every bit the badass Zaku is during Mission 7 which has her rescuing civilians. Unlike Zaku, who primarily relies on his sword and his grenades, Jenny is a Gunslinger.
- After the End: Oniken takes place in 20XX after a great war that ruined the civilized world.
- Another Side, Another Story: Stage 7, which is unlocked by clearing the game, features Jenny rescuing people while Zaku was fighting on Stage 2. She is armed with a gun and plays more like a Contra character.
- Antagonist Title: Oniken is the villains' evil organization.
- Anti-Frustration Features: You'll always have a minimum of three lives to work with when a level begins and the life gauge will get restored between each act. This doesn't apply to Hardcore mode, but at least the 1-Up items are still available there.
- Arm Cannon: The final boss has this. Against its first form, you have to shoot this part of the boss to disable it and leave its main body vulnerable.
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: This trailer for the Steam release
made by Marcelo Barbosa, creator of the Tcheco cartoons, is a spoof of Japanese game commercials."Toshinoto koreto... Tatsu! Haresineruta!" - Background Boss: At the end of stages 2, 3 and 4.
- Backtracking: The level design for Stage 1 once had a bit of this after the boss fight, but it's been changed in the Steam release.
- Battle in the Rain: Hackan is fought in the rain.
- Bears Are Bad News: One Mini-Boss, who turns out to be a robot bear.
- Big Bad: General Doozor.
- Boss Rush: Unlockable by clearing the game.
- But Now I Must Go: Once Oniken is defeated and his father is avenged, Zaku leaves the Resistance to return home.
- Co-Dragons: Apparently Dr. Grimm and Hackan.
- Cutscene Incompetence: Right before the final boss battle, Zaku is struck by a very telegraphed laser beam that takes quite a while to charge.
- Death Glare: Zaku, in the cutscene after Stage 2, appears surrounded by corpses and glaring into the distance.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: Mechanical enemies explode upon defeat, but human enemies can instead be bifurcated, beheaded, or gibbed.
- Difficult, but Awesome/Too Awesome to Use: Zaku can convert his powerups into a period of invincibility. Considering he loses powerups upon getting hurt and how difficult the levels are, when should you use it? Can you keep the powerups and trivialize a level's boss?
- Elevator Action Sequence: The last room of Stage 2 is a descending elevator.
- Exact Words: One Steam achievement requires you to save every hostage in Stage 7. Intentionally
or not, you don't fail this if a hostage you already untied is then killed by a time bomb. - Expy: Zaku resembles Kenshiro. Compare Zaku's face as shown during the opening◊ to the cool boxart for that bad Hokuto Game Boy fighting game.◊ Likewise, one could say Hackan looks like Raoh.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Zaku relies on his sword and grenades while Jenny is a Gunslinger.
- Hard Levels, Easy Bosses: Depends. The levels are difficult and all the bosses can be challenging, but if you have kept the Invincibility Powerup or a good stock of grenades, you can use them to easily defeat almost every boss in the game.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Zaku wields a "Heavy Blade".
- Invincibility Powerup: The powerup meter can be converted into invincibility if you have at least two units. While invincible, Zaku gains more range and power to make short work of any boss. It's quite a Game-Breaker, but as explained above, the risk of losing powerups by being hurt brings some balance to this feature.
- It's Personal with the Dragon: Hackan, one of the Co-Dragons, turns out to have a much more personal beef with Zaku than Big Bad Doozer. Since Hackan killed Zaku's father, and is an evil member of the same clan as Zaku.
- Mad Scientist: Grimm.
- Marathon Level: Stage 5 is much longer than the ones before it.
- Mirror Boss: Hackan uses sword attacks, granades and a powerup like Zaku's, as they're from the same warrior clan.
- Multiple Endings: Hardcore mode is said to feature a unique ending...
- Seems like Hackan is Not Quite Dead.
- Ninja: Those begin to appear as enemies in stage 4. Zaku and Hackan belong to their clan.
- Nintendo Hard: It's a retro game similar to Ninja Gaiden, so it's to be expected. Furthermore, the game features a Hardcore mode for those with the guts to beat the game in a single life, while unable to fight bosses recklessly due to a lack of life refills on checkpoints.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Upon being defeated, Hackan argues that Zaku isn't noble, since he murdered countless people in his quest to become stronger and achieve his revenge.
- One-Man Army: Zaku single-handedly turns the tides of war in favor of the resistance.
- One-Winged Angel: Doozor's first form only has one easily avoidable attack...then in his second form, he buffs up and gains a larger variety of attacks.
- Platform Battle: The Stage 2 boss has a platform moving around it so Zaku can reach the top target. During the boss battle in Stage 3, not only Zaku doesn't have much to stand on, the boss will sometimes melt part of the floor. Later, the boss fight in Stage 4 has Zaku on a moving platform dealing with the giant robot in the background.
- Post-Defeat Explosion Chain: Mechanical bosses explode repeatedly upon defeat.
- Production Foreshadowing: Jenny's bonus level plays like a Contra game, and so would Blazing Chrome in 2019.
- Retraux: It's got 8-bit graphics and audio.
- Rise to the Challenge: The final part of Stage 4 has rising fire with automated scrolling.
- Sequel Hook: The Hardcore Mode ending reveals that Hackan is still alive, and plotting his revenge.
- Shout-Out: Zaku is obviously based on Kenshiro, with a touch of Guts' swordmanship skills. The game's credits acknowledge this by listing Buronson and Kentaro Miura under Special Thanks.
- The 1-up items are cameos from Joymasher's past games and other brazilian games. For example, in Stage 2 you can collect the player ship from Proto Thunder. In Stage 7, the 1-up is the hero from Out There Somewhere.
- In Stage 7, an unreachable robot pig wearing a cape is seen. Is that you, Mr. Bree?
- Oniken's base is outright called "The Brain Palace."
- Steam achievements include "Death Force", "Most Dangerous", "Out There Somewhere", "Escape from L...the base", "Ice Climber" and "City Hunter".
- SkeleBot 9000: Dr. Grimm's Humongous Mecha, fought at the end of Stage 4, is this.
- Slasher Smile: Dr. Grimm's default expression.
- Stepping-Stone Sword: Used by Zaku to climb Grimm's mech in Stage 4's post-level cutscene.
- Sword Beam: Zaku can peform those if he collects powerups. Watch out so you don't get hurt and lose the ability.
- That Man Is Dead: Zaku was once named Kage before being defeated by Hackan.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The trailer for the Steam release features a remix of Warrior's Journey, the credits theme.
- Turns Red: Zaku while invincibility is active. Likewise, Hackan in his second phase, though he doesn't become invincible while powered up.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Zaku loses his armor upon taking a surprise hit from the Final Boss.
- Womb Level: Stage 5 has an organic area for the heck of it.
- You Killed My Father: Hackan killed Zaku's father to achieve his ambitions.
