Over the past few years, Capcom’s Onimusha series has been taking its supporters on quite a ride. Following the remastered version of the first game in 2018, there was an extended period of silence. This left many Onimusha enthusiasts feeling a sense of disappointment and uncertainty about the future of the series, a sentiment that resonated with fans after a prolonged lull following the 2006 release of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. However, in November 2023, there were hints of revival with the announcement of a Netflix Onimusha TV show, although it didn’t quite match the expectations of die-hard Onimusha fans.
Throughout 2024, Onimusha faithful persevered through hardships, but their persistence paid off in the end. As the year drew to a close, they rejoiced over the announcement of a fresh installment in the Onimusha series titled Onimusha: Way of the Sword. In addition, it was revealed the following February that a remastered version of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny was forthcoming. Just last month, this remaster was finally released at the end of May.
Capcom has made it clear that Onimusha is making its return, and while I’m hoping for updated versions of Onimusha 3: Demon Siege and Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (my top pick), I’m equally eager to see what a fresh installment in the series will bring. This year at Summer Game Fest, Capcom gave us a sneak peek at Onimusha: Way of the Sword, as I watched it being played live.
Similar to past Onimusha installments, the latest title in Capcom’s samurai action series features a renowned historical figure whose character is based on a well-known actor. In this instance, players assume the role of the legendary Musashi Miyamoto, modeled after the late, acclaimed actor Toshiro Mifune. Western audiences primarily recognize Mifune for his roles in several films directed by Akira Kurosawa, such as “Seven Samurai,” “Yojimbo,” “Rashomon,” and many others.
In the demo of Onimusha: Way of the Sword that I watched, it recaptures the vintage atmosphere of playing earlier Onimusha games. Similar to previous titles, defeating Genma demons will cause different-colored soul orbs to appear which players must gather by drawing them into Musashi’s Oni Gauntlet personally. The color of these orbs determines their function: gold orbs restore health, red orbs serve as currency for other upgrades (the details weren’t discussed in the presentation), while blue orbs undergo a major transformation in this installment.
In previous games, players would fill a magic meter with blue orbs to cast spells. However, Way of the Sword appears to have either replaced or expanded this system by introducing skill techniques. During the demonstration, Musashi demonstrated his proficiency with the katana as his primary weapon and utilized a skill where he temporarily switched to wielding a pair of dual swords. Unlike other skills that are on a cooldown timer, this one filled a skill gauge which determined when it could be used again. It’s unclear if magic spells have been completely removed or simply not yet shown in the gameplay demo.
In the latest Way of the Sword game, one fascinating feature they’ve brought back from previous Onimusha games is that enemies can now use soul orbs too. If players fail to collect these orbs, nearby Genma may consume them instead, gaining power and learning new attacks as a result. For example, a flying Genma demon might start launching new projectile attacks more often after absorbing several soul orbs, and could even perform a self-destruct move when it attaches to Musashi’s head. This mechanic offers the potential for exciting changes in battle dynamics, as players may find themselves deliberately exposing themselves briefly to collect orbs, thereby preventing enemies from gaining an advantage by doing so.
In Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny and again in Way of the Sword, the Issen system comes back. When an adversary prepares to attack Musashi, players have the option to counter with a swift forward attack. This move triggers a technique that instantly eliminates minor enemies and heavily damages stronger ones for Musashi. In addition, the Chain Issen mechanic is also present in Way of the Sword. If an Issen is performed on a group of enemies, players can maintain their Issen assault, as time slows down after each strike, allowing them to selectively target remaining enemies one by one.
One key insight I gained from watching the Way of the Sword gameplay demo is that Capcom has intentionally created a more somber visual ambiance compared to other games in the series, emphasizing the intense violence of its battles. Notably, character Musashi can block attacks from any direction, so he doesn’t necessarily need to face his adversaries directly. When Musashi’s sword clashes with an opponent, sparks burst forth and momentarily illuminate the screen.
In his battles against the Genma demons, Musashi typically delivers the final strike with great brutality and ferocity. His sword, the katana, was depicted in numerous distinctive ways, slicing through the bodies of Genma demons. On one occasion, he even split a Genma demon cleanly in half from its head to its stomach. The sound design of Way of the Sword emphasizes the power behind each killing blow, as Musashi’s katana precisely and forcefully carved through them.
As I delved deeper into Way of the Sword, Capcom strategically kept the story under wraps to avoid spoilers. Yet, during gameplay, there were instances where something ominously known as the Black Mass was hinted at. While advancing through the game’s linear stages, sections filled with a dark mist would appear, enveloping me and allowing me to witness haunting memory flashbacks of how the Genma terrorized the land’s people. One chilling vision I encountered depicted the Genma forcing innocent residents to hurl each other off a towering pagoda.
Musashi engaged in a battle against his long-time adversary, Ganryu Kojiro, at this temple, who was recently featured in the new trailer for Sword’s Path. I find it intriguing that Capcom opted to use the ‘Ganryu’ moniker instead of the more commonly used ‘Sasaki Kojiro’ in historical texts as Musashi’s rival is often referred to. In the game, Ganryu wields an Oni Gauntlet and appears to be intoxicated by its power. It’s noteworthy that in this game, players can observe the boss’s health bar, a feature that didn’t arrive in the series until Dream’s Dawn.
During the fight between Capcom’s Way of the Sword demonstrator and Ganryu, a secondary health-like bar appeared below the boss’s HP. When Ganryu’s posture fills up, there’s a temporary pause in the battle that offers two color-coded choices to the player: red and purple. These options highlight different parts of Ganryu. Selecting red causes substantial damage to Ganryu’s health, whereas purple deals less damage but provides a good number of colored orbs for the player to utilize. If players are running low on health or need to build up their skill bars, choosing purple might be more advantageous than the high-damage red option based on the circumstances. Each choice triggers a unique special attack animation, as Musashi focuses on the specific body part that each choice highlights.
Following the defeat of Ganryu, Musashi moved slightly deeper into the stage, entering what appeared to be a “boss battle zone.” Upon arrival, an intriguing event unfolded as the Genma boss demon, Byakue, emerged from a fissure in reality within this area. Despite being noticeably larger than Ganryu, the Capcom presenter effortlessly dispatched the boss, and the posture bar system I mentioned earlier remained consistent throughout the encounter.
The classification of Way of the Sword as a “Soulslike” is uncertain, but its visual style and rhythm could lead contemporary gamers to make that assumption. I deliberately avoided certain small shrine-like locations in the game, which appeared interactive, yet it’s unclear if they function like bonfires or shrines found in Souls and Nioh games. The early Onimusha games were primarily action titles with the fixed isometric camera angles reminiscent of classic Resident Evil. It wasn’t until Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams that the series began to evolve into an action RPG, although earlier Onimusha titles did contain some RPG elements.
I’m pleased that the fundamental aspects of Onimusha remain unchanged in its new presentation, Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Although the combat sequences appear more graphically intense than previous versions, it still feels like classic Onimusha. The aspect I’m curious about is whether Musashi will only wield a katana throughout the game or if additional weapon types will be introduced as well. Capcom has plenty of time to address this question since Way of the Sword isn’t scheduled for release until 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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2025-06-11 17:56