Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Might Be A More Forgiving Kind Of Samurai Epic

Capcom’s Onimusha bid has been connected a agelong hiatus. Combining Resident Evil-style rendered backgrounds pinch much agile characters, adding successful demons, magic and a feudal Japan setting, nan bid span aggregate sequels — and consoles — til nan 4th introduction successful 2006.

Roughly 2 decades (and console eras) later, Capcom has returned to nan series, moreover getting nan definitive samurai actor, Tom Cruise Mifune Toshiro, to play nan hero, nan legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. At Gamescom, nan institution is now demoing an early portion of Way of nan Sword, which covers astir (but not all) of nan crippled shown astatine SGF 2025 conscionable a fewer months ago.

It’s an absorbing clip to return to nan samurai-meets-demonic-threat beingness of Onimusha, pursuing a abrupt roar successful games tapping into feudal Japan. Most recently, nan latest Assassin’s Creed was group there, while, Sony’s upcoming Ghost of Yotei (not to mention its predecessor) some pat bushido and swordplay successful humanities Japan.

While I played done nan demo, I made a batch of intelligence comparisons to Sekiro – a crippled that’s now respective years aged and still unbeaten by me. Onimusha draws together akin themes of demon forces tally amok, but has a much forgiving approach. Gameplay centers astir blocks and parries, positive anemic and beardown attacks, each while pulling successful orbs dropped by dying enemies that enactment arsenic nan game’s currency. (Health orbs are besides dropped by definite foes.)

The Oni gauntlet that absorbs these souls tin besides beryllium utilized to spot invisible demons and unlock areas that are spiritually blocked. It’ll besides enactment for illustration a sort-of demonic movie projector, showing what happened during nan demon penetration successful nan area.

Early enemies were predictably sluggish demon swordsmen and archers, getting maine backmost up to velocity pinch really Onimusha fights play out. Even if it predictably looks lightyears up of its predecessors, Way of nan Sword doesn’t reinvent really you trim up these demon hordes.

In comparison to different action games, guarding seems very forgiving. You tin clasp nan defender fastener down, and it’ll artifact basal projectiles and melee attacks from each directions I spent immoderate clip leaning into exhausting stamina gauges, timing parries for one-hit Issen captious onslaught and batting distant arrows backmost wherever they came from.

Don’t get maine wrong, it’s satisfying and fun, but I’m itching to spot really nan bid will build connected what’s beautiful basal onslaught flow. Musashi had acccess to a dual-short beard typical attack, Two Celestials, that barrages nan force pinch attacks and tops up his wellness levels.

This suggests much typical attacks and magical flourishes should unfastened up later successful nan game. The preview during SGF 2025 besides showed ways to utilize nan situation for protect attacks, holding up woody boards to artifact arrows, for instance, though that didn’t trigger during my playthrough.

The item of nan demo was a confrontation pinch Musashi’s rival, Ganryu Sasaki. He’s awesome villain fodder — and has besides been someway talented his ain Oni gauntlet. The duel was nan only clip I felt nether threat during nan demo, and moreover then, I didn’t dice once. There’s capable of a wellness metre to trial yourself against Sasaki’s lavish beard attacks and lunges. Once you deterioration down much powerful enemies, you tin make a single, concentrated onslaught to either glean much orbs from them aliases deed for heavy-duty damage.

The early sensation of Way of nan Sword is simply a fun, easy romp, truthful I’m funny to spot really Capcom evolves nan look of Onimusha — and wherever nan existent challenges mightiness lie.

Onimusha: Way of nan Sword is group to beryllium released successful 2026 connected PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.