I first noticed Onimusha: Way of the Sword finally yr’s Summer season Sport Fest, however I didn’t get to go hands-on with it myself till the Tokyo Sport Present. It was the finest sport I performed at a completely stacked present, so once I bought one other crack at it earlier this month, it didn’t disappoint. I’m not fairly positive it was the finest sport I noticed at SGF this yr – competitors was fierce between this, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Alien Isolation 2, and a few that I merely can’t discuss but – but it surely’s simply in the dialog.
My demo of Onimusha was a two-parter. The primary half was a hands-off presentation inside a theater. It was spectacular and featured a pair of boss battles I want I’d gotten to play. However an motion sport is just nearly as good because it feels, so I’m going to deal with my hands-on demo for this preview. And man, does Onimusha really feel good.
My demo dropped me right into a mission referred to as “Cautious What You Want For.” Musashi finds himself at Yasui Konpiragu Shrine, which has been overrun by Malice and is now the residence to a Genma who’s relieving shrinegoers of their burdens in a fairly deranged method. The primary lady I bumped into had come to the shrine as a result of she envied what she appeared upon. Can’t covet with out eyes, proper? So there’s your resolution. One other man got here to the shrine hoping to be rid of the ache in his knee. No knee, no ache. Downside solved. And two lovers who wished to be collectively ceaselessly are become dwelling dolls. Worst of all, all people appears fairly pleased about all this. One thing must be achieved, and Musashi is the one to do it. Musashi and Shizuka, the voice he hears in his gauntlet, determine the finest method to do that is to make contact with the soul of Yorimasa, an Oni who was revered as a hero in the mortal realm. However to do this, they’ll first want the assist of the Eight Stout Pillars. Downside is, there’s solely 5 of them of their shrine; the relaxation have been scattered round the shrine by people bewitched by the Genma. That is the place my demo actually begins.
Earlier than I get into that, although, I wish to rapidly pause and discuss Musashi himself. In the event you’re not conscious, Musashi is modeled after legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, who’s finest identified for his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa. You understand, the man who directed movies like Seven Samurai, Ran, Kagemusha, The Hidden Fortress, and Yojimbo. Onimusha has an extended historical past of utilizing the likenesses of actual actors for its characters (see Jean Reno in Onimusha 3), however what Capcom has achieved to seize Mifune is extremely spectacular. From his facial animations to the method he scratches his head to his iconic shoulder shrugs, Capcom has nailed Mifune’s mannerisms and transferred them to Musashi admirably.
Again to my hunt for the lacking Three Stout Pillars. Shizuka was there to information me, and Way of the Sword has a really beneficiant “Hey, observe the shiny ball of gentle to the goal” factor occurring for those who’re actually not into exploring your self (although you must, as a result of the shrine is neat), so it wasn’t precisely laborious to search out my lacking stone associates.
However the actual motivator right here is the fight. Motion video games need to really feel good, and Way of the Sword feels superb. Let’s get one thing straight out of the gate: Way of the Sword shouldn’t be that form of motion sport. It’s not Satan Could Cry and it’s not Ninja Gaiden. It shouldn’t be what I might name Combo Mad. What it’s as a substitute is deliberate. It’s bought the commonplace gentle assault/heavy assault combos that you simply’d anticipate from most non-Combo Mad motion video games, however the trick right here is you may transition between them seamlessly, and it feels incredible. What makes Onimusha particular, actually, is the defensive play. You may parry virtually any assault in Way of the Sword, opening them as much as retaliation. If that’s not your bag, you may deflect assaults, which builds up your foes’ stagger meter (and can be utilized to deflect projectiles). You’ve additionally bought your dodge, which is the solely method to keep away from grabs, and also you usually get a reasonably sick counter for timing them completely (generally known as a Reflex Dodge). In the event you’re feeling nasty, although, you may try an Issen counter, which requires you to assault simply earlier than your opponent’s assault lands.
Time it proper, and also you’ll execute lesser Genma on the spot, however time it mistaken and also you’ll get hit, so that you’ve both gotta know what’s coming and be assured in your reflexes or guess, and the latter is prone to get you killed for those who’re not paying consideration. Whenever you’re cooking, Way of the Sword feels unimaginable. You don’t actually struggle enemies a lot as transfer via them, you’re inspired to make use of these defensive methods.
Chaining collectively parries and deflects builds a meter that prompts Blazing State, which juices Musashi’s blade and causes enemies to drop extra blue souls when killed. There are three sorts of souls: yellow (well being) and purple (foreign money), however blue souls energy your Oni Armaments, highly effective weapons that may clear rooms or deal devastating strikes to single foes, supplied you have got sufficient souls to cost them up. Chaining Reflex Dodges opens up mighty Reflex Combos to essentially lay on the harm. After which you have got stuff like Blade Barrages, choreographed sequences when two blades mix that require you to press the proper assault to come back out on prime, or Blade Locks, the place you’ll need to overpower your foe. Way of the Sword offers you a ton of instruments to take care of these nasty Genma nonetheless you want, and that’s fairly rad. If I’ve one criticism about my time with it up to now, it’s that it could be too straightforward. I performed on the tougher of the two modes we had entry to throughout my demo, however the solely time I felt challenged was once I determined to not use therapeutic gadgets in any respect and rely strictly on yellow souls. Admittedly, I’m a bit of an motion sport junkie and this was a demo the place we had entry to issues Musashi wouldn’t have till a lot later in the sport, however as somebody who craves a problem, I hope Onimusha retains the hits coming.
After I’d rounded up the final of the lacking Stout Pillars, it was time for a showdown with the Genma holding the shrine hostage. His title was Rasho-gan. Nasty bugger. After I met him, he was in the course of of severing a girl from her fingers as a result of she didn’t wish to play the Shamisen anymore. She, like each different sufferer of the shrine, is overjoyed. He tries to sever Musashi’s arm, and almost will get away with it, however Musashi jogs my memory that he’s not getting something from him earlier than the struggle begins. Rasho-gan’s an incredible struggle; he examined my mastery of Musashi’s defensive methods. The trick was not committing an excessive amount of to attacking and letting him come to me. It felt a bit too straightforward at first, which of course was when a second well being bar appeared. He had some new tips – at one level he was dropping elements of the shrine on me like I used to be the Depraved Witch of the East – however the purpose was the identical. Hit these parries and deflects and Issens, money in for giant harm once I may, and keep away from overcommitting. I managed a reasonably comfy however contested win the first time, however I beat my demo with time to spare, so once I was requested if I’d love to do the struggle once more, I jumped at the probability. The second time, he barely touched me. Onimusha had let me show mastery, and I beloved it for that.
Typically, you permit a demo happy. However typically, you set down your controller with one other thought in thoughts: “Yeah, I may hold going.” If Capcom had let me, I might have performed Onimusha: Way of the Sword all day. However the experience’s gotta finish someday, and I used to be pleased with what I did get to see. Plus, I bought to struggle the boss twice. That guidelines. If Way of the Sword manages to take care of the high quality of the two demos I’ve performed for its full launch, Capcom may have one more hit in what looks as if an infinite string on their arms. Simply… do me a favor, yeah? I would like the next problem to fulfill my degeneracy. It’s a illness, and there’s just one treatment. In addition to, Musashi wouldn’t thoughts the extra problem, both.
Will Borger is an IGN freelancer. You’ll find him on Bluesky @edgarallanbro.