Onimusha: Way of the Sword is, on one hand, a demanding motion sport constructed round intense boss fights. On the different, it is surprisingly forgiving on the subject of mowing down common enemies, letting you dispatch them virtually nevertheless you want. These two seemingly contradictory philosophies coexist all through the sport, typically overlapping in ways in which make it straightforward to misconceive at first—however additionally they kind one of its biggest strengths.
After the public demo that includes Kiyomizu-dera Temple, many gamers got here away saying the sport felt too straightforward—at the least till they reached Sasaki Ganryu, the boss ready on the well-known stage of Kiyomizu’s most important corridor.
I’ve all the time felt that motion video games constructed round fight usually provide one of two varieties of satisfaction. The first is the thrill of overcoming seemingly not possible opponents by way of persistence and mastery. The second is the pleasure of defeating enemies with type—making each encounter look as cool as potential.
Most motion video games lean closely towards one or the different, however Onimusha: Way of the Sword could also be one of the uncommon exceptions that embraces each equally.
Fashion over substance?
Very like Sifu, Onimusha: Way of the Sword dynamically adjustments fight animations relying on the positioning of each the participant and the enemy. Purposely guarding whereas your again is turned or luring enemies near a wall triggers distinctive contextual animations that make each encounter really feel cinematic.
In contrast to Sifu, positioning is not a core strategic mechanic, however it does give gamers exceptional freedom to choreograph trendy sword fights. As Miyamoto Musashi, you’ll be able to elegantly deflect assaults from just about any course, creating the impression of a superhuman swordsman effortlessly dealing with each risk.
The sport’s one-handed and two-handed assaults basically perform as mild and heavy assaults. When each combatants assault concurrently, they conflict in a mechanic known as Blade Barrage. Switching from a one-handed assault to a two-handed one—or vice versa—permits you to win the alternate, leading to one other satisfyingly cinematic sequence.
Parries have change into a staple of trendy motion video games, however Onimusha: Way of the Sword options two distinct defensive mechanics: Deflect and Parry.
Parry works just like different motion video games. Use the guard button with exact timing, and you may stagger your opponent, creating a gap for a counterattack.
Deflect, nevertheless, works otherwise. By holding the guard button and urgent the DualSense controller’s X button at the second an enemy assaults, you’ll be able to safely intercept incoming blows whereas dramatically lowering the enemy’s Stamina gauge. This gauge features very similar to the Posture meter in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: as soon as it is fully depleted, you will have a possibility to unleash a devastating assault.
That creates an fascinating determination throughout each struggle. Do you prioritize creating a right away opening by way of Parry, or concentrate on breaking the enemy’s Stamina gauge with Deflect?
The two mechanics do not simply deepen fight—additionally they make each encounter look spectacular. In line with director Satoru Nihei, Parry and Deflect function over 300 distinctive animations, altering relying on the enemy’s measurement and sort.
After which there’s Issen, the mechanic that has all the time outlined Onimusha.
Issen is a devastating counterattack triggered by placing at the precise second an enemy assaults. It is flashy, immensely satisfying to tug off, and immediately kills most traditional enemies. The catch is that its timing window is tight and a failed try will put the participant at a excessive danger. Greater than anything, Issen encapsulates each the brilliance and the issue of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It represents the collection’ distinctive stability between danger, reward, and magnificence.
Issen is the very definition of excessive danger, excessive reward. But in opposition to peculiar enemies, there’s little sensible purpose to aim it, as they’re straightforward sufficient to defeat by way of standard assaults, so gamers targeted purely on effectivity can merely ignore the mechanic right here.
Boss fights nevertheless, make the danger of using Issen even better. Lacking the timing typically ends in taking huge injury, and since the bosses themselves are already difficult, I hardly ever felt I had the luxurious of making an attempt an Issen throughout my hands-on session. Different journalists at the occasion shared comparable experiences, with a number of telling me that they had merely “given up attempting to make use of Issen in opposition to bosses.”
So if it is pointless in opposition to common enemies and infrequently too dangerous in opposition to bosses, what objective does Issen actually serve?
The reply, I feel, is easy: it appears to be like bad-ass.
Most of the time, making an attempt an Issen is not the most effective technique. However once you pull it off, the payoff is immensely satisfying—not solely as a result of it feels trendy, however as a result of there’s all the time the chance of an enormous reward. At first look, Issen appears designed primarily for gamers who need to showcase, but mastering it in the end turns into one of the sport’s biggest challenges.
A Little Smarter Than the Genma
Throughout this hands-on session, I explored a brand-new space known as the Oni Refuge. Whereas the phrase Oni itself is Japanese for demon or ogre, in Onimusha, the Oni are depicted as an historical, supernatural race of religious beings in battle with the evil Genma faction. The Oni Refuge is a spot created by the Oni to hunt the Genma.
The space begins inside a cave repaired with kintsugi – a Japanese methodology of repairing damaged pottery with powdered gold – earlier than opening right into a surreal panorama the place huge rocks and fragments of ruined shrines and temples float by way of the sky. In contrast to levels based mostly on real-world places, that is unapologetically fantasy. It is unsettling, mysterious, and possesses a uniquely Japanese sense of magnificence.
The degree design additionally takes benefit of the setting in ways in which merely would not be potential in a sensible surroundings.
Early in the stage, Musashi acquires the Oni Bow, a magical bow with a limiteless provide of arrows. From that time on, it turns into the centerpiece of the space’s design. Easy environmental puzzles have you ever taking pictures huge boulders simply as enemies stroll beneath them, or firing at large cubes blocking your path to clear the manner ahead.
At one level, Musashi quips, “There is not any manner a Genma mind might remedy a puzzle like this.”
I used to be relieved to find that I am at the least barely smarter than a Genma. That stated, anybody hoping for elaborate puzzle-solving might come away upset. In comparison with Capcom’s different latest releases, Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword feels a lot nearer to a pure motion sport. Exploration exists, however it’s in all probability finest considered as a complement to the fight slightly than a defining function.
Fight inside the Oni Refuge is basically designed round inventive makes use of of the Oni Bow, making its environmental interactions really feel like a pure extension of the motion slightly than a break from it.
Boss Battles Reinvent Soul Absorption
At the finish of the Oni Refuge awaits Daidara, a big man-eating Genma. In contrast to Sasaki Ganryu, the humanoid boss featured in the demo, Daidara is a towering monster. Its sweeping membership assaults and charging assaults are comparatively straightforward to learn, however getting caught by one offers great injury.
The most fascinating side of the struggle, nevertheless, is not the monster itself—it is the way it transforms one of Onimusha’s oldest mechanics. Soul Absorption has all the time been one of the defining options of the collection. After defeating enemies, Musashi can take up the souls they depart behind utilizing his Oni Gauntlet by urgent L2. Totally different-colored souls restore well being, fill particular assault gauges, or grant expertise factors. To be sincere, it is a system that has remained largely unchanged since the PlayStation 2 period, and by trendy requirements it doesn’t really feel notably fascinating.
Daidara adjustments that fully. The gluttonous beast can take up souls as nicely. If it manages to eat them earlier than you do, its abdomen swells and it powers up, turning Soul Absorption right into a frantic race between participant and boss.
As a result of Daidara hardly ever lets up its offensive strain, you are always pressured to dodge and defend whereas concurrently attempting to soak up souls earlier than it may. Even when it does reach powering up, although, all is not misplaced. By relentlessly attacking its enlarged abdomen, you’ll be able to get better an enormous quantity of the souls it consumed.
It is a intelligent evolution of a traditional mechanic. Soul Absorption nonetheless feels unmistakably Onimusha, however it additionally positive factors a degree of interactivity that makes it really feel surprisingly contemporary in 2026. Earlier video games featured enemies like Gyaran that would steal souls from the participant, however by no means in a manner that created such a significant back-and-forth throughout a serious boss struggle.
In line with director Satoru Nihei, Daidara is not the solely boss that offers Soul Absorption its personal distinctive twist, which has me trying ahead to discovering what the relaxation of the sport has in retailer.
Motion Over Exploration
After the Oni Refuge stage, I returned to the Rokudo-chinnoji Temple, the participant’s central hub. Ringing the temple bell transports you to a separate dimension the place you’ll be able to revisit fight tutorials and rematch beforehand defeated bosses. It is also a handy place to follow methods you’ve got simply discovered. Apparently, Deflect—which was accessible from the begin in the demo—is definitely unlocked later in the full sport.
From Rokudo-chinnoji, I ventured into Kyoto, a wide-linear space that serves as the sport’s main exploration zone, finishing a number of most important quests alongside the manner. Most of the common enemies right here weren’t notably threatening, making these sections really feel like a welcome breather between the extra demanding boss encounters. Earlier than lengthy, I discovered myself making an attempt Issen once more—not as a result of I needed to, however just because it was enjoyable to struggle stylishly.
Random occasions the place villagers are attacked by Genma may also happen right here. Saving them rewards you with gadgets, whereas failing means they actually do die. These occasions are fairly simple, and I’ve to confess it already started feeling repetitive throughout my three-hour hands-on session.
There are different non-obligatory exploration components as nicely, together with hidden gadgets scattered all through the world. One reward I notably appreciated was the capacity to unlock extra outfits for Musashi, though that is not unique to the wide-linear areas.
Even so, I would not say exploring Kyoto itself was particularly thrilling. What stayed with me wasn’t the exploration, however the boss struggle in opposition to Rasho-gan, whom I encountered at the Yasui Konpiragu Shrine inside the space.
Slicing Ties
I had already fought Rasho-gan again at Summer time Sport Fest in June, the place my demo ended with the irritating feeling that I had been only one step away from victory.
Because it seems, I wasn’t shut in any respect, as Rasho-gan has a second section. The truth is, each boss I’ve fought in Onimusha: Way of the Sword appears to have a second section. Correctly in a well-crafted motion sport, every boss dramatically adjustments its assault patterns as the struggle progresses. As soon as Rasho-gan enters its second section, it begins utilizing a difficult seize assault that caught me time and again.
What I additionally recognize is that, very similar to Daidara’s Soul Absorption battle, every boss introduces its personal distinctive gameplay twist. Rasho-gan masquerades as a deity of matchmaking and damaged relationships, and its physique is sure collectively by mystical threads. By actually reducing these bonds, you’ll be able to quickly weaken the boss.
Rasho-gan proved to be a formidable opponent, taking me fairly a number of makes an attempt to defeat. Little by little, I discovered its wide selection of assault patterns and finally realized that counting on Deflect was far simpler than attempting to Parry. It was the type of satisfying victory that solely comes from a well-designed boss struggle—one the place you’ll be able to genuinely really feel your self bettering with every try.
After lastly bringing Rasho-gan down, I returned to carving by way of common enemies with ease, and that is once I realized what makes Onimusha: Way of the Sword really feel so totally different from its friends.
Its bosses are each bit as demanding as these present in a Soulslike, however the journey between them is not constructed round fixed punishment. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a sport that manages to problem the participant with out turning into exhausting, permitting the sport to shift naturally between moments of intense focus and alternatives to easily take pleasure in trendy swordplay.
Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan.