Onimusha: Way of the Sword [REVIEW] – A Masterclass in Demonic Swordplay

It has been two full decades since we last got a proper mainline entry in the Onimusha franchise, and now, whilst on a hot streak of fantastic game releases, Capcom has finally pulled the trigger on a revival. Ditching the fixed camera angles of the PlayStation 2 era, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a modern, third-person action adventure set against the backdrop of Edo-period Kyoto. And you know what? It’s bloody brilliant.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Players take on the role of Miyamoto Musashi, who… gets brutally killed by the demonic Genma in the prologue. Yeah, not the ideal start, but fortunately, Musashi is dragged back from the afterlife and fused with a supernatural Oni Gauntlet to keep him breathing. As a man who has dedicated his entire life to pure sword mastery, he is predictably annoyed about having to rely on demonic magic, but this sets up a brilliant dynamic with Shizuka – the spirit living inside his new arm – who constantly clashes with his rough-and-ready personality, making for some comic moments that lighten up what can be a sinister and eerie experience. It all comes together to make for a genuinely engaging tale of man versus demon, and whilst there are a few moments where the pace can falter towards the middle, the wonderful cast of characters and thrilling set pieces ensure that it’ll still keep you hooked in right until the very end.

Of course, the heart and soul of this game is the combat, and believe me, Onimusha: Way of the Sword delivers. Admittedly, it does take a couple of hours for the fighting to truly reveal its hand, especially with your limited move set and a sheer demand for patience and timing from the player. But once you unlock a few skills and start upgrading your gear, it blossoms into one of the most satisfying systems Capcom has ever built.

“Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a fantastic revival of the franchise that once again proves that Capcom can seemingly do no wrong this console generation.”

Everything across combat is built around stamina. Slugging it out with standard light and heavy attacks chips away at a demon’s energy, but the real depth lies in your defensive options. Pulling off perfectly timed parries builds up your Blazing State, literally setting your katana on fire to dish out massive damage and drain enemy stamina even faster, whilst on the flip side, dodging unarmed strikes fills your Reflex meter, letting you unleash a swift combo that can stop a boss dead in their tracks. Then there is the returning Issen mechanic: a high-risk counterattack that absolutely ruins enemies if you time your strike right before they hit you. Once an enemy is completely drained of stamina, the game gives you a brilliant choice: you can target specific body parts or weapons to chop off, dictating whether the demon drops yellow souls to heal you, red souls to fund your upgrades, or blue souls to power your special magical attacks. It really is a brilliant system that never gets old… if anything, it just gets better and better the longer you play, which just emphasises how finely crafted it is.

The boss fights are easily the standout moments of the entire experience. They are massive, varied, and will ABSOLUTELY destroy you if you refuse to learn the move sets of your enemies and the right moment to pounce. I loved them, but they will probably stand out as a somewhat divisive element of Onimusha: Way of the Sword for those who aren’t looking for an experience that will kick their ass over and over again. Playing on the default difficulty is quite demanding, punishing you for a single missed parry, but at the same time, it helps make each victory all the more satisfying. It is worth noting that the game has a ‘Story’ difficulty setting that acts more like a standard normal mode and throws up handy button prompts to help you learn the intricate timing windows, but if I’m being honest, the challenge felt like a core part of the experience for me.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Outside of combat, you get to explore a sprawling hub version of Kyoto that slowly expands as you progress. It provides a great change of pace between the main linear levels, giving you a chance to hunt for upgrade materials for your weapons and charms, or increase your health pouches. Your gauntlet also levels up as you play, granting traversal perks like enhanced agility or the strength to smash through magical blockades, opening up additional methods of exploration the more you play. There are side missions scattered around the city too – they are a decent excuse to explore the map and soak in the atmosphere, though a few of the more generic fetch quests can feel like unneeded padding in a game that’s surprisingly meaty. Still, the fact that I simply loved playing the game meant I was happy to get stuck into all of the content it had to offer, with my playthrough coming in well over the twenty-hour mark by the end.

Visually, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a technical marvel in motion. I played on the PlayStation 5 Pro and had an incredibly smooth experience – it holds 60fps flawlessly, and if your television supports it, you can push it all the way to 120fps without breaking a sweat, all whilst keeping ray tracing enabled. The character animations, especially during intense sword clashes or when Musashi pulls a subtle facial expression, are top-class, strengthening the outstanding cinematic presence of the experience from start to end. Add to that a wonderful soundtrack that captures the eerie Japanese tone perfectly as well as some fantastic voice acting, and it’ll be clear that, once again, the RE Engine has absolutely delivered in this generation of consoles.

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Website: https://www.capcom-games.com/onimusha/ws/