Onimusha has long been Capcom’s most idiosyncratic series. One of the games (Demon Siege) stars acclaimed actor Jean Reno as a modern French soldier who time-travels back to Feudal Japan. In another, you have to find an ancient plane that looks like a dragonfly. While every Onimusha game feels markedly different, there’s a goofy tonal undercurrent that unites them all — a distinct personality. My latest hands-on with Way of the Sword has convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is an Onimusha game through and through, and has the strong potential to be the best the series has ever seen. Even further, it was my absolute favorite thing I played at all of Summer Game Fest.
My demo took place partway into the game, with Musashi venturing through a decimated village overrun by the demon-like Genma, in particular, a brand-new and absurdly creepy boss Genma named Rasho-gan. There was a little more story packed into this demo than the last ones I’d played, transporting me from the blasting village to a kind of, let’s say, Jujutsu Kaisen Domain Expansion, where the village looks like an idyllic paradise and the people have had their worries satiated.
The way this new boss, Genma, erases people’s worries, however, is by taking one of their key faculties or body parts. One woman is worried about having to compare herself to more beautiful women forever, so the demon takes her eyes, meaning she’ll never have to compare herself to others again. Another is tortured by her oppressive mentor, forcing her to constantly practice the Shamisen, causing her fingers to bleed — so the demon takes her fingers. It’s genuinely haunting to see these people pleased at being hacked apart like meat, all because of the intoxicating influence of this Genma.
And that’s inherently Onimusha. The series has always had intensely memorable one-off bosses, grotesque creatures that twist and warp what we know about humanity. I also really liked the slow-drip reveal of this boss, as he’s initially cloaked in shadow with just his blindingly white teeth visible. But once you finally confront him, you find a truly horrific homunculus of muscle with body parts, fingers, and organs grafted over the top. But part of what makes things so fun is how straightforwardly Musashi approaches everything — a gruff, grumbling “I’m sick of this shit” protagonist who just wants to get everything over with. Juxtaposed against that backdrop of horror are some slapstick humor moments, like Musashi floundering to get his boat to move because he doesn’t know what an oar is or how to use it. In terms of story and vibe, I got a much better feel for what this game is going for and how it’s bringing back the intoxicating mix of horrifying and hilarious that has made the series so special. In a hands-off demo, I also got a look at a new character, Izuno no Okumi, who’s based on the actual real-life person who invented Kabuki Dance.
I’m not going to dive too far into the combat, as there’s an actual demo you can play right now to experience it — but the more I play, the further into the game, I can say it feels like it’s growing nicely. But the focus is squarely on timing and parrying, figuring out when to swap between defence and offence. There’s a really nice ebb and flow to combat, especially when you’re flanked by multiple enemies. This demo also gave me the chance to try out a new Oni Weapon, a massive, double-ended spear that let me whip it around in a tornado. If you’ve played Onimusha 2, it feels almost exactly like the ice spear Hyoujin-Yari. Basic enemies aren’t inherently challenging on their own, but, much like Resident Evil, it’s often more about resource and health management. A basic Genma may not give you a memorable showdown, but a hit or two might prove deadly when you’ve got another twelve to fight.
But where the combat really shone was in that boss fight with Rasho-gan. An expectedly tense, multi-phase fight, Rasho-gan has distinct and devastating abilities that require split-second timing to parry or dodge. But this fight uses a ton of the game’s mechanics. Of course, there’s parrying everything, but at one point, the boss picks up a building with a tentacle. If you quickly shoot an arrow at the tentacle, the building will crash down onto his head, briefly stunning Rasho-gan. The main thing I really enjoyed, however, was the same thing I appreciated about the other boss fight with Sasaki in last year’s demo: how cinematic it feels while remaining mechanically satisfying.
To be clear, these are full boss battles without heavily scripted moments. But the way Onimusha frames its action and smartly uses its camera makes every battle feel like a big “moment.” Much like Devil May Cry, it’s one of those action games that simply makes you feel cool when you pull off crazy moves, a last-second deflection, or a desperate sword clash that opens up the enemy for a combo. The feel of Way of the Sword is absolutely impeccable — and probably the aspect of the game I’m most interested to see expand in the full experience.
This is the fourth time I’ve played Way of the Sword now, and at this point, nearly any worry I might have had has been squashed. The difficulty feels like it strikes a nice balance between approachable and challenging; the combat shines in boss battles, and the inherent goofiness of Onimusha is there in all its glory.
While the Onimusha series has long been a favorite of mine, I fully appreciate that it’s not one of Capcom’s more widely known. But with Way of the Sword, it feels like Capcom has found a way to give the series its broadest appeal ever — one that modernizes the action experience while keeping the franchise’s tenets alive. And even with the unbelievable run the company has been on, I think Way of the Sword could really be one of the standouts.
