Onimusha: Way of the Sword

A few years ago, the idea of samurai games - or indeed any action games set in ancient Asia - felt like a virtually unexplored concept. Modern or futuristic shooters, where we spent half the game crouching behind knee-high walls, were far more common. Japanese developers fell slightly behind as Western studios innovated and advanced gaming technology to a level never before seen. Having played Assassin's Creed II in 2009, I felt the obvious direction for a sequel would be to look towards feudal Japan, but Ubisoft chose instead to head in the opposite direction on the globe. Ninja Gaiden II, which on its own merits was an excellent action game, wasn't quite enough to satisfy my hunger for more historical samurai gameplay. Quite simply, that wasn't the direction the gaming industry was heading in at the time.

But trends, as we know, come and go, and the situation looks very different today. Asian game development is probably more vibrant than ever, and that appetite for samurai games I mentioned, it has been sated more than enough to last a generation. We've seen this sort of sword-swinging Asian action not only from Japanese, Chinese, and Korean developers, but also from Western studios such as Sucker Punch, which has given us its take on the concept, inspired by classic Akira Kurosawa films like Seven Samurai. These days, I feel a bit the same way about these games as I did about those "sit-in-cover shooters" fifteen years ago: new ones are announced seemingly every other week, and the idea doesn't excite me in the same way as it used to, in a world where we've been treated to Ghost of Tsushima, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Nioh, and what I consider to be the concept at its absolute best, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Despite this, I was still really keen on the return of Onimusha as Way of the Sword drew nearer, and the reason for that is, quite simply, "Capcom". In my opinion, they are currently the world's best developer and publisher of AAA games. After a dark period of identity crises and missteps, they've been an incredibly strong force in the gaming world for almost ten years, delivering one brilliant game after another in an era where virtually all their competitors are making fools of themselves with massive financial investments in games nobody wants, obscene development times, and an unsustainable chase after trends. This year alone, they've managed to squeeze out a really strong Resident Evil Requiem as well as the surprising Pragmata, and it's with great pleasure that I can tell you Onimusha: Way of the Sword is also a cracking game well worth your time, if you're willing to overlook a few flaws.

If there's one thing I love doing in action games, it's parrying attacks with pinpoint precision to turn an enemy's momentum against them. The sound of swords clashing, the instant gratification of a well-timed parry, it does something to me, tickling my reptilian brain in a way that makes my mouth water. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a game all about that kind of constant dopamine rush, and it features a superb combat system that lets me do it in more ways than I've seen in any similar game before. To begin with, it's kept fairly simple, and the game teaches you to parry sword attacks, which throws the enemy off balance and gives you the chance to land your own sword strikes, and to completely dodge unarmed attacks, which in turn charges up a gauge that, once full, allows you to unleash an extra-destructive counter-attack. Just as in Sekiro, the idea is for the player to deplete the enemy's stamina gauge through both strong defence and bold attacks, and once that gauge is empty, your opponent is left completely open to a "finisher" that usually results in instant death. The animation work is superb right from the start; your character has different parry animations depending on the direction the attack comes from, finishers are delightfully satisfying, and the enemies' attacks are intuitively readable so that you can counter them in the most appropriate way.

It doesn't take long, however, before the game reveals more and more of its depth in combat. I was delighted to discover I could incorporate the surroundings into my strategy, parrying enemies so that they collide with each other or with objects in the environment is a quick way to deplete their health bars. Old wooden tables can be used as cover against arrows and then hurled at any creature of your choice, and if you spot an abandoned cart, you can use it as a battering ram, often resulting in a string of crushed monster skulls. The game's most rewarding attack is also its riskiest; so-called "Issen" attacks are performed by pressing the attack button at the exact moment an enemy attack is about to hit you. The timing is strict, and you're left completely exposed to damage if you miss, but if you succeed, you land a devastating blow that can cleave ordinary enemies in two. All in all, Way of the Sword offers mechanically intricate yet intuitive combat that, even in its most basic form, never becomes tedious.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is at its best in its boss battles, as this is where its combat system really comes into its own. The repertoire of eccentric swordsmen, lumbering naginata warriors, and grotesque monsters that make up the game's roster of bosses are all memorable, flawlessly animated, and skilfully designed. They once again bring to mind Sekiro, where I work tirelessly to deliver the right counter to the right attack in order to slowly but surely chip away at not only the health bar but also the aforementioned stamina bar. Once the latter is depleted, time stands still for a moment, revealing several weak points, colour-coded for different purposes. A hit on a red point deals a hefty amount of damage to the boss, whilst a blue point gives you extra souls to scoop up, which, amongst other things, is great for replenishing your own health when the going gets tough. The feeling when you realise you've finally got the hang of a boss's movement and attack patterns, when it's really second nature, it's deeply thrilling.

The story begins with the introduction of our protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, an honour-bound and skilled swordsman whose life comes to a sudden end when he encounters a horde of monsters that do not belong in the human world. In hell itself, he meets a gentleman dressed in white who gives him a magical combat gauntlet capable of absorbing souls like a Dyson hoover, allowing Musashi to return to the world of the living to continue his bloody adventure. It soon becomes clear that the seemingly generous old man from hell isn't the sort who bobs in a rocking chair and hands out sweets, but rather the sort who'd happily chop your head off and gleefully dance on your corpse. Along the way, Musashi meets new allies and even more enemies, and is forced to come to terms with his own shortcomings. So, pretty standard stuff.

Unfortunately, I can't say I'm as enthusiastic about the story as I am about the game's combat. The characters are generally forgettable, their motivations and backstories rather banal, and the execution of the premise is as tried-and-tested and hackneyed as it gets at this stage. Right at the start of the game, you get a glimpse of a playfulness and cinematic edge that then completely vanishes from the narrative until the final third of the adventure, and I can't help but wish the game had held on to that playfulness a bit more firmly than it does, because there's no interesting substitute when it's absent. But sure, the narrative serves perfectly well as a driving force for the player to push forward, and the main villain is suitably despicable to the extent that you at least look forward to seeing him get a good old-fashioned thrashing, and when that confrontation finally happens, I'm not left disappointed.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword isn't structured like an open-world game or a strictly linear one, but is somewhere in between. It's open but sectioned, with eastern Kyoto serving as the main hub world to which you'll return repeatedly throughout your journey to undertake side quests, expand the explorable area and search for upgrade resources in the world's many nooks and crannies. It's somewhat reminiscent of the more open levels in, say, Resident Evil Village, though on a slightly larger scale. Occasionally, Musashi is sent out to other, more linear levels, and sometimes the player even has to solve the odd puzzle here and there. Unfortunately, however, there's a lack of meaningful gameplay moments that don't involve combat. The fact there are actually a few puzzles in the game has the unfortunate effect of highlighting just what's missing; I find it strange there's been no ambition to round off the game's wonderful sword-fighting action with more challenging problem-solving elements.

The side quests are another weak point here, as it's rare for them to involve anything more exciting than backtracking to previously explored areas and slaying new enemies that have appeared there since your last visit. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is undoubtedly at its weakest when you're not actively following the main storyline, and this becomes a problem as around half of the 30 hours it took me to reach the game's end credits were spent on side activities. The majority of the resources you need to unlock new and exciting abilities are earned through these, so it never feels like a reasonable option to ignore them. Unfortunately, the game as a whole is characterised by rather repetitive design, and this even extends to the game's strongest aspect: the bosses. You'll face some of them so many times that you'll learn to beat them in your sleep. It's just as well that the bosses are absolutely brilliant, because whilst there's no denying that Capcom has reused them extensively, I never once got tired of giving them a proper battering.

The central foundation upon which Onimusha: Way of the Sword is built - the combat system on which the entire experience is based - is as solid as bedrock, but everything else, including mission design, enemy variety, world structure, progression, and level design can't quite compete with the titans of the genre. Unfortunately, the game finds itself in a gaming landscape where this sort of experience has been in abundance, and so it really needed to be exceptional in more respects.

That said, it's never actually bad, and at its best, it's absolutely fantastic. I certainly wish Capcom had managed to deliver a complete package that measures up across the board, but I truly admire the strengths they display here and can say with certainty they've created the best combat system in any game I've played so far in 2026. For people like me, that goes a very long way, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword is one of those games I love despite its obvious flaws and issues.