Onimusha: Way of the Sword marks the return of a franchise that has been dormant for nearly two decades. The series faded when action-arcade titles dominated, and now it reemerges into a landscape shaped by parry-focused Soulslikes. Capcom’s new entry attempts to bridge those eras, delivering demon-slaying combat built around precision-timed swordplay that should appeal to Elden Ring fans.
The outcome lands as more hit than miss. The fighting is largely satisfying, allowing for frantic button-mashing during chaotic moments while rewarding, and frequently demanding, careful timing. However, the further you progress, the more the game’s repetition and frustrating boss design begin to wear on the experience. Expertly deflecting a demon’s attacks before cutting it down feels great, but running through the same encounters against basic enemies while moving between similar tasks grows tiresome.
A Fantastical Take on Historical Japan
Arriving amid a wave of games set in feudal Japan, including 2019’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, along with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows and Ghost of Yotei, Onimusha distinguishes itself through a fantastical retelling of real historical figures. Players take on the role of the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, depicted here in his younger, rougher years. He is gifted with the blade but crude in manner, convinced that strength matters above all else.
An untimely death at the hands of demons, followed by rebirth through the series’ iconic soul-gathering Oni gauntlet, pulls Musashi into a war against the demon horde threatening the human world. Several companions push the loner to soften his rough edges. These include Shizuka, an elegant Oni trapped within his gauntlet; Takamura, an imposing and wise warrior carrying his own spirit gauntlet; and Okuni, a nimble kabuki dancer seeking vengeance for her troupe. The ghost of famed author Murasaki Shikibu also sends Musashi out to resolve the peasantry’s problems, gathering material for her tales and rescuing her fluffy, story-carrying spirit hounds.
A Story Built Around Rivalry and Redemption
Much of the plot follows Musashi’s pursuit of the samurai general Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who has seized control of Hell with his demon Genma army and unleashed them across Japan. Yoshitsune is the one who revives the young swordsman with an Oni gauntlet, and he grants the same power to Ganryu, a self-proclaimed rival who becomes dangerously obsessed with his gauntlet’s abilities.
Ganryu serves as a dark reflection of Musashi in the shared pursuit of strength, though the hero is steadied by the nobler influence of his new allies. In one tense scene, as Musashi is tempted toward Ganryu’s darker path, Takamura invokes the Buddhist idea that life is full of suffering, yet embracing the challenge remains worthwhile. That notion functions as a thesis for the game, one that also describes the experience of pushing through many similar fights to reach its more climactic moments.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is developed and published
