Onimusha: Way of the Sword is shaping up to be my dream samurai game

There have been a lot of samurai games in recent years, from “Soulslikes” such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Nioh duology to action-adventure experiences like Ghost of Tsushima and its impending sequel and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. But perhaps the most exciting one for me so far is Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword.

While I don’t have any background with the older Onimusha games, I was very impressed by my recent hands-on demo at Gamescom with Way of the Sword. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it’s perhaps the quintessential samurai game for me.

A key part of that boils down to a focused vision. Unlike those other games I mentioned, Way of the Sword isn’t trying to be yet another Soulslike or open-world adventure. Instead, it’s shaping up to be a refreshingly tight experience that trims any excess fat to deliver a highly atmospheric linear adventure focused around remarkably fluid and grounded swordplay.

In the game, you play as the real-life famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi in Edo-era Kyoto as he’s grafted with the mysterious Oni Gauntlet and must harness its abilities to slay dangerous Genma and discover his purpose. I’ve been going through a lot of Kurosawa movies lately (shoutout to Toronto’s wonderful Revue Cinema), so the fact that Capcom secured the likeness of legendary Kurosawa star Toshiro Mifune for Musashi brings a much-welcome level of gravitas to the story.

In general, though, I just appreciated how purposeful everything feels in Way of the Sword. As I worked my way through the mountains to reach a shrine, there was a pervasive, ominous feeling, from the eerily black skies to the possessed NPCs who were trudging along like zombies on some sort of pilgrimage. And because the game is largely linear, at least at this point, Capcom could slowly ratchet up this sense of dread as I progressed, creating a feeling of dramatic buildup as to what I’d eventually find. It also allows the developer to better hone in on the narrative, and so far, I’m intrigued by the nature of the Gauntlet, which has a mysterious voice that communicates with the understandably frustrated Musashi. Hopefully, that leads to a compelling dynamic in the final game.

That sense of purpose extends to Way of the Sword‘s combat, which I utterly adore so far. Capcom has said this isn’t a “punishing die-and-retry” Soulslike, which I so appreciate as someone who isn’t into that style of masochistic game. (I really don’t enjoy dying over and over again.) Instead, Capcom says it’s aiming for something that’s more approachable for everyone. The end result is a combat system that feels incredibly responsive, engaging and purposeful. In my demo, I only ever fought against a few enemies at a time, which means you’re challenged to really study the movements and placements of singular enemies and respond accordingly.

A key part of this is the robust multi-tiered parrying system. On a base level, you can hold L1 (on PS5) to block or time your press to perform a gloriously cinematic parry, with your blade interlocking and grinding with the enemy’s in an oh-so-stylish collision that sends sparks flying. But a well-timed press of both L1 and X can actually deflect blows, knocking opponents off guard or, in the right context, even reflect projectiles like arrows. And finally, there’s Onimusha’s signature “Issen” counter, which can be executed by a well-timed attack to match one from an opponent.

This creates a dynamic “rock-paper-scissors” sort of parrying toolkit in which you have to decide on the fly the best way to respond. Indeed, there’s a balletic rhythm to simply blocking one bandit’s attack before deflecting an arrow at a distant archer, running up to hack away at him and then Issen counter someone who’s about to strike from behind. Brutal finisher animations only further sell the lethality of combat, with Musashi cleaving enemies in half from all kinds of angles in one smooth, clean slash. There are even contextual takedowns, like slamming a grunt’s head into a tree before rending him with the blade.

All in all, it nails the rewarding power fantasy of being this badass swordsman without a Soulslike-level of punitive difficulty. But naturally, things do get harder, which I saw at the end of my demo during a boss fight with a cocky swordsman named Ganryu Sasaki (Musashi’s real-life rival). With his wide array of moves, you’re constantly challenged to know when to use the right parry or side-step, the latter of which is realized with a beautifully smooth high-speed silhouette effect. And when you break his posture, a QTE-lite sequence plays out in which you can choose which part of his body to target for a devastating blow that weakens him.

In just 15 minutes, Capcom sold me on this new Onimusha. I’m looking forward to checking out the older games in the meantime, because man, the wait for Way of the Sword is going to be tough now.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on PS5 and PC sometime in 2026. For more on Capcom at Gamescom, check out my previews of Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata.

Image credit: Capcom