The Onimusha franchise hasn’t seen a mainline entry in two decades, with its last sequel being Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006. The franchise known for its hack-and-slash combat would have appeared to be left behind, receiving a remaster for its first entry Onimusha: Warlords in 2018, but otherwise with no news of any further developments for the series coming for years. However, fans of the series finally had something to look forward to following the 2024 Game Awards reveal of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which saw development begin following Capcom’s efforts to bring back some of its older franchises.
Last week I had the opportunity to try out a demo featuring previously unseen sections of the game, as well as a segment seen previously at the 2026 SGF Play Days. While attending, myself and several other journalists were able to sit down and play the PS5 version of the game, which for me was my first experience at all with the franchise, having not played any previous entries in the series (to be fair, I would have been eight at the time of Dawn of Dreams’ release). I was in for quite a treat I’d say, afterwards having thoroughly enjoyed my time with the demo to where I now eagerly await the launch of the game in September.
Way of the Sword is set in the Edo period of Japan, making it take place after the events of Dawn of Dreams (set towards the end of the Sengoku period) and follows the protagonist Miyamoto Musashi (whose likeness is based on the legendary actor Toshiru Mifune, who frequently collaborated with the equally legendary director Akira Kurosawa). Like its predecessor entries, Way of the Sword is built around third-person hack-and-slash gameplay and has your standard strike, parry (the latter of which can be used to deflect projectiles), and a bow which can deal ranged attacks, but features more modernized mechanics including dodging to avoid enemy strikes, the ability to steer enemies using a prolonged parry, and utilizing “Break Issen” which allows you to quickly dismember an enemy after depleting their stamina. I admittedly died numerous times while trying to learn the combat loop, starting off by slashing away at enemies without any thought to parry and dodge. This did carry me well against your standard foes, but upon reaching the first boss, I was continuously humbled (more on this later). Once you wrap your head around what you’re supposed to be doing however, it clicks beautifully and you feel like a seasoned warrior, making each failed boss encounter feel less like a setback and more like an exciting opportunity to hone your skills against your foes. Other neat gameplay elements include the ability to perform takedowns on multiple enemies in quick succession or a multi-hit attack through performing consecutive parries or dodges, alongside the ability to use the environment to your advantage via turning over tables and using them as a shield (I tried this once in the beginning of the demo but clumsily screwed it up, taking an arrow to the face as I attempted to maneuver it).
One of the core gameplay features is that of a magical sentient gauntlet containing an entity named “Shizuka”, who appears outside the gauntlet as a red-haired woman with ghostly pale skin, and feeds off the souls of defeated enemies. There are three types of souls you absorb which provide different uses, with yellow restoring health, blue charging “Oni Armaments” (special weapons you can swap throughout the game that deal tons of damage), and red souls being used to purchase upgrades. I found the Oni Armaments to be very useful throughout the boss battles I encountered, as besides the massive amounts of damage they can inflict, they also provide yellow souls upon striking an enemy (which turns out to be very handy when you’re like me and constantly low on health as you try and figure out the controls. Don’t blame me, I grew up on Xbox, it took me a minute to figure out which symbols belonged to which buttons on the PlayStation controller). One unexpected feature that I discovered purely by accident was that the one of the Oni Armaments can also interact with the environment to your advantage- at one point I had equipped this double-bladed naginata, named “Wind-Whipper”, which upon use would create a whirlwind that would toss around enemies. While using it, I accidentally knocked over some nearby torches whose fire merged with the whirlwind and created a burning vortex, not only knocking my enemies away but also setting them ablaze. The other Armament I got to use were the “Two Celestials”, a pair of short swords that can perform a flurry of high-damage strikes, which proved handy in taking down my first boss.
At the beginning of the demo, I was instructed to head towards the bottom of the starting temple from where I was supposed to make my way to the first boss, a “Genma” or demon named Daidara. However, I made the mistake of not checking the map to see the location of my next objective, instead following another path leading through a forest which was littered with enemies, basically saying to my brain, “This is where you’re supposed to go”. Imagine my shock when twenty-ish minutes into the demo, I had realized I’d gone to the opposite end of the map and had to turn around, which did at least provide another opportunity to take in the gorgeous visuals of these dense woods. That’s one thing that stood out to me about the game, it looks fantastic and features beautiful locales and grotesque enemies, with the designs of the bosses standing out the most to me (the standard enemies didn’t impress me as much at first, but upon further research it turns out they’re a callback to enemy designs from the first game). The standard enemies came in increasingly tougher forms, and I later came across other enemy variants including a flying ranged-type that can best be described bloated heads on wings, and these centipede-like foes who curl up into a wheel and drive themselves towards your direction.
Eventually I’d make my way to my first boss encounter to meet the gluttonous Daidara, who was quite impressive to look at, a towering brute with massive husks emerging from its glowing blue mouth which it stuffs with the bodies of fallen foes (and yes, he is quote eager on eating our protagonist as well). Despite being the first boss I’d meet, I cannot tell you how many times I died to him- at this start of each fight, I’d use the bow to shoot off pieces of his armor, after which I was mostly running headfirst into him and taking as many strikes as possible. Each time I failed, I learned more and more what the game wanted me to do, and upon figuring out the dodge and parry systems I finally was on my feet and actually mastering the flow of combat- I loved this because the game demands you react more mindfully to enemy attacks and asks you prepare ahead of time for incoming strikes, even with your standard enemies who you can more quickly dispose of through such methods. The fight against Daidara kept me on my toes, and I cannot tell you the relief I felt when I finally disposed of him- admittedly the later bosses felt more like a piece of cake, not because of a lack of challenge, but because by then I knew how I was supposed to maneuver with them.
Following this sequence I entered the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope settlement, which beautifully brought to life Capcom’s vision of a feudal-era Kyoto. The explorable area I was in was decently sized, with numerous objectives across the city section to complete in order to see its liberation from demonic forces. You are able to patrol around looking for additional items that can be used for upgrades and other purposes, and even chance upon encounters of civilians being attacked by demonic soldiers, where you are able to intervene and save said civilian and receive a token of appreciation from them as a reward. In the center of this area is a small fort which functions as a central hub, allowing you to make upgrades to your weapons and abilities, and which features characters such as Ono no Takamura (who you can train with if you need a refresher on combat) and Izumo no Okuni, who assist Musashi and provide more context to the events of the game.
Eventually I found my way to this mysterious but ethereal garden-like area, the Yasui Konpiragu Shrine, populated by people who had undergone some form of mutilation in order to “improve” their lives (like a man who had pain in his knee, and decided the best solution was to have it amputated), with such mutilations being carried out with the assistance of a sort of “deity” overseeing the shrine. The people here, despite their questionable surgeries, seemed in a state of bliss that pointed at something more sinister going on; but frankly I couldn’t blame them, as the shrine area itself was gorgeous to look at and felt very much like a dream, baked in golden light and containing stunning blooming flora (although this itself turns out to be an illusion). After meeting the Eight Stout Figures (sentient stone figurines that offer you power in exchange for collecting their missing brethren), you get your second boss encounter, that being the shrine god itself, or as it turns out a Genma named Rasho-gan. This boss fight was really fun and was more fast-paced than the previous one, where I found myself almost in a “ballet of death” (a term I’ve used personally to describe the combat systems of Vermintide 2 and Darktide) as I dodged and parried the demon’s attacks, finding opportune moments to carefully strike away and injure this foe. Some of Rasho-gon’s attacks were absolutely over the top, such as grabbing a house and dropping it on you, lest you’re able to shoot his magical appendages in time with your bow; it certainly feels like some dramatic slapstick, and that’s no complaint. Like the previous boss, I also loved the horrific design of this Genma, whose body is covered in an arrangement of arms masking its skinless body underneath. He also bore quite an eccentric personality, where upon defeat he began leaping from walls and rooftops with maddened glee in an almost childlike excitement- quite the fun guy.
Following this sequence I was given the ability to open up these red wall-like barriers blocking certain sections of the map, which would lead me into the final area that needed liberation from demonic forces. Here I found sections were shrouded in a red fog that would damage your health the longer you stood in it, forcing me to take to the rooftops as I had to destroy the source of said fog, which were these red floral-like stalks emitting the noxious fumes. I’d slash my way through numerous grunts before coming towards the end, upon which I was met with a cutscene revealing the final boss of the demo, this white-colored beast adorned in ribbon-like strains. This was perhaps my easiest boss encounter, but was still fun nonetheless like those I’d fought before which challenged you to use all the tools and abilities you had at your disposal. The demo ends after this encounter, which I was fortunate enough to reach after being given an extra hour by the team hosting the preview so I could get the full experience being offered.
Based off my time with the demo, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a promising entry for the series that certainly delivers a challenging but thrilling combat loop, with boss fights putting everything you’ve learned to the test and feeling distinct from one another, and demands you be more thoughtful as to how you approach each enemy encounter, even if the standard grunts can feel a bit too easy sometimes. The enemies themselves are eye-catching and visually compelling, with the bosses carried by eccentric and over-the-top personalities, and the characters you find yourself allied alongside are given the same quality of visual design as well. The environments are rich and stunning, and truly immerse you in this dark fantasy version of Edo period Japan, capturing a historical Kyoto that shares both inspiration from its real design as well as uncanny supernatural and demonic elements that have grown throughout it like a cancer. For fans of the Onimusha series, I’m sure this will be a fantastic entry, and for those like myself who were unfamiliar with it beforehand, this might be your entry point. Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches September 4th, 2026.