It’s been a long time since the last Onimusha game—nearly 20 years, in fact. But developer Capcom is poised to change that. After debuting at the 2024 Game Awards, Onimusha: Way of the Sword arrived at Summer Game Fest with flashy, slashy, and dark samurai action. Capcom invited me to take a closer look at the upcoming title in a hands-off demo behind closed doors. Here’s what I experienced.
Story: A New Character Grips the Blade
The Way of the Sword demo begins in the past, where it introduces the protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, a young samurai in training and a real-life historical figure. As the story unfolds, Musashi wants to carve his own path and earn his stripes as a samurai without relying on the soul-absorbing Oni gauntlet strapped to his arm. He pushes through two large doors into a small village that looks like it is recovering from an attack. As Musashi slinks forward, wounded villagers run past him, warning of the dangers ahead.
Along with Resident Evil Requiem, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is one of the best-looking games I’ve seen this year. It’s especially noticeable in Musashi’s face, which is modeled after the late Toshiro Mifune. Movie buffs will certainly recognize the name; Mifune represented samurai cinema for decades, appearing in classics like Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. In fact, Mifune depicted Musashi in Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy, so this post-mortem portrayal is a reprisal of sorts.
This stunt casting isn’t new to Capcom or the Onimusha series. Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny featured the likeness of the late actor Yūsaku Matsuda, while the first and third Onimusha titles use the likeness of Takeshi Kaneshiro, an actor and singer (who is still alive!).
Gameplay: Parry-Heavy Swordplay
Musashi wastes no time with the wounded, continuing down a trail out of the village. Here, the hero encounters a monstrous Genma striking down a woman and he is thrust into battle in classic Onimusha fashion.
As one would expect, Onimusha’s combat has evolved since 2006. Capcom clearly took inspiration from Soulslike games (think Sekiro), infusing Way of the Sword with a heavy emphasis on parrying and slow, weighty combat. The parrying system, in particular, has undergone a major overhaul. In the demo, Musashi guards against attacks from multiple angles and uses the environment to his advantage. In one instance, Musashi parries one enemy without facing it, and parries another right after, chucking the foe into a nearby torch. Some well-timed parries send arrows flying back at archers, too.
(Credit: Capcom)
As Musashi continues along the road, he encounters a Dark Mass that causes him to conjure visions of the past. He sees a funeral procession, but it appears the bodies aren’t dead. Musashi questions his Oni gauntlet, but the gauntlet refuses to comply, much to Musashi’s annoyance. This bit of levity presents a contrast to the haunting scene and gives us another opportunity to appreciate Onimusha’s expressive facial animations.
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Musahi follows the procession to a locked door and uses another new ability located in his eye. It reveals a giant tendril holding the door shut. Musashi clears the tendril, enters another battle, and parries the Genma with ease. Under the right circumstances, you can simultaneously parry two enemies, taking them both out in one move.
(Credit: Capcom)
Shortly afterward, Musashi runs into the taunting Sasaki Ganryu, another gauntlet user—one who has let the gauntlet’s power consume him. The pair’s interactions remind me of the relationship between Kiryu Kazuma and Goro Majima in the Yakuza games.
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Boss fights are flashier than the grounded combat between the normal, run-of-the-mill Genma. As Ganryu prances around the field, taking swings, Musashi carefully parries and attacks. This skirmish introduces a new combat mechanic. After stunning a boss, you can trigger one of two different attacks on the fly. In the demo, pressing one button deals extra damage, while pressing another pulls additional souls and health for Musashi to absorb. This fight proves especially brutal, as Musashi breaks Ganryu’s limbs, sending him packing.
(Credit: Capcom)
However, Ganryu isn’t the demo’s final boss. It’s a figure made entirely of talismans, with a gimmick: the longer the fight goes on, the stronger he gets. Musashi finishes the battle with a huge sword slash, ending the demo.
Platforms and Release Date
A new Onimusha title couldn’t arrive at a better time, and the game looked terrific. Capcom has been firing on all cylinders the past few years, releasing some of the best entries in the Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, and Resident Evil series. I hope that this new series entry solidifies Onimusha as one of Capcom’s major IPs once again.
There’s no release date yet, but you can expect to play Way of the Sword on the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.
About Zackery Cuevas
Analyst, Hardware
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