Onimusha: Way of the Sword review: A sharp return

Capcom's take on Musashi Miyamoto fighting his way through a demon-infested Edo period Kyoto is a splendid adventure full of thrilling battles.

Onimusha might be one of the weirdest cool franchises in Capcom’s repertoire: an action-horror series in which we’ve dueled demonic forms of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and numerous monsters of the underworld with the help of famous figures like Samanosuke Akechi, Jubei Yagyu, and more. Way of the Sword continues that style, this time bringing the legendary swordsmen Musashi Miyamoto and Ganryu Sasaki (also known as Sasaki Kojiro) and their famous rivalry to a hellacious battle in which the very fate of Kyoto in on the line, and serving up this story is an incredible collection of animation, music, and weighty combat that feels like it evolves in fascinating and challenging style over the course of the game.

Malice in Edo period Kyoto

Onimusha: Way of the Sword finds Musashi wandering the Japanese countryside doing what he was said to be very good at in the time: defeating famous swordsmen and schools in duels. The good news for Musashi in Way of the Sword is that it’s a time of war and strife, so he is never lacking for opponents. The bad news is a lot of people want to kill him, and each other in general, as Malice energy sweeps the land and allows Gemna (demons) to cross over into the human world.

A few of these Genma overpower and strike down Musashi’s regular mortal life, but fate intervenes when a strange and sinister man on the way to Hell pulls Musashi’s soul aside and forcibly equips Musashi with an Oni Gauntlet that has the power to draw souls from the nearby deceased (Genma, Oni, or human) and make the wielder stronger. Musashi hates the idea of being saddled with a power that is not human or his own, but without it he will die. Nonetheless, he immediately sets out to figure out how to get rid of it, with the intent on striking down everything that stands in his path. It turns out a lot of obstacles stand in his path due to Malice across the land is causing the gates of Hell to open and if they open all the way, there will be nothing to stop demons from flooding Kyoto, and then the rest of Japan.

As a fan of the historical accounts of Musashi Miyamoto and Sasaki Kojiro, I was almost instantly won over by the portrayals of the characters here. Musashi is suitably headstrong, stubborn, and a braggart, but always with the skills to back it up and an absolute disdain for anything he deems wastes his time. Perfection, and it feels like Capcom has done some very big work on their facial animation technology because these characters are some of the most expressive I’ve seen in a video game. Capcom modeled Musashi’s face after deceased legendary actor Toshiro Mifune (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and they did stunning work in making the face match the character in every way. The same level of dedication extends to all of the other characters, though I noticed it doesn’t keep that level of quality in the in-game visuals all the time. I particularly like the demon body horror and creature design in Way of the Sword. This game goes into downright disturbing horror territory and dread sometimes, appropriate of its long-time horror-action trapping.

The environments really sing in this game as well. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is brimming with locales around the Edo period Kyoto region, with temples, villages, farms, bogs, elaborate castles, underground lairs, and demon worlds, each filled with striking details, visual effects, and a beautiful orchestral score throughout. All of this combines to make a setting and story that hit a lot of emotional highs for me throughout its lengthy quest and side quests.

Two heavens as one

Combat in Onimusha: Way of the Sword might be some of the most interesting I’ve seen in a long time, if just for sheer depth of the evolution of both the player’s options and the threats that demand them. Musashi uses one main form of combat through the game: his katana with a combination of fast one- and slow two-handed attacks, a dodge, a block and parry, a supernatural weapon, and a bow-and-arrow. The truly dedicated will be happy to know the Issen Counter is back as well, allowing you to cut right through an enemy by striking right before their attack would hit. The game spends a lengthy amount of time teaching you these basic elements, and then you use them to kill most enemies by hacking away at their health, or by depleting their stamina until you can strike a killing blow, much like in older games in the series.

You could easily be tricked into thinking that Way of the Sword’s combat is simple and easy at the start. I think the parry maneuver in this game is overpowered when you first get it. You’re supposed to use Musashi’s block and parry (blocking right before the enemy’s attack would land) to counter weapon attacks, and you use the dodge (or reflex dodge if you dodge right before an attack) to beat unarmed melee attacks and grabs. However, I found that in the beginning, parry felt so safe and sensible comparatively that I didn’t go for the dodge as much as I felt the game might have wanted me to.

That changes as Onimusha: Way of the Sword goes on. Traveling through each area, you eventually encounter duels with Genma that provide thorough tests of what you know up to that point. And at some point, it firmly reminds you that parry is not the answer to everything in the game. In fact, as Musashi and his enemies grow through the adventure, there is no one move or item that beats this game on normal difficulty. If you make Musashi swing non-stop, enemies will side-step him and cut him in the back. If you swing on a blocking enemy repeatedly with normal attacks, they will parry him. If you parry beings that only use non-weapon attacks, they won’t lose the stamina, but Musashi will. To the extreme end, if you choose the wrong option in some cases, enemies will knock the souls out of you and suck them up, limiting your resources and making the fight harder.

I was impressed by how this game’s later bosses made me sweat with the options I had and where they work. It’s kind of Simon Says, but it’s also being keen enough to see a threat coming and use Musashi’s best option to answer it before returning to an offensive onslaught or a defensive standoff.

I also love how the weight of combat and the variety of options makes for incredible duels to the death. Onimusha: Way of the Sword might have some of the coolest and most extensive animations and reactions in its blade-crossing tug of war that I’ve seen. You get a glimpse of it in parrying, dodging, throwing, and stunning Ganryu in your first duel with him, but by the time you’re late into the game, you’ll be doing high-impact sword ballet with everything afforded to Musashi, and it results in some breathtaking adrenaline highs and spectacles. There was only one time I felt otherwise about this, and it was when a certain type of boss was used a few too many times in a row in the main quest, but that’s a small hiccup in an otherwise dazzling display.

And Onimusha is certainly not lacking for things to do. There’s a combination of level-like locations in this game to clear alongside an “open-world” region of Kyoto (in that you can wander it freely with numerous quests and collectibles to discover) that you gain increased access to throughout the story. Both Kyoto and the level locations hide a wealth of secrets, nooks, crannies, and side quests to explore beyond the main quest in service of increasing Musashi’s power. They aren’t all bangers, but a lot of this game is more fascinating than filler.

Hell has nothing on Musashi

Onimusha is a series that is near and dear to me. I’ve seen some silly and exciting stuff throughout this franchise with its many weirdly different entries, but this one feels like the most impressive of them. Musashi’s bull-headed take on all of this Oni-fighting-Genma trouble is only matched by his drive to never lose to anyone in battle, and the rest of the game supports that beautifully. Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s cast, quest, numerous asides, and the evolution of techniques and combat throughout this adventure have the weight and depth to make you roar in triumph, groan in agony, and hit most of the feelings in between along the way. And that’s exactly what I want out of my demon-slaying samurai action-adventure.

This review is based on a PlayStation 5 digital copy provided by the publisher. Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 3, 2026.

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Review for
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
9
Pros

• A great cast of well-voiced and well-animated characters
• Weighty and impressively evolving combat
• Solid mix of expanding open-world and level gameplay
• Massive array of skills, special weapons, & items to master
• Excellent soundtrack
• A top-tier take on Musashi and Ganryu's rivalry

Cons

• Difference between cutscene and gameplay looks is sometimes jarring
• A few enemies and bosses used more than I'd have liked