Onimusha: Way of the Sword Keeps True to its Predecessors

CAPCOM's Onimusha series had a long run on the PlayStation 2, starting with 2001's Onimusha Warlords. It was basically Resident Evil but with samurai, due to the gameplay's focus on fixed cameras. However, Onimusha didn't really take off nearly as well as CAPCOM's iconic horror franchise. As a result, 2006's Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams was the last mainline entry in the series. Onimusha: Warlords went on to get a modern remaster in 2018, and the sequel, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, received one earlier this year. Now, the next mainline entry, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming in 2026.

I got to see a hands-off preview of Onimusha: Way of the Sword at Summer Game Fest. I was surprised at how modern it looked while simultaneously keeping the charms and unique gameplay mechanics from its previous entries.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword follows a young man named Miyamoto Musashi (named after the famous Japanese strategist), whose likeness is based on the late actor Toshirō Mifune. While Musashi battles through ancient Japan, he's guided by his trusty Oni Gauntlet on his right arm. This aspect harkens back to the older Onimusha games, where players would have to absorb souls after defeating enemies.

In Way of the Sword, Musashi does this by using his Oni Gauntlet to draw in the dropped orbs into his body. It's a really neat way to incorporate such an integral mechanic of the franchise. Like previous games, there are several different colored orbs, with blue restoring Musashi's magic, red as EXP, and yellow restoring his HP. Additionally, the orbs will disappear if they're not absorbed in time.

Another thing I noticed is that Musashi can now move and absorb orbs at the same time. When I played the Onimusha 2 remaster earlier this year, I had to stay in place while doing so, which kept me vulnerable to enemy attacks as I didn't want my hard-earned orbs to disappear. This simple change in Way of the Sword is humongous, because now I can avoid getting hit while also reaping my rewards!

The gameplay looks incredibly modern too. Gone are the fixed camera angles like older Resident Evil games. Now, the camera can be controlled entirely, allowing you to take in the breadth of the modern graphics that the best of gaming can offer.

It also seems like the game has some elements of From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There are parry mechanics that let Musashi counter attack, knocking enemies down in one hit, as well as reflect projectiles like arrows back at them. It's great to see some additional depth to the combat when the older games were rather one-dimensional and spammy.

At the end of the preview, Musashi came across a rival named Ganryu, who also has a matching Oni Gauntlet. Whereas Musashi is hesitant to use its powers, Ganryu revels in them, becoming corrupted in the process. He attacks Musashi and there are some extra gameplay elements here that feel a bit more unique to Onimusha.

For example, after breaking a boss's guard, the game freezes and lets Musashi pick a body part to deal extra damage to, similar to Fallout's VATS system. This lets him perform some really cinematic attacks that chop off a large chunk of a boss's HP. It's unclear how this'll impact gameplay or is just purely cosmetic. At one point, Musashi broke Ganryu's arm, but it looked like Ganryu was still able to wield his weapon just fine.

So far, Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks great, and everything that a modern action game should be. I'm excited to see how the full game pans out when it launches in 2026 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.