There’s an inherent tension in rebooting a series that’s been on ice for as long as Onimusha has. Sure, CAPCOM’s horror-tinged action series has seen some time in the limelight recently thanks to remasters of the first two games, but it’s been over 20 years since the last mainline entry. That brings us to Onimusha: Way of the Sword, a soft reboot of the franchise that largely delivers on its promises, though this new identity isn’t without some growing pains.
Way of the Sword follows samurai Miyamoto Musashi – based on a real-life figure of the same name. Famous for seeking out challenge, Musashi was a renowned swordsman who went undefeated in his many duels. Way of the Sword’s exploration of Musashi maintains what makes him notable while introducing depth by turning him into a reluctant hero who’s forced to stop a demonic invasion of Kyoto after an Oni Gauntlet fuses with his arm.
While the plot here is largely predictable, more effort was spent building out the main cast. Shizuka, Okuni, and Takamura each play a pivotal role in helping Musashi grow into someone he isn’t, moving past the idea of strength for strengths sake, instead finding it in friends. It’s tightly written, with each of these characters going through their own beats that test their resolve against the Genma.
Onimusha’s identity is retained in how Way of the Sword explores its horror roots. There’s some unsettling theming in many key events that setup the mood and atmosphere that the game is going for. Another element of this is some excellent facial animations that we haven’t seen in the RE Engine before, cluing you into a character’s mental state in a way that CAPCOM hasn’t achieved before. It’s best embodied in Musashi’s foil – Sasaki Ganryu, whose newfound power with his own Oni Gauntlet has driven him insane.
Way of the Sword’s most significant departure is in its structure and gameplay. It’s closer to later Onimusha titles in its relative linearity, forgoing the puzzle-box design of Inabayama Castle from the original. There’s a main hub area in Eastern Kyoto that you’ll unlock as you cleanse the area of Malice, with other missions set in self-contained areas, most of which are very straightforward in design.
This is the weakest part of Way of the Sword. While Eastern Kyoto has a lot to do, there’s little in the way of exploration as much of it is gated off to you until you progress the story. Between middling side quests and an excess of upgrade materials lying around, it doesn’t feel rewarding to spend time in Eastern Kyoto outside of collecting things to upgrade gear and skills.
The same can be said about other areas in Way of the Sword. So many of these are corridor style affairs where you’re pushing forward, fighting enemies, and solving the odd puzzle – all of which are overly simple. There are flashes of something greater in one area that left me wanting more of that design, but it never came to fruition. It’s a bummer when taken in context of previous Onimusha titles, but it’s obvious that CAPCOM were more interested in Way of the Sword’s combat.
There’s a clear focus on swordplay here, which feels fitting given Musashi’s prominence. You have light and heavy attacks, each with their own combos that can be mixed and matched with each other as needed. You also have several defensive mechanics, like dodging, deflecting, and parrying.
Some attacks must be parried, where others can only be dodged. There’s also an advanced technique in the form of Issen, where attacking just before an enemy assault connects will initiate a counterattack, doing heavy health and stamina damage. Combat is layered further with Oni Armaments, weapons that need to be charged before use that have tailored strengths. In typical action game fashion, you’ll use these tools to whittle down enemy stamina and execute them with flashy animations.
Options are aplenty in Way of the Sword, but it doesn’t do the greatest job of pushing you to use these options early on. The game is too easy in the first act – it often felt like I was mashing as opposed to taking a more measured approach. This, combined with average level design, makes for a slow opening act that struggles to sell you on Way of the Sword’s strengths
This shifts just before the halfway mark as the game ramps up the difficulty. Enemy variety increases and bosses become engaging clashes that nudge you towards using more complex techniques. This all comes to a head with a final boss that rivals the likes of Isshin, the Sword Saint. It made me want to jump into another playthrough on a newly unlocked higher difficulty to experience more aggressive variants of the early game bosses.
Way of the Sword looks and runs excellent, but it’s other areas of presentation that surprises. Excellent facial animations aside, there’s a lot going on here with dismemberment. Musashi cuts through Genma like a hot knife through butter, and your adversaries fall apart in accordance with your slashes. It’s incredibly satisfying and serves to highlight the visceral nature of the combat and Musashi’s expertise.
Sound design also helps to convey this, with particular attention being given to the clashing of steel. You can hear sparks fly as you hit a perfect parry, steel griding on steel as Musashi redirects the physical force of enemies. The dismemberment is also suitably squelchy – all of it coming together to create a soundscape that feels unique yet familiar in the realm of recent CAPCOM titles.
There’s much to mull over with Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It’s easy to lament the loss of its old-school RE-isms in the face of flat level design and simple puzzles, but the cinematic presentation of the combat in tandem with the thrill of its late game fights scratches an itch that very few games can. If this is the new direction of Onimusha, I’m onboard – I already love these characters and the combat framework, and some more time spent on the elements that surrounds these things would lead to an all-timer of an action game.