So, I started writing this review before I completed the game. See, I got to a point late in the game, or so I think (at 88 percent completion, going by the PS Home screen). And I couldn’t figure out how to get through this big part. It was so bad I reached out to Capcom and said, “Hey, my review is going to be about what I played.” Then voila! I finally figured it out. A sigh of relief, but my time with Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword has me feeling like I had a tortuous quest myself, just like its hero Miyamoto Musashi.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is an action game and the first new mainline entry in the Onimusha franchise in over twenty years. Last fall I got to play a demo at NYCC and really enjoyed what I played. A year later, I still enjoy the game, but I’ve had some issues that have greatly affected my feelings about playing it compared to an earlier Capcom release, Pragmata, that I loved.
For some backstory, Onimusha was a franchise that started on PlayStation 2 that is, in many ways, a Resident Evil-style game set in feudal Japan. The heroes of the games are historical figures in Japan who are modeled after famous Japanese actors. In this newest game, our hero is Miyamoto Musashi, one of the most famous samurai in the history of the world. At the same time, being modeled after Toshiro Mifune, who also played Musashi in a trilogy of films in the 1950s.
The story has Musashi getting into duels with rivals to see who’s the strongest when he is attacked and killed by Genma demons from the deepest parts of hell that want to take over the world and are only held back by Oni, the only beings that can stop them. Musashi is given an Onimusha gauntlet and sent back to the land of the living, where he must stop the Genma and figure out what’s going on in this current war between the Oni and Genma. This, while figuring out what an Onimusha is and how he can live out his way of the sword, not through his own strength.
The game has two difficulty settings: Story and Action, with story being the easier of the two. In this game, Capcom has taken influence from FromSoftware’s take on action, starting with Demon’s Souls through other games like Bloodborne and Sekiro, which, from the little I played of Sekiro, this takes from the most. I’m not a fan of FromSoftware’s Soulslike action combat. I find it needlessly difficult and frustratingly focused on timing and rhythm for most of the combat. While I know a lot of people find it fun, it’s completely changed how action games work in modern gaming, with many clones. I’m more old-school, I guess.
With all that said, I do like this game and find it fun. Capcom does a good job with story and characters, and that more than anything is what can get me into a game. Combat is fun, and Musashi is such a charismatic hero that you instantly want to continue. After putting in 26 hours and not being finished yet, I end up doing every side mission you can in this fictional dark fantasy Edo-Period Kyoto. From talking to citizens to help them with the Genma terrorizing them to random saves you see happening on the street.
The sword fighting has many different techniques based mostly on parrying, evading, and countering to be the most effective and make you stronger at combat. Timing is key, even on Story difficulty, to get through the many enemies. The types and levels of foes increase at a good pace, and the bosses escalate just as you improve. You use red souls and many types of items to increase your skills and strength throughout the game. Making sure you take the time to do that will greatly improve your ability to deal with the harder enemies as you move throughout.
Musashi’s core allies are an older Onimusha named Takamura, who guards the gate between Earth and Hell; his young trainee Okuni, who desires to become an Onimusha to get revenge on the Genma; and Shizuka, a ghost woman who lives within the gauntlet and guides Musashi throughout his quest. Musashi’s relationship to these characters and their mission to protect the Earth from the Genma, and who’s leading them, has Musashi really take time to think hard about his life and why he does the things he does. The game’s story asks questions about purpose and what strength is.
I played the game in English for a lot of it; poor choice, honestly. While the English cast is good, seeing Mifune talk with a British accent is weird. Please choose Japanese voices with whatever language subtitles; it’s better and fits what you’re playing better. Also, the Genma end up sounding like the Orcs in Lord of the Rings movies most of the time, and it threw me off.
The bosses in this game are just stellar; even the tougher mid-bosses impressed me and sometimes were more difficult than the main bosses to defeat. Each of the bosses is a huge, beautifully ornate creature. Clearly taking from the art and folklore of the time. They remind me, honestly, of Kamen Rider villains, who take advantage of people with references to animals and beasts of nature. Each of these foes has a connection to exploiting and harming people to empower themselves and make themselves stronger.
I really love how they use the real historical rivalry between Ganryū Kojirō and Musashi as the connecting thread. Both are taken down by the Genma and given Oni Gauntlets and go very different paths in the world after being given new life. This change seemed to break Ganryū and gives some of the best boss fights you’ll have throughout the whole game. The performance of the actor, along with the voice actors, sells his emotional and mental shattering well. He’s a standout villain in modern Capcom games.
The setpieces go from in-engine pre-rendered scenes directly into the battle. They look so impressive and loom large over Musashi as you run around and focus on defeating this huge foe. Even while getting your butt kicked, it’s fun to find out their pattern and how to beat them, as the game adds these character interactions that add a lot to enjoying the story and battle as you play it. So bosses are hilarious and entertaining, while others in the story make you really want to kill them.
The bulk of the action happens through using Musashi’s sword; he does get other armaments throughout. From a bow and magic arrows to many other mystical weapons, these change up the play dynamics well, and each comes at just the right time to switch things up and help get past some new type of foes. The skill system also helps add new things to them, so you still have reasons to switch between all of them even in the late game period.
Now, after all the heaping praise, let’s get to some things I don’t like. These are purely personal preferences, but if you’re aligned with mine, here are some things that in my younger days would’ve had me throwing the controller across the room. First, being locked onto enemies can and does affect your ability to use items that recover health, lower damage, etc. It’s beyond frustrating to be in combat with a midboss or boss, and you can’t use any items while being attacked because your only options then are defensive and offensive options. Also, the animations of using these feel like they take a bit too long.
Some of the timing of the different defensive-into-counter attacks is a bit too unforgiving, especially when you’re in the easier difficulty mode. It was hard to tell what took precedence: an evade or a guard/parry when buttons would alternate on screen. This is also something that causes some frustration when facing a lot of enemies at the same time. Also, this is another game where the player character can’t jump. I hate this in every game. I want jumping more than a quick-time event. I want to jump all around all the time. That’s a nitpick and doesn’t affect the game in any way; it’s just a modern game frustration.
Even with all the frustrations I have, it’s a game I want to go back to and try it at a harder difficulty. That’s how engaging and fun it is. With another fantastic banger of a game, Capcom is one of the few companies that is making this generation of gaming even worth the money and time put into these current consoles and PC hardware. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a worthy challenge and a great reboot of the franchise with a story and gameplay that are top-tier.
This review was done from a playthrough on PlayStation 5 using a code provided by Capcom.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is out now on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
