It’s been 20 years since the last Onimusha title, and for two entire console generations, the absence of its particular brand of Genma-slaying stood out more and more as time passed. Thankfully, after a long wait, we’re finally getting Onimusha: Way of the Sword – a clean slate of sorts in terms of the narrative but one that honors the series’ tradition and expands on its combat in exciting new ways.
Launching on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, Onimusha: Way of the Sword could round off an excellent year for its developer. Here’s everything you should know before pre-ordering, starting with…
Story and Setting
With how prominently the original trilogy focused on the Sengoku Period, it’s easy to forget that the last mainline title, Dawn of Dreams, actually featured Kyoto in the Edo Period. Regardless of how things turned out, the city is once again a prime location for Genma occupation, with Malice overtaking everything. It would seem that all hope is lost until an unlikely swordsman appears.
Musashi, Sasaki and More
That would be the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, who’s still in the wandering stage of his life, looking for strong opponents to take on. Naturally, he gets more than he bargains for, falling at the hands of the Genma before receiving the Oni Gauntlet and being brought back to life. Musashi features the likeness of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune of Rashomon, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, and more, with the development team taking two years to secure the rights.
Of course, no tale of Musashi is complete without his rival Sasaki Ganryu, who also wields an Oni Gauntlet and opposes him at every turn. Other notable characters include the dancer Izumo no Okuni, the poet Ono no Takamura (who also curiously possesses an Oni Gauntlet) and the Oni Lady within Musashi’s Gauntlet. Obviously there are further mysteries to resolve, but it wouldn’t be an Onimusha title without some intrigue.
Linear Adventure
It also wouldn’t warrant the name if this were an open-world title or Souls-like. Director Satoru Nihei denied that it’s either when speaking to Automaton Media, later telling Famitsu that progression is “stage-based.” So it’s essentially a linear adventure like Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, the company’s other two major games for the year. Of course, there are some exceptions…
Side Quests and Open Areas
In a recent preview with PC Gamer, Way of the Sword is confirmed to offer some more open environments where you could engage in “side quests or other activities.” You’ll explore a “good chunk” of Kyoto, speaking to NPCs and learning more about the city’s strange tales. You might even encounter a hidden boss here and there. Again, not open world, but you won’t always be stuck on the straight and narrow.
Combat, Parrying and Deflection
Hacking and slashing have always been the series’ calling card, but the formula has seen some serious upgrades here. You have a choice between one-handed and two-handed attacks, which are faster and more powerful respectively, but there’s also parrying. And before you roll your eyes at yet another Sekiro-like, the parrying in Way of the Sword lets you redirect enemies, sometimes into the environment to clock their stamina. If you’re chaining together parries, then Blazing State becomes active, increasing damage and causing attacks to create more Blue Souls for the Oni Gauntlet (more on that shortly).
Deflection also keeps foes off-balance while reducing their stamina, and while you won’t be able to redirect them, it can reflect projectiles. Even evasion is more than just a simple dodge. Timing it right, which is known as a Reflex Dodge, allows for a strong follow-up, but if used against grapples, you can actually reverse them, pulling an enemy close for a deadly slash. Pull off enough Reflex Dodges, and you’ll execute a multi-slash attack against a foe, known as a Reflex Combo.
Blade Barrage and Blade Lock
At its heart, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is about the clashing of blades. So of course there has to be a mechanic where Musashi and an opponent jockey for supremacy. This is called a Blade Lock and requires tapping the correct input to succeed. There’s also Blade Barrage where two similar attacks colliding results in a “flurry of swings and clashes.” The key to success is using a one-handed attack against a two-hander and vice versa. It’s all about paying attention to your opponent.
Also, besides being able to redirect opponents into the environment to reduce their stamina, Musashi can use it in other unique ways. Pull up a tatami mat and send it flying into a target or throw it into a clothesline to temporarily blind them (and maybe cause them to attack their allies).
Issen
Issen is the art of counter-attacking, but not after a parry or a deflection. Oh no, you need to attack at the moment before an enemy’s strike lands. If performed successfully, Musashi will sidestep in a flash and deliver a highly damaging counter-strike (which also creates more Souls to absorb). Naturally, you can chain Issen attacks to slay multiple enemies, but there’s also Break Issen, which becomes available if an enemy’s stamina is exhausted. It’s especially great against bosses because it allows for targeting different body parts, thus adding more strategy.
Oni Gauntlet and Abilities
I don’t know much about Oni Lady, but if there’s one thing the Oni Gauntlet craves, it’s Souls. There will be many created throughout Musashi’s many battles, each with different benefits. Yellow Souls restore health while Blue Souls activate Oni Armament skills. Red Souls are used to unlock new abilities or upgrade equipment. However, Musashi will also gain new Oni Abilities over time, including Oni Vision to reveal hidden elements and Oni Strength to strengthen attacks. He can even wall-run with Oni Agility, although it’s limited to specific surfaces.
Oni Armaments
Besides the bow, Musashi has access to Oni Armaments, special Oni weapons that can be activated after gathering enough Blue Souls. The quick stabs and dual-wielding of the Two Celestials; the heavy of the Earth-Shakers; and the wide range of the Wind-Whipper mean they each occupy a unique niche in combat. That extends to their secondary benefits as well. The Earth-Shakers, for example, are great against shields and tear through an enemy’s stamina, opening them up to Break Issens. The Two Celestials can generate Yellow Souls for recovering health. Meanwhile, the Wind-Whipper can defend against projectiles and gain the properties of nearby flames to scorch fools.
Dismemberment
Topping off everything about the combat is dismemberment. It’s brutal and above all, extremely varied. You might cleave right through an enemy’s chest, with their upper torso sliding in the direction of your slash. You may cleanly bisect them so their allies can dig two graves or cleanly behead them. Way of the Sword isn’t shying away from the visceral nature of sword-based combat, and it’s all the better for it.
No Connection to Previous Games
Given the setting and characters, you shouldn’t expect any connection to the plots of previous games. That said, several enemies will definitely remind you of the classics, like the Chijiko channeling Reynaldo from Onimusha 1. As Nihei notes, “All of the enemies in this game are brand new,” and while the team certainly pays homage to “some of the older games, we’ve kind of taken elements from them and remixed them for the new Genma in this title.”
Difficulty Options
If you played the demo, then two “difficulties” stood out the most – Story and Action. And while the overall challenge felt lacking, producer Akihito Kadowaki revealed that it’s an early part of the story and Musashi possesses certain late-game skills to offer a taste of what to expect. “Rest assured, in the final game, the bosses and the regular Genma will put up a tougher fight.” He later told Game Informer that there would be options to change the difficulty on a more granular scale, allowing you to fine-tune the challenge accordingly.
Playtime
Even with its focus on more linear, stage-progressed progression, it should take about 20 hours to complete the game. It’s unknown whether that includes extra content or tougher difficulties, but it definitely feels like the perfect length, falling very close to Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (which took about 19 hours to finish the story).
Console Frame Rates and Resolutions
Onimusha: Way of the Sword features two modes on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 – Performance and Quality. On Series X and PS5, you can expect 2160p (upscaled)/60 FPS on the former and 2160p/30 to 40 FPS with the latter. Series X delivers an upscaled 1080p/60 FPS and 1080p/30-50 FPS, respectively.
Nintendo Switch 2 offers TV and Handheld Modes with 1080p/30 FPS and 900p/30 FPS respectively, both upscaled. However, variable frame rate is supported to deliver 30 to 40 FPS if you want something higher.
PC Requirements
As for PC players, an Intel Core i5-8400 or an AMD Ryzen 3 3100, 16 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB) or a Radeon RX 5500 XT (8GB) are required at minimum for 1080p/30 FPS on Low settings. The recommended requirements include a Core i5-10400 or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2060 Super (8GB) or a Radeon RX 6600 (8GB) for 1080p/60 FPS on Medium settings. This is all with upscaling enabled, as DLSS 4.0 and 4.5 alongside FSR 3.1 will be available at launch. Way of the Sword also demands a solid-state drive across the board and 50 GB of space for installation.
