It’s such a simple decision – in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, pressing the block button lets you deflect or parry attacks from any direction. Your character, Musashi Miyamoto, will seamlessly pull his katana into just the right position, sometimes readjusting for multiple strikes on the fly. It’s a single gameplay choice that says so much about this game, and offers so much to the player – built to dominate more than struggle. Plus, performing a no-look block just feels superb.
The long-awaited follow-up to Capcom’s grimdark feudal fantasy series sees you play as a master swordsman, who gains the abilities of the Oni gauntlet that’s attached itself to each of the series’ main characters, and is charged with taking down invading demons by any means necessary.
At first blush, you might expect this to be another entry in the burgeoning soulslike genre but, in a first hands-on, I discovered a game that, while not without challenge, was far more interested in making you feel good than making you get good. This is a consummate action game – one that constantly rewards you for experimenting with its systems, and feels almost incapable of looking bad, even in a non-expert player’s hands.
Much of this is down to animation. Every strike, dodge and, yes, no-look block, feels as though it’s reacting to the situation you’ve found yourself in, always looking natural. Fighting regular enemies rarely has the start-stop rhythm you might have come to expect – instead, you glide through these fights, dispatching demons, deflecting arrows (particularly delightful when you realise you can parry them back into the enemies around you), and finishing skirmishes with the series’ signature, instant-kill Issen attacks.
In these regular fights, offence is often the best defence – overwhelming smaller enemies with blows will deplete their stamina, opening up opportunities to unleash an Issen (with an appropriately over-the-top animation). Stronger enemies will force you to dodge a little more often (which can trigger a Bayonetta-like slow-mo), or parry more effectively, complete with gorgeous visual effects and generous stun windows.
The message is clear – you’re not playing as a character learning the ropes. This is already a master of their craft, and they act like it. For Musashi, these fights should feel simple – difficulty is more down to how you manage a crowd, than how you deal with the individual fighters in it.
But when the game pits me against a fellow Samurai, Sasaki Ganryu, it’s a swordfight worthy of the classic movies the developers have drawn from (even the main character’s likeness is based on legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune). You might expect the game to suddenly embrace that soulslike comparison here, but it resists – it’s not easy, but you get the impression that Capcom would prefer you to be able to choreograph your own film-like encounter, resisting the impulse to truly stop you in your tracks with a fight that needs to be learned, repeated, and mastered.
Healing items are limited by your inventory space, but relatively plentiful, ensuring you can top up in tricky spots. Pulling off an Issen against Ganryu gives you an in-built gamble – do massive damage, or earn more Souls (used as currency and more). And the game prioritizes speed over precision – both you and Ganryu will buzz around the arena, dodging, lunging, and clashing in showers of sparks. It’s absolutely thrilling, featuring some of the smoothest, best-looking combat I’ve seen from an action game this generation.
As a taster of what’s to come, it’s absolutely piqued my interest. This feels like a classic action game waiting to emerge.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword arrives for Xbox Series X|S in 2026.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
CAPCOM CO., LTD.
With every stage cloaked in mystery, danger and intrigue. Battle against monstrosities from the underworld known as Genma in a tale of dark fantasy.
Follow the tale of a samurai who wields the Oni Gauntlet, a mystical artifact that grants its bearer the power to slay Genma.
Through gritty, blood-soaked brawls, he searches for his reason to fight. What fate awaits at the end of his path?
Note: this content has not yet been age-rated. Age ratings information will be published at a later date.
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