I’ve been lucky enough to play through Onimusha: Way of the Sword ahead of launch and, among its incredible boss fights and fabulously grimdark story, one thing shines through above all else – for me, this is about as good as swordfighting has ever felt in a game.
In part, that’s down to animation – Miyamoto Musashi feels alive in your hands, able to seamlessly and beautifully move from attacks to parries and back again, even in fights against multiple enemies. But it’s also down to the number of options at your disposal at any given time – within the first couple of hours, Way of the Sword lives up to its name by giving you multiple ways to tackle anything from a lowly Genma footsoldier, up to the cruellest multi-stage boss.
Most unusually, it’s in how it makes defending from attacks feel not only fun, but vital, a means of turning any moment on the back foot into an opportunity to end the fight in a few strokes. To give you a sense of how much you have to work with, here are the many ways you can deal with opponents and take control.
Block
Your first line of defence should usually be your last resort. Holding LB lets Musashi block most attacks (including ranged) from any angle, but every hit costs you stamina – run out and you’ll lose your stance and a healthy chunk of souls (particularly galling when you’ve been patiently building up a special attack gauge). Whenever possible, you should be aiming to do something else from this list.
Parry
If you’ve played most modern action games, you’ll know how to parry – hit block just as an attack lands, and Musashi will sweep it away, usually leaving an enemy defenceless for a few precious seconds. Way of the Sword further incentivises parrying with the Blaze Gauge – parry enough attacks and you’ll enter Blazing State, which can result in more health and stamina damage, nets you extra souls, and looks extremely cool.
Deflect
Oh, you want another way to parry? Try Deflect – rather than a standard parry, this involves blocking and hitting A as an attack lands instead. A deflection won’t break an enemy’s stance, but it does a huge amount of stamina damage (even more if you’re in the Blazing State as you do so), eventually letting you perform a Break Issen – a special attack that kills most weak enemies and can cut down bosses far faster. As an added bonus, Deflections can send enemy projectiles back at whoever fired it towards you.
Issen
Your ultimate risk-reward ability, Issen involves starting an attack in the precise moment just before an enemy lands their blow – with an even smaller window for success than a regular parry. When you pull it off, Musashi effectively teleports to the side and lands one of his most powerful blows. It looks incredible, but you’ll need to master the timing to get it right consistently.
Blade Barrages and Blade Locks
Barrages and Locks are rarer events with major potential upsides. If you land an attack at the exact same time as an enemy, you’ll enter a Barrage – effectively a mini-duel. Your job is to pay attention to what you were doing just a second before – if you entered the Barrage with a light attack on X, hit the heavy attack on Y to dodge the enemy and land a heavy blow (and if you entered with heavy, hit light).
Locks can begin with a parry or deflection, with you and your opponent’s sword sparking off of one another as you fight for control. Hammer X or Y to win the Lock and send your opponent spinning defencelessly away with a chunk of their stamina missing.
Reflex Dodge
But what if you don’t want to be hit at all? Hitting B lets you perform a dodge, and doing it in the parry window kicks off a Reflex Dodge, a flashy maneuver that will – a little later in the game – build your Reflex Gauge. Perform a Reflex Dodge with a full gauge and time will slow, and you’ll be able to send out a lightning-fast combo for huge damage (and these combos can themselves be upgraded). Most importantly, some attacks (usually punches and kicks) can’t be parried or deflected, meaning knowing when to dodge is as important as how.
There’s more I could get into here, from the intricacies of unblockable attacks (get your parry reflexes trained up), to abilities unlocked so late in the game that I don’t want to spoil them – suffice it to say that you’ll constantly be learning, improving, and living up to the billing of master swordsman. It’s an absolute thrill.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword arrives tomorrow, September 4 for XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC. Play it on both console and PC at no additional cost with XBOX Play Anywhere.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
CAPCOM CO., LTD.
Fight through bloodstained battlefields of intense swordplay action. Explore the historic Japanese capital of Edo-period Kyoto, twisted by malevolent clouds of Malice.
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?
The Protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi
An ardent samurai who arrives in Kyoto looking to prove that he is unmatched in the way of the sword. However, the path before him takes a strange and unexpected turn.
The protagonist of this game is a fierce young samurai, constantly moving from one bloody and gritty fight to the next. To cement this image of a striking samurai, Capcom has turned to none other than the late, iconic Japanese samurai movie legend Toshiro Mifune to star as the face model for this rendition of Miyamoto Musashi.
Action
Equipped with an Oni Gauntlet, Musashi is granted power beyond human limits. Besides giving him the strength needed to cut down the Genma, it also holds numerous other abilities, such as being able to absorb Genma souls and convert them into a power source to further enhance its wearer. But who is behind the voice that rings out from the gauntlet?
Genma
Usually found dwelling in the lowest depths of hell, the Malice enveloping Kyoto has brought these fiends into the world of the living. Their ceaseless atrocities have plunged the capital into a state of dread and panic.
Formidable Foes
In his battle against the Genma threat, Musashi will face powerful opponents whose martial prowess rivals his own. Will he triumph, or die trying? Bloody duels to the death await in the capital.
Setting
The game is set in Kyoto, home to countless shrines and temples, such as Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Twisted by Malice, the face of the capital starts to take on an eerie and foreboding appearance.
Agreement to the End User License Agreement is required to play this title. (https://manual.capcom.com/eula/game/)
*This content is also available as part of one or more bundles. Please check your previous purchases to avoid duplication.
Please note that although the requirements say “Windows 10 and higher”, Windows 11 is required to play this game.
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