Capcom has been delivering hit after hit in 2026, with Resident Evil 9 (find the best price here), and Pragmata already appeasing fans of the Japanese developer. Their latest release, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, lives up to the high expectations and brings back a long forgotten franchise in a bloody, brilliant and brutal new way.
Way of the Sword is quite a few entries into the series now, but it’s essentially a reboot and stands alone as its own story. You play as Miyamoto Musashi, a happy-go-lucky samurai who is brought back from the dead to help the fabled Onimusha fight against the demons of hell, known as the Genma.
In his fight against the Gemna, you’re given a powerful gauntlet; however, Way of the Sword is really all about the swordplay (hence the name). The combat mechanics are finely tuned to make every encounter with a demon feel like a real, heavy duel. This isn’t a hack-and-slash game where you can go in aimlessly, as it’s all about being methodical and getting your timing right to focus on parrying, blocking, or dodging to get the better of enemies.
In between the brilliant yet challenging combat, you’ll make your way through the fairly linear world. However, there is some light exploration and puzzle-solving that helps mix up the experience. The environmental puzzles are actually a fantastic break in the intense combat action, even if they’re not the hardest obstacles to overcome.
Visually, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is joy to look at. Sword fights spark and dazzle as they should, while the quirky feudal Japanese environments are filled with detail and nuance. There are some small visual hiccups where some side characters don’t look nearly up to par with the main cast, but other than that, it’s a visual treat.
With Way of the Sword, the Onimusha franchise has returned to the top echelon of the single-player action-adventure genre. It delivers one of the best sword-fighting combat systems to date along with a story and world that has to be experienced.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
