Onimusha Way Of The Sword | REVIEW | PC/STEAM

''SLICE OF LIFE... LITERALLY''

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Developed: Capcom

Published: Capcom

Genre: Action Adventure

Release Date: Sept 3rd, 2026

Platforms: PS5/Xbox Series/STEAM/NSW 2

Onimusha Way of The Sword is the latest entry into the 20 year old series and its developed and published by Capcom. With that franchise having laid in the dark for far too long, Capcom decided its time to bring it back with a flull fledged reboot to see how the franchise would be received in the modern era. However, was it wise to try to bring this title back after so much time? or was it Capcom's first major blunder in a long time? Only one way to find out, so lets go!

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''THE UNITED KINGDOM...APPARENTLY''

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GAMEPLAY:

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most die hard Onimusha fan. I've played the games sparingly over the years and they've mostly been enjoyable, but playing and beating them is as far as my love for the franchise goes, which for the die hard fans can be seen as blasphemy. Having said that, even as a casual fan of the franchise, I've been able to see the appeal as to WHY people hold it in such regard. It's got dark fantasy, fun combat, supernatural elements and characters and stories that have made it a Capcom staple since 2001. That's not an easy task to be fair, to be able to stay relevant for 25 years nowadays as a franchise says a lot, especially when IP's that have been deemed more of a cult classic like Dino Crisis, has laid dormant for 23 years now without a new entry. Seriously Capcom, GET ON THIS, PLEASE, WE'VE BEEN WAITING PATIENTLY. Speaking of waiting patiently, whatever happened to DeepDown?. Yeah I'm looking at YOU, Capcom. Thirteen years ago that game reveal absolutely knocked me on my ass with how amazing it looked, only for it to completely disappear and never been seen ever again. Oh well, its a good thing you've picked up the slack over the last generation in spite of that underdeliver and basically become the living embodiment of ''If you make a banger, they will come'', otherwise I might not have ever forgave you for your transgressions against us gamers. Whether it be new IP's like Pragmata, revitalizing the Resident Evil franchise, keeping Monster Hunter a household name, new Mega Man games on the horizon, etc, you get it, from new IP or even old IP's, franchises have been given new life and all have mostly been met with success. However something has to give eventually right? there's only so many times you can have banger after banger after banger after banger before it turns into burger after burger after burger after burger and your gluttonous eating because bloated to the point you finally vomit up all your food you've been eating and left with the slimey and disgusting bile of all those successes. Long story short, what I'm trying to say is just like before when pre-2017 Capcom was just bad time after bad time, Capcom remembered, hard work pays off, dreams do come true, bad times dont last, but bad guys do. Sorry I wanted to throw in a little Scott Hall there, one of the wrestling GOATS. The moral of this is something eventually has to give, eventually a game is gonna end up a dumpster fire and end this winning streak. But as Aragorn said in Lord Of The Rings, ''BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY''. While I have my issues with Way of the Sword, mixed feelings here and there, it does not end the winning streak as of yet for Capcom at this current time. Seeing as its been 20 years since the last entry, this newest title acts as a reboot give a fresh start to this long running franchise, which honestly is a gamble since taking this approach doesn't often pan out as sometimes it ends up alienating long time fans due to rebooting most of the time means ''taking creative liberties', which I personally hate.

In previous titles you've played as characters like Akechi, Jubei and Soki, and now here in Way of the Sword, you find yourself in the shoes of the man known as Miyamoto Musashi, a samurai who roams the land throughout Kyoto, knowing his skill, knowing his power and believing his own farts dont smell, ala Alphinaud in Final Fantasy 14. Much like any samurai warrior looking to improve their own skill and extend their legacy from nation to nation, he fights, defeats, kills anyone who gets in his way that either challenges him, or people that he challenges himself, which can be people obviously weaker than his or formidable foes who are masters at their craft of swordsmanship. After winning his latest battle against a master swordsman and being chased out of the village by the masters pupils who have taken it as a disrespect, Musashi is surrounded by strange beings with immense power and try as he might, he's ultimately overwhelmed and murdered in cold blood by dozens of these creatures. Honestly, this is probably how the poor people in Final Fantasy 11 felt when I grief killed them by linking high powered MOB's to a low level area and getting them to attack the noobs. Well it may have taken 24 years, but you guys have finally got your revenge, havent you? well played. Learning that he has died, he gains a new sense of purpose and given a new power that he must use to bring balance back to Kyoto, but at a price. Sure has has the power of this all new gauntlet that can give him the ability to take down every major foe, but should he take it off, he will immediately die due to it being directly linked to his life force. Well...uhh... that sucks, I guess?. Well ya it DOES suck, but do you know what sucks WORSE? The english voice acting. I told myself I was going to be nice about it, but I'm sorry, I can't. Its probably some of the worst voice acting in a modern AAA game I've heard in quite some time because why OH why do I have a british accent speaking Musashi in Edo period Kyoto!? like COME ON. Beyond the way he speaks in a british accident, he quips too like a standard AAA game with stuff you'd hear if you've played something like Uncharted. It doesnt work, it doesnt fit, and it doesnt sound good at all. Word to the wise, stick to the japanese voices. Ok sorry, rant over, where was I?. As the story progresses forever, working with Shizuka and other allies you meet along the way, you use your new powers a freed off the souls of the Genma, the demonic entities that targeted you earlier and the more souls you much on, the more powerful you become and more abilities that become available to use. This is weird trend though, why are developers obsessed with eating things? first its this game, then Metroid Ravenous next year, whats next? a new Punch Out is going to have a Doc louis say in between matches ''Join the Nintendo cannibal club today, Mac!''. You never know. While the story is great for sure, the combat, the world and things you can do in it are the real showstoppers, at least they were for my in my 20 some odd hour playthrough and through that 20 hour tread, It never felt like a chore or something I was constantly telling myself ''ok hurry up, I just want to finish this and move on'', nope, that sentiment never crossed my mind, unlike some other games I've played in the last 3 months, who I won't name in order to spare them the shame and I know that I rhymed and that's lame, because a toll is a toll and a roll is a roll and if we don't get our tolls then we dont no rolls. Kudos to people who get that reference and sorry for yet another outdated reference, sue me.

Exploring the world, which isn't an open world, thankfully, but more so optional open ended paths that give you the illusion of freedom, you're able to find and fight a variety of enemies to test new skills on, find side quests to partake in, learn the proper way to parry your enemies to open them up to counter attacks to inflict damage whether it be fast light damage or heavy damage. Most one on one battles can simply be pushed through without any issue at all by just mashing a button and slicing and dicing them all up, however when surrounded by multiple foes, its best to keep your guard up and watch for who wants to attack you first, aiming their direction, counting, slicing, then timing the parry to the next enemy. This is when the game gets really fun, because it makes you think on the fly on whether you slice multiple times or once before going back on the defense. Once again patience is the name of the game, especially during boss encounters because just spamming one button in hopes for winning every battle, just isn't going to cut it, as the enemy too can parry and counter your own attacks, leaving you open to multiple combos too if you aren't careful. Timing your parry's, properly countering, breaking down their defensive stances, feels amazing and rewarding, especially after obtaining Genma to keep your stamina at an acceptable level or even gaining back a little bit of health here and there. Having said that, in regards to the praise of the combat, it can teter a bit on the tedious side, at least outside the main boss fights due to the fact that enemy variety at one point just starts repeating, and while yes, the combat feels great, when fighting the same types over and over again, that greatness can turn to annoyance, like a case of ''oh man, this guy, AGAIN?'' type of deal. Luckily boss fights overall make up for that and offer unique gameplay varieties that normal enemies don't even come close to, and as I pressed on through every section of the game, I kept eagerly anticipating the next big boss fight I would come up against and what not strategy I would have to come up with to even stand a chance against them. This is why picking your weapons, armor, specific skill sets and which charms to use will directly affect the outcome of your survival during these said fights and encourages you to truly think about what you equip, rather than just going into a battle with a generic character build. It might seem controversial to long time fans of the series, however I feel Way Of The World excels at both its story element AND its combat in conjunction either one another, which is something I felt previous iterations failed to do, even if they weren't bad games at all. Even though its sword gameplay isn't quite up to snuff as something of a Ghost of Tsushima level, its nothing to scoff at either due to how fluid it is, and with a compelling narrative and graphical showcase using the RE engine, Way of The Sword easily works its way up to one of the better samurai swords based games of this generation, just... with terrible english voice acting.

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''YOUR SOUL IS MINE''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day, Onimusha Way of The Sword manages to do what so many franchises fail to do, bring back a series with a 20 year old history and make it relevant once again. Obviously its not a masterpiece or anything as the english voice acting will make your ears bleed, some story elements either go by too hastily or overstay their welcome during the main story, or repeat enemies here and there, etc. However with an open ended layout that gives a decent amount of exploration, great characters with a compelling narrative, engaging combat that is both brutal and statregic, and boss fights that make you use your souls you've gathered to the best of your abilities with everything you've learned, just makes this game a definite must play for both fans and newcomers, and once again adds another notch to Capcom's belt of bangers, thus making their streak continue on. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW.

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