While at the Summer Games Fest Play Days 2025, Capcom showed us gameplay for the upcoming Onimusha: Way of the Sword. We saw a lot of flashy combat and even some of the story that Onimusha: Way of the Sword will tackle.
Story
Musashi can use his Oni Gauntlet to absorb a new type of dark mass. Once he absorbs it, it allows his eyes to see remnants of the past that created that dark mass. Dark feelings and emotions create the dark mass, so trying to remove the dark mass requires Musashi to find the source of the negative emotions that stem from it.
Following the dark mass led Musashi to Sasaki Ganryu. Sasaki Ganryu also has an Oni Gauntlet, and he uses it constantly to gain more and more power. This makes Sasaki a bit loony, and he wants to fight Musashi at every chance he can get. He feels bored just slaughtering normal Oni and wants a challenge to fight with his enhanced power, thanks to the Oni gauntlet.
Once Musashi beats Sasaki, we get to see a new boss fight with Byakue.
Combat
Musashi returns in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and he seems to control better than he ever has. Just like in previous Onimusha titles, you can absorb the souls of the Oni that you fight, so you must grab all the orbs you see dropped by your enemies. The souls disappear after a bit of time. Each color offers different benefits, like health or skill power. The red one is the one that gives you experience points to use to enhance Musashi.
In the demo, we see Musashi being able to guard from all directions. If an attack hits him from behind or to the side, he will move his sword to instantly block the damage. If he takes too many hits, the guard will break and enemies can then start to damage him. If you guard at the right time, you can parry, and if you parry and hold forward, you can reflect hits or even projectiles. You can also deflect attacks toward different directions too which allows Musashi to control the battlefield even better.
One important thing the demo showcases is the return of Issen. When an enemy attacks you, if you press attack at the same time, Musashi will instantly take out smaller enemies or deal significant damage to larger enemies. This Issen mechanic has been in Onimusha since the very first game of the series. Musashi can evade and deal a critical hit to enemies.
Musashi gets a lot of control, but the bosses are still a big task to defeat. Bosses have a guard gauge that, when it goes down, you can decide to attack a vulnerable spot, or a spot on their body that gives you extra souls. Either spot you choose gets a flashy strike from Mushashi to attack.
The Verdict
Onimusha is back from what we saw in the gameplay demo of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. We will have to get our hands on the game before we determine just how fine-tuned playing as Musashi is in the game, but it looks crisp. I am excited to see what more we see in the Onimusha universe and how Sasaki plays into the greater story.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword releases in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
