'Onimusha: Way of the Sword' Gameplay Demo Broken Down

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Capcom hopes Onimusha: Way of the Sword will take the Onimusha franchise to new heights, similar to what Resident Evil 2 and 4 Remake did for the Resident Evil series. Based on the footage we saw at Summer Game Fest Play Days, there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case.

No, we didn’t get to play Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but unlike Resident Evil Requiem, which Capcom had us sit in a makeshift theater to marvel at, Way of the Sword was played live by a Capcom dev, compared to Requiem’s pre-taped presentation, which was also fine, but for a game Onimusha, playing it live was the best option to present this game to us.

Seeing the game played live allowed us to fully take in Miyamoto Musashi, Way of the Sword’s protagonist’s skills with his katana blade, and see firsthand just how far this franchise has come since 2001’s Onimusha: Warlords.

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Immediately, you realize this game is gorgeous, down to the player models, as we get a good look at Musashi, who is modeled after the legendary Japanese cinema icon Toshiro Mifune.

Way of the Sword Takes Onimusha’s Sword Play To A New Level

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Musashi’s animations with his blade are slow and methodical, but seemingly carry more weight behind them as he strikes down members of the Genma, the race of demons and primary antagonists of the Oniumusha franchise, who look more horrifying than ever.

What stood out was the parry, which triggers a beautiful spark animation as the blades clash. This looked rewarding to see when the developer successfully pulled it off during the brief demo, so we can only imagine how it feels to parry successfully in the game. The developer also showed off Musashi’s ability to guard against enemy attacks from any angle.

The parry also allows Musashi to redirect his enemies, for example, after the dev parried a Genma goon and steered him in the direction of a pile of burning debris.

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

We also saw Musashi parry one of the bosses, a giant human devouring ogre named Byakue, with ease, another moment that garnered plenty of reactions from the press, including us, who were watching the presentation.

Musashi can also parry projectiles like arrows back at the enemies, which comes in handy when covering the distance between himself and the Genma firing at him.

The Issen strike is also back, but it has two new tweaks: one is a chain attack that allows Musashi to target multiple enemies, and another is called the Issen Break, which enables our hero to target specific body parts during boss battles.

Interactive Surroundings & New Puzzle Feature

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

In Way of the Sword, Musashi can also use the environment to his advantage. In one part of the demo, the developer showcased a cool mechanic where Musashi flipped over a table and used it as a makeshift shield.

Musashi also encounters dark masses that he can absorb using the Oni Gauntlet, which will give him a glimpse into the past, revealing more of the game’s story.

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Another new feature is called Oni Awakening, where Musashi’s eye glows gold, allowing him to see what the Genma see, allowing him to solve puzzles he encounters that require him to locate hidden pieces.

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

The Oni Gauntlet Returns & Musashi Is Not The Only Person Wearing One

Source: Capcom / Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Way of the Sword looks to deliver a next-gen version of Onimusha, but one staple of the game remains the same: the Oni Gauntlet. Musashi uses it like the previous wearers, Samanosuke, Jūbei, and Jacques, but he’s not happy that he has been chosen by it.

He also collects the orbs from fallen Genma fiends using the gauntlet, but in Way of the Sword, there are some twists. In this game, the gauntlet talks to Musashi and is revealed to be an Oni woman.

Also, there seem to be numerous gauntlet wearers. During the demo, the dev took on one of them, Ganryu, a new character who is described as a samurai who embraces his gauntlet, unlike Musashi.