Capcom is preparing to revive the Onimusha franchise with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the first new entry in the series in two decades. The development team's primary objective has been to capture the high-octane action previously confined to cutscenes and integrate it directly into the gameplay.
Director Satoru Nihei and animation team lead Hiroshi Yugen discussed the approach to reinventing the combat. Yugen explained that initial research involved studying past Onimusha titles to identify the impactful moments from their cinematics. This was followed by extensive research into Edo-period samurai sword fighting techniques, dueling fundamentals, and consultations with sword fight choreographers to understand the nuances of various movements, swings, and stances. The team aimed to “really get to the core” of authentic swordplay.
Inspiration for the protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, was drawn from the iconic performances of Toshirō Mifune, particularly his roles as a samurai in Akira Kurosawa's films and his portrayal of Musashi in the 1950s Samurai Trilogy. Yugen noted that the team looked beyond Mifune's work, examining a broad range of samurai genre films to grasp not only the action but also the human elements, such as a defeated samurai's retreat from battle.
Nihei expressed confidence in Yugen, a 30-year Capcom veteran and "legend within Capcom," to lead the combat and animation design for the project. Yugen, despite this being his first Onimusha title, immediately accepted the role.
Way of the Sword introduces several refinements to the series' combat mechanics. The Issen, a high-risk, high-reward move that results in an instant kill on weaker enemies or significant damage on larger foes when executed with perfect timing, returns. Yugen stated that the team aimed to make the Issen feel more grounded and visually understandable than in previous titles, incorporating approximately 10 distinct variations based on enemy attack angles.
A significant challenge for the animation team was implementing Musashi's ability to block attacks from dozens of angles. Nihei tasked Yugen with creating a system that would prevent unrealistic blocking animations or the appearance of simply pivoting in place, requiring detailed work on animations for blocks from various positions, including high-behind, mid-behind, and sides. Yugen acknowledged the difficulty but expressed satisfaction with the final result.
While acknowledging the evolution of action game design over the past 20 years, the developers emphasized that Way of the Sword retains core Onimusha gameplay. Mechanics like the Issen and Chain Issen are present, complemented by new additions such as the Blade Barrage move.
To accommodate different player preferences, the game features two distinct control schemes: Aggressive and Defensive. The Aggressive scheme, the default, places main attacks on the face buttons, appealing to players experienced with action games. The Defensive scheme, designed for players who prefer a more cautious approach, reconfigures controls, notably assigning the block function to L1 to facilitate parries.
A demo featuring both control types is currently available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 demo is not yet available.