Capcom's upcoming action title, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, will not feature the minigames that were a staple of its predecessors, according to director Satoru Nihei. The development team has chosen to focus on the core swordplay mechanics, foregoing additional gameplay diversions that were present in the original Onimusha games released between 2001 and 2006.
Previous entries in the series offered a variety of minigames. Onimusha: Warlords included Oni Spirits, while Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny featured the Puzzle Phantom Realm, The Man In Black, and Team Oni. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege provided the Genma Puzzle Space, Oni Target Practice, and Adventures of Heihachi, and Onimusha 4: Dawn of Dreams contained a single minigame in its Arena mode.
However, Nihei stated that players will not find "minigames that you associate with" previous Onimusha titles in Way of the Sword. "We really wanted to focus on the swordplay action there, so we didn’t put any extra time into minigames," he explained.
Despite the absence of traditional minigames, there is a possibility that the Phantom Realm, a recurring challenge in the series, could return. In past Onimusha games, the Phantom Realm typically involved players entering a separate space to defeat waves of demons on successive floors, with powerful rewards for completion. When asked if the Phantom Realm would appear in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Nihei offered a non-committal "Hmm, we’ll see," accompanied by a smile from producer Akihito Kadowaki. This response has led to speculation among fans that the challenge may indeed be present in some form.
Further details on Onimusha: Way of the Sword are expected to be revealed as part of Game Informer's ongoing coverage, which will include exclusive gameplay and behind-the-scenes videos.