Capcom is preparing to revive its samurai action series, Onimusha, with the upcoming release of Onimusha: Way of the Sword next month. While the game aims to recapture the dark-fantasy essence of its predecessors, certain areas delve into outright horror. This distinction was highlighted during a recent hands-on preview and interviews with the development team.
The series, which last saw a mainline entry in 2006, is set to return after a two-decade hiatus. Onimusha: Way of the Sword continues the established dark-fantasy narrative, a thread that was particularly evident in a segment featuring protagonist Miyamoto Musashi exploring the underground laboratory of an evil Genma named Dokyo. This particular area, designed to showcase Dokyo's twisted nature, leans heavily into horror elements.
Dokyo is depicted as a particularly malevolent figure who conducts horrific experiments, fusing kidnapped individuals, including children, with animals. One described scene involves her brutally disposing of a man fused with a pig. To facilitate these macabre activities, away from the public eye of Edo-period Kyoto, the developers crafted a subterranean laboratory that director Satoru Nihei likened to a "classic Japanese ghost house."
Lead writer Hiroshi Yamashita clarified that the intention was not to create a horror game but to emphasize Dokyo's unsettling and occult-infused characteristics, drawing from Kyoto myths. He explained that the jump scares and disturbing imagery within Dokyo's lab are specific to this stage and not representative of the full game's tone. The lab environment itself features unsettling visuals, such as shadows on shoji screens revealing mutated bodies and failed experiments, blood-stained halls illuminated by torchlight, and tattered kimonos hanging above, hinting at the suffering of past victims. Dokyo's design also incorporates horror elements, with exaggerated limbs and a petulant demeanor, contrasting with her outward appearance of a woman in a kimono.
Nihei stated that this horror-infused stage was designed to amplify the anxiety and tension experienced by Musashi and Shizuka, a character trapped within his Oni Gauntlet. The contrast between Dokyo's demonic appearance and her sophisticated speech and attire was also noted as a deliberate design choice.
Despite the unsettling and compelling nature of Dokyo and her laboratory, Capcom maintains that Onimusha: Way of the Sword is not a horror game but a dark-fantasy action title. Players can expect to experience these horror-like moments in specific segments, potentially evoking comparisons to Capcom's own Resident Evil series, while the overall game maintains its established genre.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled to launch on September 4.