Capcom's upcoming samurai action title, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, will eschew the series' signature puzzle boxes in favor of more integrated environmental challenges. Director Satoru Nihei confirmed this change, stating that these new puzzles are intended to provide a distinct change of pace from the game's action sequences.
Throughout the previous Onimusha titles—Warlords, Samurai's Destiny, Demon Siege, and Dawn of Dreams—puzzle boxes were a recurring element. However, during a recent hands-on preview session lasting several hours, the puzzle boxes were conspicuously absent. When questioned about their omission, Nihei clarified that the development team opted for a different approach.
"As you observed, it’s not really the same kind of puzzle elements we had like usual, like the puzzle boxes," Nihei explained. "As you observed, we have puzzle elements in the actual stage, and we’ve introduced those as a way to break up the action."
These new puzzles are integrated directly into the game's environments. One such example encountered during the preview involved a room within the underground lab of the antagonist Dokyo. Players were presented with four masks on a wall, but no immediate way to interact with them. The solution involved observing light patterns shining through decorative windows, which corresponded to the number of holes on each mask. Aligning the light patterns with the masks unlocked the path forward.
This particular puzzle took approximately five minutes to solve, with subtle guidance provided by Shizuka, a character associated with the protagonist Miyamoto Musashi's Oni Gauntlet. Nihei emphasized that these environmental puzzles are designed to offer players a mental break from the combat, which forms the majority of the gameplay. "Obviously action is a big focus of the game, but just having action is maybe not so exciting for people," Nihei said. "So we’ve introduced these puzzle elements into each stage that can get people thinking in between those action sections."
Further details and content related to Onimusha: Way of the Sword are expected to be released by Game Informer as part of their month-long coverage, including exclusive gameplay videos and interviews.