The early moments of Onimusha: Way of the Sword offer a glimpse of the game at its most delightful. The game opens with protagonist Musashi waking under a bridge and engaging in a comical chase through a muddy village. This sequence, characterized by its goofy and brash humor, immediately sets the tone as something distinct from more serious fantasy combat games. However, the question arises as to why the subsequent hours only occasionally capture this same energetic and humorous spirit.
While the game features a robust action-adventure foundation, highlighted by a fluid and satisfying sword-deflecting mechanic, its tonal inconsistencies can detract from its potential. At times, the narrative leans into macabre feudal horror, shifts to portraying Musashi with the invincibility of a shonen manga hero, or settles into quiet stretches of following map markers through Kyoto. This tonal blending means the game, at times, feels like it's striving for too much, rather than fully committing to its most engaging elements.
Embracing the Absurdity
Despite these tonal shifts, the combat itself is frequently a source of amusement. The physicality and reactivity of the fighting system allow for emergent humor, such as using a parry to redirect charging enemies into one another, resulting in comical collisions. The game even incorporates elements akin to Jackie Chan's prop-fu, providing environments with destructible objects like boards and barrels that can be used as improvised weapons. Vanquishing formidable foes with mundane items like a wheelbarrow offers an inherent hilarity, though this gameplay element, much like the opening chase's humor, is introduced early and then sparsely revisited.
The animation of Musashi contributes significantly to the game's lighter moments. His character model is rendered with expressive detail, capturing everything from awkward movements in tight spaces to the wonderfully perplexed contortions of his face, inspired by samurai cinema icon Toshiro Mifune. The English voice acting further enhances these moments, with Kenichiro Thomson's line readings often adding to the character's bewildered charm.
Pacing and Structure
The game's pacing is also impacted by frequent cutscenes and NPC conversations, many of which do not consistently deliver on humor or engaging character moments. The semi-open world structure of Kyoto, while aiming to provide a sense of exploration, often funnels players through corridors without significantly expanding story or action possibilities. This design choice raises the question of whether a more compact and focused format might have better served both the combat mechanics and the overall presentation.
When the experience risks becoming slogging, however, new monster designs and unpredictable behaviors, reminiscent of bosses from games like Metal Gear Rising, can reignite player engagement. It is these moments, when Onimusha: Way of the Sword remembers and leans into its unique strengths, that compel players to continue despite its occasional shortcomings. The game's ability to surprise with its more unconventional and humorous elements ensures it remains an engaging, if sometimes uneven, experience.