Capcom has resurrected the Onimusha series after nearly two decades with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, a title that attempts to blend its historical roots with modern open-world design. While the game boasts a standout combat system, particularly in its challenging boss fights, it is ultimately hindered by a sprawling open world and a narrative that fails to engage.
The Onimusha franchise holds a unique place in Capcom's history, serving as a bridge between the survival horror of early Resident Evil and the stylish action of Devil May Cry. Its original identity was built on cinematic ambition, featuring real-life actors, and a refined combat system that evolved from Resident Evil's design. This combat core, known as the Issen, focused on precise timing for powerful counter-attacks, turning enemy encounters into a risk-reward puzzle. Way of the Sword attempts to carry this legacy forward, notably by featuring a digital rendition of the legendary actor Toshiro Mifune as the warrior Miyamoto Musashi.
A Dualistic Combat Experience
Onimusha: Way of the Sword's combat is a tale of two halves. The game introduces a robust defensive toolkit, including the signature Issen, parries, reflex dodges, and deflects. These mechanics are put to their best use in the game's boss battles, which are designed as intricate dance-offs requiring players to master enemy attack patterns and react with precise timing. These encounters are frequently brutal and demanding, echoing the methodical challenge of games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or the pattern recognition of Punch-Out!! Successfully executing the correct response to an enemy's onslaught, followed by a satisfying impact, is the game's most rewarding element. Overcoming these difficult duels can be a cathartic experience, offering glimpses of what makes Onimusha's core design compelling.
However, outside of these climactic duels, the combat system falters significantly. The deliberate, spatial combat that defined earlier Onimusha titles is largely absent. Movement is often restricted, and enemies in regular encounters tend to attack one by one, stripping away the strategic element of managing multiple foes. The Issen mechanic, once a vital tool for crowd control, is now largely a locked animation, limiting its tactical utility. To compensate for the strength of the player's defensive options, regular enemies are made more durable or feature armor that requires specific, often simplistic, counter-play. This design choice leads to repetitive encounters, with enemy types becoming tiresome after only a few appearances, especially as the game frequently recycles minibosses.
The Burden of the Open World
Way of the Sword's decision to adopt an open-world structure proves to be its most significant misstep. Instead of interconnected environments that encourage exploration and discovery, players navigate large, often repetitive areas filled with side missions and collectables. The act of running through these areas to gather resources like Iron and Whetstone, which offer minor stat increases, quickly becomes tedious. The game relies heavily on map markers and visual cues to guide players, detracting from organic exploration. This open-world design feels like a concession to market expectations rather than a natural fit for the series' core gameplay loop. The need to fill such a large world with repeatable content dilutes the experience, making the deliberate, focused combat of the boss fights a small fraction of the overall playtime.
This bloat also extends to the upgrade systems, which are spread thin across numerous currencies and incremental improvements. Players are often forced into lengthy resource-gathering grinds to see meaningful progress, or risk being underpowered for much of the game. The original Onimusha titles offered replayability through their inherent design; Way of the Sword seems to necessitate it through optional content and grinding, a compromise that sacrifices depth for breadth.
A Disappointing Narrative
Narratively, Onimusha: Way of the Sword struggles to find its footing. Despite its lavish production values and cinematic aspirations, the story leans heavily on generic shonen tropes, failing to capitalize on its historical setting or the star power of its digital actors. The inclusion of Toshiro Mifune, albeit in a younger digital form, is used to deliver predictable dialogue and narrative beats that lack impact. The visuals, characterized by an often drab color palette and photoscanned actors, further dampen the presentation. Unlike its predecessors, which at least had fun with their alternate history takes on real-world events, Way of the Sword feels strangely uninterested in exploring its historical context or its famous figures in any meaningful or entertaining way. The narrative fails to provide a compelling hook, leaving players with little motivation to push through the less engaging segments of the game.
Ultimately, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a game torn between its potentially excellent combat core and the compromises made to fit a modern, open-world mold. The exceptional boss fights offer a glimpse of what could have been, but they are buried beneath hours of repetitive combat, tedious open-world filler, and a lackluster story. While it may appeal to a dedicated audience seeking its specific brand of challenging boss encounters, the overall experience is one of missed potential and a stark reminder of what the Onimusha series has lost.