Onimusha: Way of the Sword Review: Sharp Action, Dull Rifts
Capcom’s brutal samurai revival brings intense swordplay and punishing difficulty to PC and consoles, though repetitive late-game rifts drag down the fun.
Capcom’s cult-classic samurai franchise returns with sharp teeth, heavy swords, and a few old habits.
The screen fades to black. Four words mock your efforts: “You have fallen.” Get used to seeing them. Capcom’s latest action title, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, does not care about your feelings, your reflex times, or your busy schedule.
Launching September 4, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo’s Switch 2, this Mature-rated revival targets a very specific crowd. It wants players who miss the sweaty-palm tension of early 2000s action games. It delivers that tension in spades. But the game also brings along some of the archaic baggage that modern design spent two decades trying to shed.
A Reluctant Legend in Early Edo Kyoto
Historical fiction is a delicate tightrope. Way of the Sword walks it with a bloody katana. The game follows a younger, fictionalized version of Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary 17th-century duelist who finished his career with over 60 undefeated bouts. This Musashi is restless. He wanders a gorgeously rendered, demon-infested early Edo-period Kyoto, looking for the next worthy opponent to build his legacy.
Then things get weird. Musashi gains custody of the Oni Gauntlet, an ancient artifact that grants him monstrous physical strength. Here lies the central character conflict: Musashi despises the gauntlet. He views its supernatural boost as a shortcut, an artificial taint on his quest to become the greatest swordsman alive. It is a neat narrative trick that mirrors the player’s own struggle to master raw mechanics over cheap tricks.
The city around him is falling apart. Demonic Genma have breached the barrier separating the living world from hell. Guided by his mentor, Ono no Takamura—an Oni tasked with keeping the underworld at bay—Musashi begins a desperate purge of Kyoto’s historic districts.
Class is Always in Session
Do not expect a brief tutorial before being set free. Way of the Sword treats the first several hours of gameplay as an extended, interactive classroom. Musashi’s mechanical toolkit keeps expanding deep into the campaign. While this slow trickle of abilities might frustrate players eager to jump straight into the meat of the action, the game has a very good reason for holding back your full arsenal.
Every major encounter acts as a strict final exam. You cannot button-mash your way through these bosses. If you did not memorize how to parry, deflect, and dodge during the quiet moments, the bosses will tear you apart in seconds. It demands precision. Each hard-won victory feels like an actual physical relief, leaving players with a genuine rush of adrenaline after surviving near-fatal encounters.
The early stages are a masterclass in atmosphere. Players fight through the Arashiyama bamboo forest and the iconic Kiyomizu-dera temple, each environment dripping with visual confidence. The developers clearly knew they nailed the aesthetic. The early levels invite exploration, hiding secrets and new demonic threats around every corner.
The Drag of the Rift
But the pacing hits a brick wall in the second half. To pad the runtime, Capcom relies heavily on “rifts.” These are static combat arenas that seal the player inside until every wave of enemies is dead. They are essentially pop quizzes before the big boss fights, but they happen far too often. Even worse, they constantly recycle previously defeated bosses, turning what should be a tense climb to the finish into a repetitive chore.
The narrative does little to explain why you are suddenly clearing these rifts or chopping down demonic “malice flowers” to lift foggy roadblocks. It feels like an artificial speed bump. You will find yourself wishing for a more streamlined, focused experience that respects your time. While side quests and folklore-centric “curious cases” offer fun ways to train and earn upgrades, they cannot fully mask the mid-game bloat.
Resident Evil Roots on Display
Thankfully, the characters prevent the campaign from falling into a dull, repetitive rhythm. Capcom’s signature penchant for theatrical, B-movie camp is on full display here. The voice performances are incredibly entertaining, breathing life into what could have been a generic “stop the demons” plot.
Take Dokyo, the sinister, cackling scientist who steals every scene she is in. She is a delight to hate. Then there is Izumo no Okuni, a kabuki theater pioneer whose cheerful, stubborn loyalty serves as the emotional anchor for Musashi’s quiet, grumbling crusade. Perhaps the most memorable figure is Sasaki Ganryu, a flamboyant rival samurai who also sports an Oni Gauntlet. Every time Ganryu struts onto the screen, you know you are moments away from a brutally difficult, high-stakes duel.
It is a refreshing change of pace for a modern samurai game. Way of the Sword does not get bogged down in heavy-handed soliloquies about honor, duty, or eternal revenge. It keeps things remarkably simple. Demons are bad, you have a magic glove, and the fight is simply a blast to play.
The Verdict
At one point in the story, Musashi asks his mentor why he chooses to live as an Onimusha, locked in an endless cycle of violence against hellspawn. Takamura’s answer is beautifully blunt: because it is fun. After mastering the game’s deep, demanding combat systems, it is hard to disagree with him.
Way of the Sword is easily the most challenging game in the franchise’s history. It is also the most rewarding. If you can overlook the archaic arena lockouts and the recycled content in the latter half, you will find a combat engine that stands with the very best on the market. It is a triumphant, if slightly flawed, return for a classic series.
