Onimusha: Way of the Sword is the upcoming first major game in the Onimusha series, which began its life in 2001 on PC, PlayStation 2, and the original XBOX. Way of the Sword received a demo version on Friday, and we played it over the weekend, and here are some of our thoughts.
The demo starts with a series of technical options such as the ability to select the language for menus and voices, standard brightness adjustments. In the options menu, you can change graphical and audio settings, and you also have the option to map controls or choose from one of the pre-set control configurations. By clicking on new game, you get a window that offers you two difficulty settings: story (for those who want a relaxed experience or are new to the genre) and action (focused solely on combat and for those who want a greater challenge); of course, these settings can be changed later during gameplay.
What I must praise about Onimusha is the visual appearance, thanks to the RE Engine, which has also been used for other Capcom series such as Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter. The environment is also beautiful and exudes a dark atmosphere.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword follows the character Miyamoto Musashi, who explores a dark version of Kyoto during the Edo period and fights against other samurai, demons, and supernatural beings. Way of the Sword will mostly be a linear game, but along with the main story, it will have a number of open areas and side missions. Musashi also possesses a glove that can, at certain moments, take him back in time and show him what happened in a specific area.
I entered this demo with the assumption that the gameplay would be another soulslike, but this was proven wrong with the first swing of the sword, as the combat in Way of the Sword is more a combination of Soul games and the combat we are used to seeing in the Batman Arkham series. The combat is fluid and gives you enough time to block or intercept enemy attacks; there are also excellent finishing moves where Musashi drives his sword into the bodies of enemies or into their heads in the case of stealth attacks. The aforementioned glove can also absorb the souls of enemies, which come in three types: yellow (restore some health), red (for purchasing upgrades), and blue (for using abilities reserved for the glove).
The demo introduced four types of enemies: zombie samurai and archers reminiscent of Yoshimitsu from Tekken, creatures resembling a combination of crocodiles and lizards, floating heads, and a monster wielding a large sword. We also got one boss fight against Sasaki Ganryu, which concludes the demo version. Anyone who saves their positions from the demo version by the release date will receive a special item, Kubi Akari charm, which will bring special bonuses for Miyamoto.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword demo is available via Steam, PlayStation Store, and XBOX Store, and it weighs 12.84 GB, and for just playing, you will need about 40 minutes. The full version of the game will be in the hands of players on September 25, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and XBOX Series X/S.
