With Pragmata, Capcom proved there is still massive potential for linear and innovative, gameplay-focused single-player experiences in the AAA space. With Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the first new mainline entry in the historical hack-and-slash series in 20 years, it takes a similarly unapologetic approach.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword isn’t a flashy revival with many of the bells and whistles that have popularized similarly contemporary games set in Japan such as Ghost of Tsushima or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Instead, it’s a humble and focused, linear offering whose gameplay fundamentals are so precisely immaculate that everything else feels irrelevant.
The result is a tour de force of an action game that I couldn’t get enough of.
Miyamoto Musashi is the muse
You play as Miyamoto Musashi, a fictionalized, young version of the legendary Japanese swordsman, exploring a grim Kyoto during the Edo Period.
Soon after his arrival, Kyoto is overrun by hellish creatures known as Genma. Amidst the chaos, Musashi gains the mystical, soul-absorbing Oni Gauntlet.
The premise is simple. Musashi must slay Genma forces and unravel the mystery behind their sudden appearance in and around Kyoto. The overarching plot is straightforward, serving more as a tool to introduce you to new characters, locations, and enemy encounters.
What’s striking, however, is the overall production values, cinematic presentation, and Miyamoto Musashi himself. Like Capcom’s most prominent protagonists, Musashi isn’t overly complex. He is, however, full of personality. Much of it is conveyed through his vividly expressive facial cues and silly one-liners that could rival Leon Kennedy.
Musashi is effortlessly goofy. He often sulks or throws tantrums when talking to his comrades or other NPCs. These create light-hearted moments between long stretches of sword clashes that I found welcoming.
At the end of one side quest, an old man asks his dead brother’s wife and their kid to move in with him; Musashi simply yawns and walks out without a care for family drama.
As endearing as he can be outside combat, he can be quite fierce and focused during confrontations, though without losing his charm. Later in the story, you come across a mermaid-like Genma called Hirehime. As soon as he sees them, Musaki goes, “You’re one confusing fish. I’ll fillet you.” I had to pause the game because I couldn’t stop laughing at his remark, which he spewed in an utterly serious tone.
Moments like these provide much-needed breathing room between the almost never-ending action. They are plentiful throughout Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s 40-hour campaign. It’s essential because its power-politics story lacks meaningful developments that would make you bat an eye. It’s Musashi’s moment-to-moment’s theatrics, however, which keep things interesting. He is his story’s own muse.
Speaking of muses, he’s joined by the Oni Lady Shizuka, who resides in his gauntlet. Although skeptical of him at first, Shizuka becomes a friendly companion on the road. Not only does she spew useful instructions during boss battles, but provides vital information and backstory about Onimusha’s world, which I found more intriguing than the primary antagonist’s story arc.
Other characters, like the grizzled daddy figure Takamura and the fierce young dancer Okuni, are also brimming with personality and have their moments in the spotlight. Both further help unearth Musashi’s humane side.
Becoming Miyamoto Musashi
Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s brilliance shimmers in two major ways. First, through its excellent, extremely polished combat. Secondly, the way it uses gameplay to exemplify its narrative themes. This is a diligently crafted action game that’s very different from traditional titles in the genre.
Unlike Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, you won’t have to memorize complex combo maneuvers to execute enemies stylishly. Nor is it entirely like the genre’s love child, Sekiro, where every enemy is a test of resilience.
Gameplay in Onimusha: Way of the Sword lies somewhere in between those traditional offerings. You can stylishly execute enemies with a single-button Issen attack (more on this later). Likewise, tough boss battles demand patience and precision.
This shift between hot and cold, intense and goofy, makes Onimusha’s gameplay (and narrative) remain engaging throughout and makes the whole ordeal more digestible. Way of the Sword never feels overwhelming or frustrating, even during its awkward downtimes between bosses when you’re tasked with closing cancerous Genma-spewing rifts for the hundredth time.
All of this wouldn’t have been possible if the combat wasn’t dipped in neat perfection. But Onimusha’s combat isn’t just simple and mechanically flawless; it’s deliberate and thoughtful.
Most regular enemies wait to be slaughtered, while bosses run you down. Way of the Sword lets you indulge in a frenzied power fantasy of satisfyingly slashing enemies in half with ease, while also challenging you at regular intervals.
Both are essential because they offer different kinds of fun, and the whole reason for indulging in swordplay is because it’s fun, at least in this alternate, hell-occupied version of Kyoto. Its characters acknowledge and embrace this ideology from the very beginning.
Before encountering a horde of Genma, Musashi often readies his sword and says, “You’re just fuel for the Gauntlet.” Not long into the story, I started nodding in approval every time he uttered one of these statements.
Some bosses, such as Ifuu and Burai, positively reflect that Musashi has gotten stronger since their last encounter, and they want this to be “one hell of a duel.”
This creates a thematic synchronicity between characters (and, in turn, the storytelling) and gameplay that many modern AAA titles fail to produce. Because of this synchronicity, Onimusha: Way of the Sword made me feel like I was Miyamoto Musashi, both during cutscenes and gameplay. That’s no easy feat.
Power Fighting is everything
Fighting is everything in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. And while the standard Genma enemies humor your sleek swordfighting power fantasy, this isn’t a game about feeling godly all the time. Simplicity is Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s greatest virtue.
You can choose between two controller layouts: Defensive and Aggressive. The defensive layout is your traditional controls, while the Aggressive layout clubs all action commands to the face buttons. It’s a bit awkward to get into, but once you get accustomed to it, it makes perfect sense for late-game shenanigans.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword offers three ways to approach encounters, but doesn’t lock you into any of those.
You can play it Sekiro-style, perfectly parrying enemy attacks to yield these intensely satisfying slow-mo animations of steel clashing and sparks flying. You can play it defensively, dodging enemy attacks to safety.
Or, you can use your light or heavy attacks just before being hit to unleash a deadly dimension-shifting counterattack that might alter your brain chemistry more than any intimate contact known to mankind.
What’s more, the game doesn’t shame you for preferring a more aggressive or defensive route, or mixing them both. You can master one or all, and use each tactic wisely in battles.
Each can reduce an enemy’s stamina meter, though to varying degrees. Issen deals the most damage but requires more precise timing than parrying or dodging.
You can also fill up Blaze Gauge and Reflex Gauge by parrying and dodging, respectively. While in Blazen State, Mushasi deals greater damage, whereas a full Reflex Gauge lets you execute a slow-mo reflex counter dodge that chucks away the enemy’s stamina. To further increase your preferred playstyle’s efficiency, you can equip various Talismans.
There are also basic skills that enhance existing abilities rather than adding new ways to play. But all in all, regular attacks, parrying, and Issen are robust enough to carry the entire weight of combat.
The cherry on top are these Oni Armaments, which I found incredibly useful in different situations. For instance, Wind-Whipper is perfect for clearing crowds of Genma. Likewise, Earth-Shakers, my favourite Armament of all, can greatly reduce an enemy’s stamina. It’s perfect for boss battles.
Speaking of which, there are over two dozen bosses in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, each with their own unique attack patterns and fighting techniques. Most main bosses have double phases, while others with single phases appear multiple times throughout the story.
Every boss fight is a perfect amalgamation of cinematic and gameplay moments. These pulse-pounding sections are made more illustrious with unique attack, parry, and dodge animations.
I was flabbergasted every time I perfectly parried a new boss and saw Musashi perform a smooth new acrobatic maneuver without any FPS dips. If Resident Evil Requiem’s gun reload animations were pretty, everything on display here is downright gorgeous.
With all that said, I never felt as if I was getting increasingly more powerful. Rather, I found myself getting skilled at those aforementioned fundamental techniques. Yet again, this direction felt deliberate and went toe-to-toe with the thematic unfolding of the game’s narrative about power and strength.
Thankfully, dealing Issen or parrying a boss’s attack never gets old, even after 40 hours. Hence, despite completing repetitive quest objectives, navigating simple environmental puzzles, and slashing the same few enemies in the overworld, I couldn’t get enough of Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
Neat Perfection
Long story short, I didn’t want Onimusha: Way of the Sword to end. Its picture-perfect combat system, combined with Musashi’s charming personality, yields a tour de force of an action game. Perhaps one of the greatest of this decade.
9 Onimusha: Way of the Sword Frenzied combat and immaculate tonal synchronicity between its narrative and gameplay make Onimusha: Way of the Sword one of the most humbling yet picture-perfect action games of this decade. Pros
- Immaculate combat
- Stunning animations
- Memorable boss fights
- Charming characters
Cons
- Repetitive quest objectives
- Lack of enemy variety in the overworld
- Straightforward story
