Onimusha Way of the Sword from Capcom in 2026 is a triumphant return for the samurai sword-slashing action epic. It’s actually really hard to believe it’s been so long since we last saw an Onimusha game and I’m so happy that we finally got one again! So does Onimusha: Way of the Sword live up to its expectations, and is it worth picking up?
Don your Oni gauntlet and let’s get to some soul-sucking goodness, shall we?
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
I recently played the Onimusha: Way of the Sword demo when Gamescom 2026 was going on and loved every bit of it. I also wrote a little preview about this if you want to check it out here. This of course was just a taste of what was to come, and I’m happy to report that the final release build of the game is something that is truly epic. If you’re a newcomer, you might still be on the fence, so let me give you a quick rundown of what Onimusha: Way of the Sword is.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a third-person action-adventure hack-and-slash game. If you’ve played games like Devil May Cry, God of War, Bayonetta, etc you’ll feel right at home here. However, Onimusha: Way of the Sword blends in some elements from the “Soulslike” genre into the mix too, and I’ll touch on this shortly.
Story and Setting
Let’s start off with the core gameplay, though. Players will take on the role of Miyamoto Musashi. The game onboards you quite quickly with a tutorial chapter segment that really escalates in no time flat. You’ll go from escaping from samurai to suddenly fighting demons from the depths of hell using the power of an Oni gauntlet, and it’s all so captivating. Why does Musashi have a gauntlet? Why are demons invading Kyoto and ravaging the masses? Why did the gauntlet suddenly start talking to Musashi? The questions quickly pile up, and the game slowly but surely drip-feeds you info to keep you going.
Without spoiling too much, the story of Onimusha: Way of the Sword involves Musashi being recruited by a fellow Oni gauntlet user into facing off against demons spreading “Malice” in Kyoto and wreaking havoc. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem and Musashi gets drawn into a bigger conflict involving the Gates of Hell.
Unfortunately though, the story of Onimusha: Way of the Sword is not exactly groundbreaking stuff. It’s rather formulaic and feels very Shounen in the way Musashi keeps growing stronger after taking down some rather tough boss enemies. As you keep unlocking more of his Oni gauntlet’s power, more of the world opens up to you but there really isn’t a lot of exploration on offer here. In fact, the game’s side quests are pretty lacklustre and the exploration is quite linear in segmented areas. This often feels like filler content between the game’s real stars which are the boss battles themselves and the visually stunning cutscenes that play out.
Combat and Gameplay
Each boss battle in Onimusha: Way of the Sword feels great to get through with the only caveat being that you will face off against some of the boss enemies multiple times throughout the story and during training rematches which are essentially a boss battle mode. This can be overlooked and forgiven though given the fact that when you face an enemy later on, you’ll have access to a lot more Oni gauntlet power so you won’t struggle as much with them as when you fought them the first time.
In a way, this felt very Dark Souls to me and I couldn’t help but thinking about Sekiro throughout the entire game too. The gameplay itself is also very reminiscent of Sekiro with parrying, blocking and countering being the key to victory. Yes you can literally button bash and hack and slash your way through the weaker enemies found in levels but this strategy immediately falls apart when fighting bosses in the game.
Boss Battles
Each boss has their own unique attacker patterns and capabilities and defeating them requires careful use of strategy. Timing your attacks, blocking, parrying and using items require precise gameplay movements and you’ll have to find your rhythm in battle to defeat the bosses. Healing in particular felt like playing an old school Monster Hunter title where you had to stop doing everything to heal before continuing to fight. Getting heals in during intense boss fights is quite a challenge given how relentless some opponents are.
Thankfully, the game features an easier mode which you can swap to if you are struggling too much and this is great for more casual gamers who want to have fun and not suffer an exercise in frustration as a boss wipes the floor with them for the 14th time in a row.
Oni Gauntlet and Upgrades
Sucking up Genma souls to upgrade and power the Oni gauntlet and yourself in the process is also a key aspect of the combat. Once you start unlocking some of the more powerful attacks that use blue soul energy, the tide of battles can be turned quite quickly. For example, there’s an Oni gauntlet attack that can really inflict a lot of stagger damage to an opponent. This can then allow you to pull off a powerful weak point attack which can deal massive damage to them.
Battles in Onimusha: Way of the Sword are therefore an eclectic mixture of dealing stagger damage to foes, pulling off weak point attacks, dodging, blocking, parrying and countering. Once you get going with this formula, you’ll have a blast in the game. Doubly so if you’ve played a title like Sekiro and loved it.
Graphics and Visuals
Graphically, Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks fantastic. Capcom’s RE Engine once again delivers amazing visuals and the flashy attacks and enemy designs are great. The only gripe I have is that the game seems quite dark/dull and that there isn’t a lot of variation in enemy designs after a certain point in the game. The game thankfully also includes a photo mode so you can really have fun with taking beautiful screenshots of the action as you play through the game.
Soundtrack and Voice Acting
The soundtrack of the game was fine with some background themes being very well suited to the game’s overall aesthetic and vibe. The voice acting however is another point of contention that I need to bring up. The English voice acting is vastly different to the Japanese voice acting and the subtitles/translation don’t always match up with what is being said. This is a localisation issue and if you don’t understand Japanese, you wouldn’t notice it anyway since you’ll be playing the game with the English dub most likely.
That said, some of the over the top mannerisms and dialogue seemed to be really over done and veers off into comedy almost because of this. This is a mixed bag and some gamers might enjoy it while others definitely won’t.
Final Verdict
Onimusha Way of the Sword is an extremely solid hack and slash action packed game with a lot of button bashing combat in between the far more technical boss battles (which can be brutally punishing on the normal difficulty setting). Casual gamers might struggle here while seasoned veterans of Soulslike games like Sekiro or Bloodborne will love this.
The game isn’t exactly a soulslike, and only drifts into some minor open-world exploration that could have been a lot better in retrospect, but nevertheless still delivers a very fun gameplay loop regardless. Capcom have definitely done it again this year and have another 9/10 here even with its minor flaws and problems. I can definitely recommend giving Onimusha Way of the Sword a go and if you’re still not sold, try out the demo yourself and see if it’s your cup of tea.
Read more awesome reviews >>here<<.
The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
Reviewed and played on PC.
AI Review Summary
What is Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a third-person samurai action-adventure from Capcom that combines fast-paced hack-and-slash combat with Soulslike elements, challenging boss battles and a supernatural story set in Kyoto.
What does Onimusha: Way of the Sword add?
The game brings back the classic Onimusha formula with Miyamoto Musashi, the Oni gauntlet and Genma demons, while adding modern combat mechanics including blocking, parrying, countering, stagger damage and weak-point attacks.
Is Onimusha: Way of the Sword worth playing?
Yes. While the story and exploration can feel formulaic and some side content is lacking, the excellent combat, spectacular boss battles, impressive visuals and satisfying Oni gauntlet abilities make it a highly enjoyable action game.
What score does Onimusha: Way of the Sword get?
9/10 – A spectacular return for Onimusha that delivers excellent samurai combat, memorable boss battles and impressive visuals despite some weaker exploration, repetitive enemies and localisation issues.
