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Graphics
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Gameplay
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Story
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Audio
Summary
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A masterful swordplay system built entirely around the highly rewarding parry, dodge, and Break Issen mechanics.
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The soundtrack and fully lip-synced Japanese voice acting create a remarkably immersive atmosphere.
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The PlayStation 5 Pro enhancements deliver stunning ray-traced visuals alongside a perfectly stable 60 frames per second.
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The expanding open-world segments introduce mundane fetch quests that frequently stunt the narrative pacing.
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The English voice dub suffers from awkwardly placed accents.
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The premium pricing and expensive Deluxe Editions make the initial investment quite steep.
Capcom has been on an unprecedented run of modernising their classic properties, and even compared to their Resident Evil revamps and the return of Megaman, Onimusha: Way of the Sword stands as a crowning achievement.
Taking the framework of the beloved sword-swinging action franchise, this phenomenal new entry moves the conflict to a demon-infested Edo-period Kyoto.
You take on the role of Miyamoto Musashi, spectacularly brought to life using the likeness of the late samurai movie legend Toshiro Mifune. This blend of historical fiction and supernatural horror delivers a brilliantly executed vision that feels both deeply nostalgic and thrillingly fresh.
Story
The narrative anchors the combat with specific, memorable character arcs, opening with the highly confident Miyamoto Musashi arriving in Kyoto to prove he is entirely unmatched in the way of the sword. However, his arrival coincides with the city being tragically consumed by malevolent clouds of Malice and overrun by the Genma horde.
The core conflict is deeply personal – Musashi is forced into a supernatural war and bonded with a sentient Oni Gauntlet. As a proud warrior who initially relies entirely on his own pure swordsmanship, he struggles to understand and accept these new supernatural powers alongside his traditional katana skills.
The plot leans heavily into dark fantasy myths, delivering well-produced cutscenes and phenomenal cinematic storytelling throughout its entire runtime.
Gameplay
The overall structure balances highly refined, linear combat encounters against an expanding open-world interpretation of Kyoto. As you progress through the roughly 20-hour campaign, new districts of the city become available to explore.
The game occasionally slows the narrative down to a crawl by forcing players to engage in mundane side activities, such as travelling across the map simply to close glowing red rifts. Many of these moments feel like simple fetch quests that pad out the runtime.
However, when the game coaxes you towards its bespoke, linear encounters, the combat truly shines.
Musashi can enter a guard stance to block attacks from all directions or deflect incoming projectiles. A prolonged parry even allows you to steer enemies and force them to fall in a specific direction. Performing consecutive parries or dodges grants combat buffs that enable you to swiftly execute enemies in succession or unleash devastating multi-hit attacks.
When you completely deplete an enemy’s stamina gauge, you are rewarded with the ‘Break Issen’. This move instantly executes standard foes by dismembering them. Against bosses, Break Issen grants you a crucial choice to deal a massive amount of damage or extract more souls.
The Oni Gauntlet is woven seamlessly into this loop, granting the ability to absorb souls for health, upgrades, and devastating Oni Armaments.
Audio & Soundtrack
The audio presentation is a massive highlight – masterfully blending traditional instrumentation with tension-building orchestral swells, which massively helps immerse players into its deep and engrossing world.
The clash of steel on steel is astonishingly sharp and weighty. Successful parries and strikes are punctuated by crisp audio cues that make the demanding timing feel highly intuitive. When choosing your audio options, the native Japanese voice track is highly recommended.
It features complete lip-syncing and phenomenal emotional delivery. In contrast, the English dub does take the interesting decision to feature a number of British accents – including our protagonist – that do feel somewhat out of place in the setting, but lend proceedings with a Shakespearean air of gravitas.
Performance
Built on the seemingly unstoppable RE Engine, the game looks breathtaking on the PlayStation 5 Pro.
The hardware upgrade allows you to utilise PSSR graphics upscaling enhancements to enjoy jaw-dropping ray-traced reflections in the flooded temples of Kyoto.
Crucially, the Performance mode maintains a flawless 60 frames per second. This higher, perfectly locked frame rate is practically mandatory for a game that relies so heavily on reactions and timing.
Verdict
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a staggering, triumphant return for a franchise that has been dormant for far too long. It retains the dark, supernatural atmosphere of the originals while overhauling the combat into a fast, fluid, and incredibly satisfying system.
Pricing is a significant factor to consider because this is a premium release with a base price of £64.99.
If you are tempted by the Deluxe or Premium Deluxe Editions, you will receive nostalgic cosmetic Sword Appearances, exclusive Haori designs, and stat-boosting charms. These add-ons are brilliant for hardcore fans seeking visual variety, though the base game offers an incredibly complete experience on its own – but take the price up quite a bit more.
The pacing issues caused by the open-world segments do occasionally frustrate, but they do little to detract from the sheer joy of the combat loop.
Moment to moment, reading an opponent’s intentions and punishing them with a perfect succession of strikes remains utterly gripping. This is a masterful revival and an absolute must-play for anyone who appreciates truly exceptional action games.
