Latest news with #Onimusha
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Onimusha: Way of the Sword Is Capcom Sharpening It's Sword
During a hands-off presentation at Summer Games Fest, Onimusha: Way of the Sword quietly emerged as one of the most exciting things on the horizon. Capcom let the game speak for itself. And what it said, loud and clear, is that they're not just reviving Onimusha to ride nostalgia. They're rebuilding it from the hilt up. It's been nearly two decades since Onimusha felt like a pillar of Capcom's portfolio. But with recent remasters and with Way of the Sword on the horizon, the studio is treating the return like an event. This isn't a low-stakes spin-off; this is a full-scale entry with real bite, and a very clear creative vision behind it. It wears its influences proudly, particularly from samurai cinema and modern action design, but it never feels derivative. Set in a stylized version of feudal Kyoto, the game follows Miyamoto Musashi, not the philosophical swordsman of legend, but a younger warrior modeled visually and vocally after Toshiro Mifune, a legendary Japanese actor and producere known for his work in the samurai film genre. That casting choice does a lot of lifting. It grounds the game in a very specific cinematic era. The kind built on black-and-white duels and sharp of course, isn't just slicing up bandits. The supernatural elements are baked in early. He wears the Oni gauntlet on his arm, a cursed artifact that lets him absorb the souls of his enemies. Where most modern action games would streamline this into an auto-pickup system, Way of the Sword makes it an active mechanic. Enemies spill red, blue, and yellow orbs on death. Experience, skills, and health respectively. and Musashi has to manually draw them in. If he doesn't, they fade, or worse, get stolen by other enemies that'll power them up. That twist adds a real-time tension to every skirmish. It's good to see that this mechanic hasn't been lost to the modernization of the series. Combat reaches a new level with the return of the Issen. Veterans of the series know the name well. These are instant-kill counters that trigger on perfect timing and look really cool. Capcom has taken them from a subtle flourish to a centerpiece. Time slows, the camera tightens, and Musashi chains together one-hit kills that feel straight out of a Kurosawa dream sequence. And the best part is how expressive it all feels. We only got a glimpse, but another teased boss, Byakue, looked like a full-on nightmare—a towering, skinless beast covered in talismans and dripping with corruption. The fight was cut short, but the visual alone said enough. This game isn't afraid to get weird, and it knows how to build dread without over-explaining it. The supernatural elements in Way of the Sword extend beyond combat. Musashi can use Oni Visions to reveal hidden paths, phantoms, and clues. In one sequence, he watched a funeral procession turn to ash mid-step, revealing his path. In another vision, he uncovered the moments of a warrior whose soul had been twisted by regret after dispatching members of his village. These Dark Mass fragments add layers of context and melancholy, fleshing out a world that already feels haunted. The structure seems semi-linear from the look of things. You're following a main path, but it looks like there will be optional routes, side objectives, and if its like the previous entries, there should be alternate dialogue options that will offer room to explore. This isn't an open world, and it doesn't want to be. But it's also not a corridor. Instead, it feels like a tightly wound experience with thoughtful room to Way of the Sword is stunning. The art direction is doing the heavy lifting, but the animation work sells the rest. Musashi's stance looks like it shifts subtly depending on the enemy he faces. Even his idle moments feel charged with intent. Enemy design is equally sharp. What's maybe most exciting is how confident this all feels. Capcom isn't second-guessing what Onimusha should be. They've found it again. Not by recreating the past, but by distilling what made it work and making it sing in a new key. It's brutal, beautiful, and unafraid to let silence speak when it matters. There's still plenty we haven't seen. The full scope of the story, the size of the map, how far the mechanics evolve. But if the rest of Way of the Sword keeps this pace, Capcom isn't just reviving a franchise, they're reminding everyone why it mattered in the first place.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Onimusha 2 – Samurai's Destiny Remastered review: Sharpness of sword saga softened by superannuated systems
Games are not like movies in that old favourites often can't be played on newer consoles due to the inexorable march of technology. Yet a remaster is no little undertaking and so publishers must have a strategy as to which to give the makeover. Is it based on enduring popularity or the need for a marketing assist? Capcom's Japanese hack'n'slash franchise Onimusha shone briefly in the early 2000s with four entries in the series selling well. Each instalment followed a samurai and his allies pursuing the supernaturally evil warlord Nobunaga and his hordes of demons. But diminishing returns left Onimusha dormant until a remaster in 2019 was politely if unenthusiastically received. So why then six years later do we have this redux of the second in the series, albeit the best-selling episode? It probably hopes to stir interest in the big-budget series revival Onimusha: Way of the Sword – due in 2026. For now, Samurai's Destiny Remastered gives us a glimpse into the past of a different mindset in game design – one that makes the player suffer unnecessarily. Digging out my own review of the 2002 version from more than two decades ago, my biggest complaint was about the awkward tank-style controls that overcomplicated combat. Capcom wisely fixed that issue for the remaster by adding more sensible left-stick controls. But it presumably would have been much harder to address the non-scrolling level design where your character flicks from screen to screen as he reaches the edge. The concept was inherited from Capcom's Resident Evil but made more sense there in a slow-moving survival horror. Here in fast-moving Onimusha 2, it's a design flaw that becomes a frequent frustration when enemies attack from off-screen. Worse still, your samurai regularly bamboozles your sense of his direction with a sudden, sometimes involuntary shift in camera angle as the level unfolds. It affords your foes too many cheap hits and confounds your internal compass. All of this undermines what remains an enjoyably batty adventure blessed by an intricate combat system intersecting with some fabulous monster designs. The high-def glow-up papers over the game's PS2 origins and Capcom supplies a decent amount of bonus content in the form of artwork galleries and the like. If nothing else, it whets the appetite for next year's big Onimusha revival, so perhaps that's job done after all.
Geek Culture
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Onimusha: Way of the Sword' Performs Thrilling Dance Of Steel, Blood, And Refreshed Tradition
Looking back at the 24-year-and-counting legacy of Onimusha , it's easy to forget that the series' origins date back to the very first Resident Evil game. The evolution of an idea exploring a ninja counterpart to Capcom's survival horror franchise, it has grown into its own identity, establishing a foothold in hack-and-slash gameplay, supernatural elements, and historical influence – so much so that Resident Evil 4 came full circle by taking inspiration from 2004's Onimusha 3: Demon Siege . Resurfacing after nearly two decades of absence is Onimusha: Way of the Sword , set to be a highly anticipated return to feudal Japan, with new protagonist Miyamoto Musashi taking centre stage. The title wastes little time in cementing its devotion to samurai authenticity, which features the likeness of Mifune Toshiro – the renowned Japanese actor best known for starring in Akira Kurosawa films like Seven Samurai , The Hidden Fortress , and Yojimbo – as the face model for the swordsman. It's a neat, even poetic, reference to his role as Musashi in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy movies in the 1950s, while honouring the motion capture tradition that started with Japanese-Taiwanese star Takeshi Kaneshiro for the original game. Yusaku Matsuda contributed to the sequel, and Jean Reno, in the third instalment, all portraying historic figures who have shaped Japan's history. The franchise's latest frontman is no different, inspired by his real-world counterpart known for his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated 62-match streak. A silver of that might was the focus of an exclusive hands-off preview held for select media, showcasing combat gameplay, story premise, and revamped visuals. Taking place in a stage set at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the 20-minute demonstration points to a strong, hopeful revival in the form of punchy, blood-soaked action, vast demon variety, and a modern twist on traditional gameplay. The overall narrative beats are established in the opening moments: Musashi is on a quest to become the greatest swordsman in the world, battling anyone and everyone in his path. However, he receives the Oni Gauntlet against his will, wanting to be rid of it as he strives to become the master of the sword through his own power. Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings him to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which has been afflicted with Malice, generated by the Genma, or demons, accumulating in the area. As exposed individuals who will soon perish, Musashi infiltrates the locale to vanquish the Genma. Coming in three generations after the previous entry in the series, the visual facelift is immediately prominent. Particle effects, such as swirling red-tinted clouds in the skies – a result of the Malice – and fog, add more realism, while enhanced textures make the world look better than ever before. There's also an emphasis on cinematic storytelling, with close-up shots of Musashi revealing articulate facial expressions and subtle detailing, right down to the tendons and veins in his arms. Entering battle yields a familiar yet fresh experience. Like its predecessors, the upcoming slash fest marks the return of soul absorption, in which killing enemies rewards players with different types of souls: blue powers skills, yellow regenerates health, and red provides experience points. Souls disappear after some time, so knowing when to absorb them feeds into gameplay strategy, and veterans should feel right at home getting back into the swing (no pun intended) of things. The Onimusha enjoyment isn't complete without Issen, though. Mastering the way of the sword requires the series' signature ability to perform a fast evade and counterattack, and preview lifts the curtain on three out of the five that have been introduced across all of its titles: the basic manoeuvre, Haijiki Issen / Deflect Issen, or Issen Dance / Chain Issen. Working the same way as before, the first mechanic triggers a critical hit when the attack button is pressed at the right time during an enemy's blow. Similarly, Deflect Issen sees players sending enemy projectiles back and deflecting frontal attacks if they block just an attack that's about to land, with Chain Issen kicking the action into overdrive by stringing a successful Issen after another, before it ends on a leaping slash. The hands-off nature of the preview makes it difficult to gauge how the sensation will feel during actual gameplay, particularly when it comes to haptic feedback on the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. According to Capcom, Issen execution promises 'a very satisfying feeling of cutting through enemies', and it does look like such. A crisp metallic sound rings through the air whenever Musashi locks blades with others, and there's weight behind each blow – a visceral touch accentuated through Break Issen, allowing players to target different parts of the body to disable attacks. The nifty mechanic is hardly the only tweak to the swordplay formula. Guarding now provides cover from all directions (Musashi's posture can still be broken after multiple hits), and the use of the surroundings is put into focus through parrying, which redirects hostile targets into a wall or the immediate environment. Spicing up gameplay beyond the usual dice-and-slice fare, it unlocks more ways to wreak destruction, such as redirecting enemies into a torch and setting them on fire, or lifting a table to block an arrow, then slamming it into them. Deflect enough blows, and Musashi will enter a powered-up state that deals more damage against foes. Attacking in this state creates more blue souls, allowing for quicker, more regular activation of his skills, including one which swaps out the katana for two swords – a nice little ode to the historical figure's dual-bladed tendencies – that land faster strikes and spits out health-regenerating yellow souls upon successful attacks. As per tradition, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to introduce new Genma types, each with their own characteristics and abilities. The Hitotsume Gasa, for instance, wields swords, a bow, and shields, and attacks in groups, while the Kubi Akari, a floating soul-sucking variant, is capable of grabbing players before self-destructing. Elsewhere, a ninja-like species uses doppelganger projections to evade strikes. The boss fights are the highlight, however, and the hands-off preview shifts its focus to Sasaki Ganryu, a rival swordsman who also wields an Oni Gauntlet, and a gargantuan, tanky Genma called Byakue. Unlike common foes, these hard hitters have a second gauge under their health bar that decreases with every deflected attack and staggers the enemy when fully depleted, opening the window for a Break Issen. Both opponents ooze a distinctive design – the former, shown in a trailer unveiled during Summer Game Fest 2025, is a bloodthirsty, deranged blur of speed, while the latter becomes stronger the more it's soaked in its own blood. Another welcome cultural nod comes in the form of the paper talisman, or ofuda, covering Byakue's body, said to ward off evil spirits and misfortune, alongside the addition of the Japanese flute to the battle music, which, by the way, is a head-bopper that adds to the adrenaline rush. The varied attacking patterns and styles keep players on their toes, requiring different strategies to handle the threat. Pressing the dodge button in time and before the final blast triggers a grab reversal against Kubi Akari, and deflecting the Byakue's axe attacks takes out all enemies in the vicinity. From the look of things, swordplay is shaping up to be a thrilling, high-octane time, with flying enemies potentially being one of the more annoying forces to defeat, even when locked on. Just a small gripe, but it'd be great if enemy lines could have more variety, especially since Ganryu seems to have mastered the art of trash-talking. Outside of swordplay, Onimusha: Way of the Sword introduces Oni Vision for a puzzle-solving element to progression. This new feature can detect and reveal hidden objects, including invisible Genma blocking the entrance to a location; defeating them opens up the path forward. Dark Mass comes in as the other new flourish, described as the embodiment of the resentment and negative energy of those who have been killed nearby. A narrative device, it relives memories related to the Malice when absorbed, allowing Musashi to witness events that occurred in the past, such as a scene of a father forced to throw his child off the temple. It sets up a gritty tone for storytelling, especially with the parallel to a real anecdote, steeped in mystical intrigue through the manifestation of the Oni Gauntlet as a mysterious female voice, also hinted at in the latest trailer. 19 years is a long time to be away, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword appears to be steadily slashing its way to an encouraging leap into a new generation. While there were some slight stumbles and hiccups in the hands-off preview, the sneak peek at a parry-heavy spectacle and visual polish proved scintillating, if brief, serving as the evolution of an honoured tradition. Now, the wait to play as Musashi awaits. Onimusha: Way of the Sword will be released sometime in 2026 . Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Capcom Geek Preview Onimusha Onimusha: Way of the Sword
The Verge
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Capcom's lineup at Summer Game Fest was a mix of bold and boring
Capcom had an interesting showing at Summer Game Fest with three titles that will carry the developer into 2026 and beyond: Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Resident Evil Requiem, and Pragmata. I got hands-on previews with both Requiem and Pragmata, and a hands-off presentation for Onimusha. Across the three games, I saw a mix of fresh ideas with Onimusha, some stale ones with Requiem, and some weird but interesting choices with Pragmata. Of the three games, Pragmata represented the biggest tension between what I liked about it and what I didn't. In the game, you play as Hugh, an astronaut stranded on the moon who is aided by a small, child-like robot named Diana. To be frank, I'm utterly exhausted by the trope of a big, gruff dude protecting a small, innocent child. Enough! It's 2025, we have plenty of dad games at home, Capcom, there has to be a more interesting way to do this. That said, I was impressed by Pragmata 's combat. What I thought was a straightforward shooter was still mostly that but with a complexity that dramatically changes the calculus of how you fight. Enemies in Pragmata are shielded and take little damage from Hugh's weapons. To fight effectively, you must use Diana's hacking skills, represented via a minigame that's basically a stripped-down version of the hacking minigame from Bioshock. What's most interesting about this is that it all must be done mid-combat. Time doesn't stop as you're building a circuit to the end goal in order to stun your enemy. It meant I had to juggle hacking effectively with dodging enemy attacks in a way that felt fresh and exciting for what I thought would be a simple action shooter. I just wish they had applied that innovation to some of the game's narrative elements. For Onimusha, Capcom revived a long-dormant series in a big way, first with a remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny and now with this new entry, the first in almost 20 years. During the hands-off presentation, all I could think was, 'This is Capcom's take on a soulslike.' Some of that is in the aesthetics. The world is dark, overrun by grotesque-looking demons who brutally cut down fleeing peasants before turning their swords on Musashi, the protagonist. In other ways, it's the combat. Enemies have stagger bars you deplete through deflecting and parrying attacks. In boss fights, as you slowly wear down your enemy, you can choose which part of the boss to damage to produce a certain effect. I did not get to play Onimusha myself, but I'm intrigued to see if any more soulslike elements are embedded within the game. Finally, Requiem stole the Summer Game Fest show as Geoff Keighley closed the keynote event with a surprise reveal of the game and its February 2026 release date, after previously teasing that we wouldn't see it for a while. Later during Play Days, Summer Game Fest's in-person media event, I was treated to a short gameplay presentation and demo that offered a brief glimpse into the harrowing experience of Grace Ashcroft as she tries to escape an abandoned hospital. During the gameplay presentation, Capcom emphasized that Grace would have to rely on her wits to survive rather than any kind of training as a soldier or law enforcement like the Leons, Adas, or the Chrises of that T-virus infected world. I liked that approach and how it was reflected in both the presentation and the demo. Since Grace had no weapons to protect herself, I had to find clues in the environment that would help me survive. That meant paying attention to my surroundings and reading everything I could find, landing on the one tip that got me through my time with the demo. On the other hand, my brief look at Requiem felt like Capcom was tapping into old routines instead of doing something truly innovative for the ninth mainline entry in the Resident Evil series. Yes, the big monster lady was scary, and that delicious tension was heightened by the fact that I had no guns to shoot my way out in case my wits failed me. But there are only so many times I can be chased through hallways by a slowly plodding monster before it gets to be old hat. I've seen that not just in other Resident Evil games but in horror games in general, and I'm bored by it.
Engadget
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings Japanese cinematic royalty to the samurai fantasy series
While the surprise of a new Resident Evil might have been Capcom's biggest story at SGF, it's got other series – and other sequels – to show off, like Onimusha . Previously a banner PS2 series, Onimusha spanned four mainline games between 2001 and 2006. We've since seen remastered editions of the first two episodes. Still, a true sequel was long overdue, especially after games like Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima showed a renewed appetite for feudal Japan swordplay. Through a theater presentation during SGF 2025, I got a closer look at Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which features a new hero and a new setting. Also, no more static backgrounds. Players will control Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary (but historically real) Japanese swordsman, artist and writer. This is interesting, but the more compelling wrinkle is that his face is modeled on the legendary (but historically real) actor Toshiro Mifune, who passed away in 1997. Mifune was a leading actor in several Akira Kurosawa movies in the 1950s and '60s, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimb o. In short, he was arguably the most famous samurai actor there ever was. I'm not counting Tom Cruise. (Mifune, while alive, portrayed the same character, Musashi, in three separate movies.) To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Several gameplay features have carried over to the latest edition of the Onimusha series. Once again, you're equipped with the Oni gauntlet, now possessing its own sentient voice. The gauntlet is crucial to collecting different types of orbs from enemies. Some will repair health, while others add experience points, skill points and more. We were also shown some mild puzzle-solving, using the power of the Oni gauntlet to see invisible demons and unlock areas that were spiritually blocked. Absorbing sinister dark masses will let Musashi relive harrowing scenes from the past, powered by his cursed gauntlet. The early gameplay demo focused on swordplay, mainly, with barely any mystical attacks and special moves. Like in previous games, you'll have to balance attack, movement, guarding and counters. Once again, Issen attacks (both through interrupting sword strikes and well-timed guards) are key to applying major damage to waves of attacking demons. Musashi can also apply Issen attacks multiple times to finish off groups of enemies – if your timing is good enough. He can also parry arrows and send them back to where they came from. Environmental damage can also prove useful against enemies, like fire. At times, you'll even be able to wield objects for defense, like a raised tatami mat to block arrow fire. It seems we were only glimpsing the basics of Onimusha battle dynamics and attacks. The guard system appears relatively forgiving, and I saw Musashi block light sword attacks from behind without even turning around. I'm intrigued to see how the game's difficulty will scale in an era of Soulslikes. Fans of those games will be more intrigued with boss battles, in particular, ones where you face off against Ganryu, seen above. He appears to be Musashi's swordsman rival – and one that's been gifted his very own Oni gauntlet. The confrontation between the two was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate how Break Issen operates. After wearing down the guard gauge of enemies, you can perform a severe attack which can be channeled to specific areas or body parts. Do you go for the head to hit for maximum damage, or the sword arm to reduce damage going forward? I also love having an antagonist to face off against, each time upping the ante. Ganryu, who seems a bit of a dick, is that guy. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled for release in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
