Capcom Considers Onimusha: Way Of The Sword’s Status as the Ultimate Swordplay Game the Definition of Success After 20 Years

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It has been two decades since fans last experienced a brand-new entry in the iconic Onimusha series, with Dawn of Dreams marking the franchise’s final outing in 2006. Now, after twenty years away, Capcom is merely months away from launching Onimusha: Way of the Sword. As a longtime devotee of the original trilogy, my excitement is palpable—even more so after going hands-on with the title for several hours and sitting down with the developers for our latest Game Informer cover story, which is available immediately for subscribers.

Given the immense twenty-year chasm separating this upcoming release from its predecessor, I couldn’t help but wonder: what does true success look like for Capcom with this revival?

Evolution of tentacle enemies from the original Onimusha compared to Way of the Sword — An adversary from the original classic juxtaposed with its modern counterpart in Way of the Sword.

“Our goal was to forge a completely fresh swordplay dynamic—essentially establishing the absolute pinnacle of melee action games,” producer Akihito Kadowaki explained during our interview. “Simply putting out a game that feels nostalgic or gratifying for veterans isn’t enough. We are striving for broad accessibility. For players who aren’t traditionally drawn to action titles, we want them to feel empowered to dive in, explore, and genuinely enjoy themselves. To achieve that, we’ve implemented modular difficulty settings encompassing dedicated story and action modes, alongside granular options for fine-tuning the experience.”

Kadowaki continued, “Ultimately, we hope to engage as wide an audience as possible, allowing them to fully appreciate the combat and experience the narrative through to the credits. Too often, players pick up games in this genre only to abandon them midway due to punishing difficulty.”

According to Kadowaki, if the team succeeds in resonating with a global audience, onboarding newcomers to the action genre, and guiding them to the finish line, they will view the project as a monumental triumph for the intellectual property.

Hearing this perspective was deeply refreshing, particularly given its total absence of rigid sales quotas or corporate bean-counting. While corporate executives no doubt harbor specific commercial projections, I sincerely hope expectations are tempered compared to Capcom’s undisputed heavyweights. Because of the vast twenty-year hiatus, Way of the Sword functions almost like a brand-new IP rather than a direct continuation—even while proudly retaining its Onimusha heritage.

Onimusha historical aesthetic and gameplay atmosphere

To contextualize these figures: Resident Evil has comfortably shattered the 200-million-sold threshold across its illustrious catalog, Monster Hunter proudly sits at 127 million units, and Street Fighter commands 59 million. Meanwhile, the entire historical Onimusha series has barely crossed 9 million. Measuring Way of the Sword against those modern titans would set an impossible and unfair standard.

I will be exploring Capcom’s triumphant revival in much greater depth throughout Game Informer’s dedicated month of coverage. Expect a steady stream of exclusive gameplay showcases, developer deep dives, and behind-the-scenes features—including our signature Rapid-Fire interview—airing on the official Game Informer YouTube channel. Be sure to bookmark the Onimusha: Way of the Sword Hub so you never miss an update.