I was already enamored with Capcom’s latest Onimusha title after my initial preview last summer. However, after an in-depth look at Onimusha: Way of the Sword during this weekend’s Summer Game Fest, I’ve become insufferable about the project: it is, without a doubt, the most exhilarating experience I’ve had with a game in recent memory.
While Capcom has already launched a public demo across consoles and PC, my time at SGF went beyond the preview build. I explored harrowing, horror-infused environments and watched a seasoned Onimusha veteran put protagonist Miyamoto Musashi through his paces. Witnessing high-level gameplay wasn’t just about watching a combat sequence; it felt like a perfectly choreographed martial arts performance. In the right hands, Way of the Sword is a visual spectacle.
Admittedly, I’m a fairly standard action-game player, but stepping back into Musashi’s sandals felt intuitive. The game’s combat mechanics are remarkably deep, rewarding technical precision with an incredibly satisfying flow.
In the chapter I demoed, titled “Careful What You Wish For,” Musashi visits a village cursed by the Genma—the series’ quintessential immortal demons. He encounters a blindfolded woman who believes she’s found divine reprieve at the local Yasui Konpiragu Shrine, as well as an elderly man reveling in the sudden absence of his chronic knee pain.
The tragedy, however, is that both villagers have been “blessed” by the demon Rasho-gan: he simply plucked the woman’s eyes from her sockets and severed the man’s leg to “relieve” them of their suffering. A supernatural blight known as Malice has consumed the town, forcing its residents to hallucinate a blissful reality while they are physically dismantled.
Musashi, accompanied by his sentient gauntlet, Shizuka, must secure the aid of the Eight Stout Pillars—stout, stone-like spirits—to purge the corruption. After navigating the village and clashing with waves of lesser Genma to recover three scattered Pillars, the true horror of Rasho-gan’s design is revealed.
Image: Capcom
In a chilling cutscene, we see the demon Rasho-gan lurking in the shadows. When a desperate student of the shamisen begs to be freed from the physical toll of her craft, the demon happily complies by devouring her hands. Rasho-gan is a grotesque fusion of stolen limbs, and he immediately turns his attention to Musashi, eager to claim the samurai’s cursed gauntlet for his own collection.
What follows is a multi-stage boss fight that ranks among the most creative and demanding encounters I’ve seen in years. The demon utilizes his stolen appendages with frantic, unpredictable lethality.
Musashi’s arsenal—spanning standard swords and bows to magical Oni Armaments—is essential for survival. Standouts include the Twin Celestials, a pair of daggers capable of invoking healing spirits, alongside:
- Earth Shakers: Massive hammers designed to shatter enemy stamina.
- Firebird Flute: A musical weapon that calls down avian spirits to engulf foes in flames.
- Wind-Whipper: A dual-bladed polearm used for wide-reaching crowd control.
Image: Capcom
Beyond the combat, Capcom is clearly leaning heavily into Japanese folklore. I encountered the Ningyo, a yokai that disguises itself as a beautiful woman floating in the water before revealing its true, flesh-hungry form. This commitment to mythical horror makes every encounter feel fresh and genuinely unnerving.
The presentation culminated in battles against truly imaginative bosses like Byakue, the Hundred Defilements, and the winged Heaven’s Bane. Between these intense encounters and the refined mechanical depth, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a strong contender for the best boss-fight design of 2026.
One small critique: while the game captures Musashi’s dual nature—brave warrior and awkward goofball—the English-language dub feels somewhat jarring. I highly recommend playing with the original Japanese dialogue to fully appreciate the intended tone.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to arrive on Sept. 25 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Despite the competitive release window, it is a title I am eagerly anticipating.
Source: Polygon
