Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Review

Onimusha: Way of The Sword Is The Pinnacle Of Capcom's Golden Era Published Aug 31, 2026, 11:01 AM EDT Joshua Robertson is an editor for TheGamer, having working in news, guides, features, and reviews since 2022. They have written thousands of news stories, ranging from industry-breaking events, to smaller, more personal community pieces, and have covered several high-profile showcases such as The Game Awards and Nintendo Directs. Joshua is considered an expert in soulslikes, horror, JRPGs and everything Final Fantasy, having written extensive coverage for massively popular online titles like Final Fantasy 14. Capcom has steadily become the most reliable developer in the games industry over the past five years. Its output has been phenomenal, and most of the games that it’s been releasing have slapped, with Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata already on the docket for incredible and successful releases in 2026. Onimusha: Way of the Sword completes the trilogy. Right from the get-go, Onimusha is dripping with quality. Its introduction is carefully designed to teach you the basics, all while simultaneously presenting you with a series of fun set pieces that have you entertained and immediately enamored with the game’s central protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi. It would have been easy to make Musashi a gritty and determined samurai, but he exudes charisma and kindness from the start, giving away his food to some hungry children within the game’s first few minutes. His charm and Jack Sparrow-like qualities make him an incredibly likable character, and it makes the game’s comedic moments stand out more. But while he is a bit of a class clown, Onimusha also lets you know that Musashi loves a scrap, which is ideal because the game has you doing a lot of scrapping. A True Samurai Power Fantasy... I cannot describe how refreshing it feels to play an action RPG that isn’t trying to be a soulslike. Onimusha has some common soulslike elements, such as a parry and “souls” you collect to level up, but that’s where the similarities end. Instead of giving you the typical roll, block, and parry that plague action RPGs these days, Onimusha serves up a bevy of different ways to counter enemy attacks, all with the aim of whittling down their stamina meters until you can dive in for a killing blow. It’s a combat system with a lot of added depth to everything you do, with higher risk attacks that net you bigger rewards. For example, you can choose to parry an attack, or you can try and deflect it, which will remove a big chunk of your enemy’s stamina bar, but the timing is tighter, and you’ll get hit if you fail. At the same time, you can also try to perform an Issen attack, which has you attacking just before an enemy’s strike hits you to perform a counter that will instantly kill most non-boss enemies. Again, it’s got a tighter window and can be punishing, but it's high risk, high reward. The same applies to dodging and countering grabs. You have a whole slew of techniques you can call upon at any moment, and standing still amongst a horde of enemies, striking down each one as they approach and try to kill you lets you really experience the samurai power fantasy. ...That Isn't Afraid To Whoop Your Butt That being said, Onimusha isn’t a complete pushover of a game. While you will most likely ease past most fights against the small fry, and enemies can be quite passive in smaller groups, Onimusha’s boss fights are where you can really see the game’s combat system shine. Almost every boss in Onimusha is memorable and interesting, and they get more difficult and intricate as the game progresses. Each attack that a boss uses can be countered in a few ways, but finding the most damaging and lethal is thrilling. A lot of the time, a boss will interact with the environment or start charging up an attack that has a glaring weakness, and trying to figure them out in the heat of battle makes some boss fights feel like frantic puzzles. However, none of them feel unfair, and while they range greatly in difficulty, I always come out of them with a big smile, eager to see what else is in store. Onimusha does reuse boss fights quite a lot, but never enough to make you truly detest them showing up again, and will often tie vital upgrade materials to them. Whenever I saw a health bar pop up, I knew I was in for a good time. One of the only criticisms I have of the game’s combat overall is the souls that are unleashed when you kill enemies. There are a variety of different colors that charge certain meters and give you health, but actually absorbing them feels a little too clunky. To absorb these souls, the game has you hold down the left trigger while simultaneously fighting. It breaks the flow of fights, and sometimes you’re forced to absorb these souls to stop your enemies from absorbing them instead, which allows them to enter powered-up forms earlier than usual in the fight. A Mix Of Open World And Linearity As for how these fights will be delivered to you, Onimusha goes for a semi-open world structure, and it works quite well. Your main base of operation is in Kyoto, and it’s here where you can upgrade your equipment, explore, and take on side quests for rewards that help you unlock more powerful tools and skills. It’s not the biggest map I’ve ever seen, or the most detailed, but it serves its purpose as a big area filled with enemies that you can explore and run rampant in. If it was the only thing that Onimusha had to offer, it would be a problem, but the game masterfully breaks up its story with more linear and structured levels full of exciting set pieces. Each of these levels has their own aesthetic and collection of boss fights, coming along at just the right time just before Onimusha’s open world starts getting a little stale. One of my favorite levels has the game turn semi-horror, as you run through an underground laboratory full of abominations. They let Capcom flex its creative muscles and deliver carefully crafted experiences that you’d usually lose in a game that goes full open world. They also just look stunning, as does the whole game in general. Capcom must have hired wizards to create the RE Engine, because Onimusha is easily the best-looking game I’ve played this year, filled with gorgeous backdrops and absolutely grotesque monsters that make the game feel so much more immersive and high-effort. Capcom’s willingness to return to old franchises is continuing to pay off, because Onimusha: Way of the Sword is yet another banger from a developer that just cannot stop winning. It’s easily the best game that it’s released this year, which includes behemoths like Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, and if you’re an Onimusha fan praying that this new game will finally revive the series, you should be very excited about the future. Now do Dino Crisis next, Capcom. Released September 4, 2026 ESRB Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, In-Game Purchases Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Engine RE Engine Genre(s) Action, Adventure, RPG Pros & Cons Fun and fluid combat system Excellent boss fights A gorgeous world and charismatic protagonist Absorbing souls feels a little clunky Enemies can be a bit too passive