During the heyday of the PlayStation 2, the Onimusha series was one of the definitive games of that era, and Way of the Sword may be one of the finest of this one.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Onimusha games, it’s been a long while since we had a new installment. They traditionally mix ancient Japanese history and folklore with gruesome body horror, involved combat, and the likeness of a real-world actor as the hero.

The original games also took a similar route to the old Resident Evil games, with a fixed view of each area, and you navigated around it. The hero also wielded an Oni Gauntlet that gave them magical powers to defeat demons, called the Genma .

This time around, much of the old Resident Evil framework has gone, with it replaced by a more modern action game setup. In that, you have full control of the camera, and this is much more of a regular third-person action game.

You also have a big chunk of the game that operates under a discrete open-world setup. Now, much of the game still has big levels that you traverse to face some ungodly bosses at the end of it, but the “hub” level is basically ancient Kyoto.

The open-world stuff is also nicely measured and doesn’t get tedious, with the overall size of the map being actually quite manageable.

Progression, once the game gets going, is also handled very well. Your sword, clothes, and gauntlet can be upgraded from items you find in the game world. Various charms are also upgradeable and also boost various attributes. Your health can also be replenished from the initial Hozuki pouch, although you unlock more as you progress, offering varying options other than recouping health. Red orbs are also dropped again from Genma, and these are also used as part of the upgrading process.

The combat is a lot more involved than in the older games, and this is where my only real gripe with the game originates. Not that the combat is bad, far from it; it’s actually excellent. No, my issue is down to the messaging and how the initial Story and Action difficulties are presented.

In that, it would have made more sense to call Story “Normal” difficulty, because then most people would naturally start with that option. This is because, on Story mode, much of the combat messaging is very helpfully shown, and this is crucial, as you need to learn the game’s combat timings.

Specifically, the two main options of block and dodge open up things like parry attacks, which are an integral part of the game’s combat. Normally, I dislike parry systems, as I want to play an action game, not a reaction game. Here, the parries are blended into the actual combat, so they flow naturally and are very important in reducing an enemy’s Stamina.

If you successfully parry or dodge an attack, their Stamina is reduced. Regular attacks also chip away at this as well. However, once the Stamina is fully depleted, you can enact very powerful attacks that will often kill them outright or, in the case of most bosses, take a big chunk of health away. Issen is also again present and is based on pressing an attack button just before an enemy can land a blow. These do decent damage to both their health and stamina, but are obviously riskier to pull off.

When I first started the game, I naturally selected Action difficulty, without realizing these timing prompts would be turned off. I later found out you can turn these prompts on in Action difficulty, but I strongly recommend that you start the game on Story mode, as the timings are more forgiving and will allow you to learn the pace of the game more effectively.

Story difficulty is also no walkover either, and later in the game you will be pushed to your limits. So if you’re looking for a challenge, the Story difficulty is still going to keep you on your toes.

Which brings me to the big part of this game’s setting: the fact that you play as the legendary Miyamoto Musashi with the likeness of famous Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune .

Now, most people know Mifune for his various collaborations with famous film director Akira Kurosawa . However, Mifune also did a trilogy of films with Hiroshi Inagaki , chronicling the life of Miyamoto Musashi.

It’s this depiction that this game leans into, and it deals with a much younger Mifune, sans facial hair. Obviously, all the Oni and horror aspects were absent in those films, but what you have here is a very young Mifune portrayed as a cocksure Musashi who’s woefully out of his depth, initially at least.

I also played the game through with the English dub, and it’s surprisingly excellent. Featuring British voices, the portrayal of each character is handled extremely well and is genuinely impressive.

There are also lots of lovely little character animations which sell these characters wonderfully, with Musashi’s little wave at the tiny magical dogs leaping away after you’ve cleansed them being one of my favorites.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting Way of the Sword to be this good and play so well. Graphically, it’s also really impressive, and each of the areas you navigate is really quite a feast for the eyes.

Some of the in-game graphics sometimes look a bit flat in terms of the lighting, but that’s a really minor thing that doesn’t detract from a very captivating-looking game.

Overall, Onimusha: Way of the Sword may be the best game in the series and by quite a large margin. Definitely start out on Story difficulty to find your feet and get used to the game’s pacing of enemy attacks, but once you’re in the zone, it is a genuinely wonderful game from start to finish.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Platform: PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Released: 4th September 2026

Disclosure: Capcom sent me a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This review was undertaken after finishing the game both on Story and Action difficulties.

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