It’s been a long while since we last saw an Onimusha game but now, with Way of the Sword, the franchise is stepping back into the light… or rather, the shadows once more. This time though, it does so with a renewed look and a reworked gameplay. Here are our Onimusha: Way of the Sword first impressions.
Full disclosure: I never played any of the earlier Onimusha titles so Way of the Sword marks my foray into the series. I did look up gameplay footage of the previous games and I did see that there were quite a few noticeable differences. Yes, of course, the visuals would have big differences but the combat was something that was way different this time. If I had to compare, it felt a bit Sekiro-ish with the parry system and how your strikes felt like they had weight. Do note though that this comparison is just for the sake of comparing it and Way of the Sword’s combat firmly stands on its own.
The short 15-20 minute demo we got to play dropped us straight into the action so much so that sadly, I won’t be able to comment much on the story as I really only got bits and pieces of it. A few things did stand out even given the limited time. First off, the visuals are gorgeous. The game features a sort of grittier and darker feudal(?) Japan with a mix of the supernatural. I walked through what looked like temple ruins which looked really great. It’s also worth noting that the dev team really made it a point consult real world experts to help in creating this “elseworld” version of Japan… and it shows in every frame.
Combat is where Way of the Sword really finds its edge. While the earlier titles felt a bit arcade-y with how hack-and-slash it was, Way of the Sword lets you feel the weight of each of your strikes. As I fought through supernatural enemies such as skeletons, yokai-like monsters, zombie-like warriors, and archers lurking in the mist, I was able to have some really nice clashes with each of them but not in an overly strict way as well.
You also have the parry system which was quite the fun feature. While I say ‘parry’, I don’t mean that it’s akin to how tight tight parry timings are in Souls games. It’s actually kinda generous and actually feels nice to execute. You can parry / deflect archer shots and even the usual enemy melee attack. The result of this new combat system is that you get what the devs were aiming for. They said they wanted players to “feel the satisfaction of cutting through opponents,” and yeah, they nailed that.
Then there’s the Oni Gauntlet which is a mysterious relic that grants supernatural powers to its wearer. The nice storyline twist here though is that our protagonist wants to grow stronger on his own terms rather than relying on it. It’s a nice narrative point that I hope the story really leans on as it potentially can give a nice dynamic between the protag and gauntlet.
The demo was short so there’s not much more we can say, but our Onimusha: Way of the Sword first impressions have us excited. Onimusha may have taken a while to come back out but we’re happy that we’re here for it!