While there are many things to like about the demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, one of its biggest issues is the general lack of difficulty, even when it is set to its toughest options. Producer Akihito Kadowaki had previously acknowledged this feedback, noting that the enemies of the full game “will put up a tougher fight.” In an interview with PCGamer, game director Satoru Nihei addressed this subject further, pointing out that the fact that the demo’s events are from early parts of the title means that it largely has basic enemies, which tend to be easier than what we would get later in the game.
“Both the demo and also the version you’ve tried here today are early on in the game. So, there is that kind of sense that a lot of basic enemies are going to be a bit easier just because of where it sits in the game,” said Nihei. “But on top of that, especially with the demo that we released, Musashi comes fitted with a lot of skills and abilities that are not going to be accessible at the beginning of the game.”
On the subject of the demo build played by the publication in Los Angeles, Nihei also pointed to the fact that steps had been taken to ensure that it would be accessible to those unfamiliar with the franchise as well. Among these steps were indicators over enemy heads about which button to hit. The protagonist, Musashi Miyamoto, was also made stronger in the demo, and equipped with a larger arsenal than he would be in the full game at the same point of the story.
Ultimately, Nihei is confident about the difficulty curve for the full release of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. He noted that the game’s progression will also play a large part in how challenging players find the title, and that there will be tougher challenges the deeper players get into the game.
“We’re quite confident that with the release version, especially with the progression, because abilities will be given gradually to Musashi and enemies will scale up in difficulty. For the [full] game, we feel more confident fans will be satisfied with the difficulty.”
The demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword has been a big hit for Capcom, and earlier this month, Kadowaki had said that it represented “just a slice of the early part of the story.” He also noted that Musashi was equipped with late-game skills that players typically wouldn’t have access to.
“Rest assured, in the final game, the bosses and the regular Genma will put up a tougher fight. Please look forward to the challenge in the full game,” he said.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2, and is slated for release on September 25th. More recently, Capcom revealed details about its performance targets for the console versions of the title, as well as the hardware requirements for PC players.
