Launching on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, Onimusha: Way of the Sword could round off an excellent year for its developer. Here’s everything you should know before pre-ordering, starting with…

Story and Setting

With how prominently the original trilogy focused on the Sengoku Period, it’s easy to forget that the last mainline title, Dawn of Dreams, actually featured Kyoto in the Edo Period. Regardless of how things turned out, the city is once again a prime location for Genma occupation, with Malice overtaking everything. It would seem that all hope is lost until an unlikely swordsman appears.

Musashi, Sasaki and More

That would be the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, who’s still in the wandering stage of his life, looking for strong opponents to take on. Naturally, he gets more than he bargains for, falling at the hands of the Genma before receiving the Oni Gauntlet and being brought back to life. Musashi features the likeness of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune of Rashomon, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, and more, with the development team taking two years to secure the rights.

Of course, no tale of Musashi is complete without his rival Sasaki Ganryu, who also wields an Oni Gauntlet and opposes him at every turn. Other notable characters include the dancer Izumo no Okuni, the poet Ono no Takamura (who also curiously possesses an Oni Gauntlet) and the Oni Lady within Musashi’s Gauntlet. Obviously there are further mysteries to resolve, but it wouldn’t be an Onimusha title without some intrigue.

Linear Adventure

It also wouldn’t warrant the name if this were an open-world title or Souls-like. Director Satoru Nihei denied that it’s either when speaking to Automaton Media, later telling Famitsu that progression is “stage-based.” So it’s essentially a linear adventure like Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, the company’s other two major games for the year. Of course, there are some exceptions…

Side Quests and Open Areas

In a recent preview with PC Gamer, Way of the Sword is confirmed to offer some more open environments where you could engage in “side quests or other activities.” You’ll explore a “good chunk” of Kyoto, speaking to NPCs and learning more about the city’s strange tales. You might even encounter a hidden boss here and there. Again, not open world, but you won’t always be stuck on the straight and narrow.

Combat, Parrying and Deflection

Hacking and slashing have always been the series’ calling card, but the formula has seen some serious upgrades here. You have a choice between one-handed and two-handed attacks, which are faster and more powerful respectively, but there’s also parrying. And before you roll your eyes at yet another Sekiro-like, the parrying in Way of the Sword lets you redirect enemies, sometimes into the environment to clock their stamina. If you’re chaining together parries, then Blazing State becomes active, increasing damage and causing attacks to create more Blue Souls for the Oni Gauntlet (more on that shortly).

Deflection also keeps foes off-balance while reducing their stamina, and while you won’t be able to redirect them, it can reflect projectiles. Even evasion is more than just a simple dodge. Timing it right, which is known as a Reflex Dodge, allows for a strong follow-up, but if used against grapples, you can actually reverse them, pulling an enemy close for a deadly slash. Pull off enough Reflex Dodges, and you’ll execute a multi-slash attack against a foe, known as a Reflex Combo.

Blade Barrage and Blade Lock

At its heart, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is about the clashing of blades. So of course there has to be a mechanic where Musashi and an opponent jockey for supremacy. This is called a Blade Lock and requires tapping the correct input to succeed. There’s also Blade Barrage where two similar attacks colliding results in a “flurry of swings and clashes.” The key to success is using a one-handed attack against a two-hander and vice versa. It’s all about paying attention to your opponent.

Also, besides being able to redirect opponents into the environment to reduce their stamina, Musashi can use it in other unique ways. Pull up a tatami mat and send it flying into a target or throw it into a clothesline to temporarily blind them (and maybe cause them to attack their allies).

Issen

Issen is the art of counter-attacking, but not after a parry or a deflection. Oh no, you need to attack at the moment before an enemy’s strike lands. If performed successfully, Musashi will sidestep in a flash and deliver a highly damaging counter-strike (which also creates more Souls to absorb). Naturally, you can chain Issen attacks to slay multiple enemies, but there’s also Break Issen, which becomes available if an enemy’s stamina is exhausted. It’s especially great against bosses because it allows for targeting different body parts, thus adding more strategy.

Oni Gauntlet and Abilities

I don’t know much about Oni Lady, but if there’s one thing the Oni Gauntlet craves, it’s Souls. There will be many created throughout Musashi’s many battles, each with different benefits. Yellow Souls restore health while Blue Souls activate Oni Armament skills. Red Souls are used to unlock new abilities or upgrade equipment. However, Musashi will also gain new Oni Abilities over time, including Oni Vision to reveal hidden elements and Oni Strength to strengthen attacks. He can even wall-run with Oni Agility, although it’s limited to specific surfaces.

Oni Armaments

Besides the bow, Musashi has access to Oni Armaments, special Oni weapons that can be activated after gathering enough Blue Souls. The quick stabs and dual-wielding of the Two Celestials; the heavy of the Earth-Shakers; and the wide range of the Wind-Whipper mean they each occupy a unique niche in combat. That extends to their secondary benefits as well. The Earth-Shakers, for example, are great against shields and tear through an enemy’s stamina, opening them up to Break Issens. The Two Celestials can generate Yellow Souls for recovering health. Meanwhile, the Wind-Whipper can defend against projectiles and gain the properties of nearby flames to scorch fools.

Dismemberment

Topping off everything about the combat is dismemberment. It’s brutal and above all, extremely varied. You might cleave right through an enemy’s chest, with their upper torso sliding in the direction of your slash. You may cleanly bisect them so their allies can dig two graves or cleanly behead them. Way of the Sword isn’t shying away from the visceral nature of sword-based combat, and it’s all the better for it.

No Connection to Previous Games

Given the setting and characters, you shouldn’t expect any connection to the plots of previous games. That said, several enemies will definitely remind you of the classics, like the Chijiko channeling Reynaldo from Onimusha 1. As Nihei notes, “All of the enemies in this game are brand new,” and while the team certainly pays homage to “some of the older games, we’ve kind of taken elements from them and remixed them for the new Genma in this title.”

Difficulty Options

If you played the demo, then two “difficulties” stood out the most – Story and Action. And while the overall challenge felt lacking, producer Akihito Kadowaki revealed that it’s an early part of the story and Musashi possesses certain late-game skills to offer a taste of what to expect. “Rest assured, in the final game, the bosses and the regular Genma will put up a tougher fight.” He later told Game Informer that there would be options to change the difficulty on a more granular scale, allowing you to fine-tune the challenge accordingly.

Playtime

Even with its focus on more linear, stage-progressed progression, it should take about 20 hours to complete the game. It’s unknown whether that includes extra content or tougher difficulties, but it definitely feels like the perfect length, falling very close to Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (which took about 19 hours to finish the story).

Console Frame Rates and Resolutions

Onimusha: Way of the Sword features two modes on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 – Performance and Quality. On Series X and PS5, you can expect 2160p (upscaled)/60 FPS on the former and 2160p/30 to 40 FPS with the latter. Series X delivers an upscaled 1080p/60 FPS and 1080p/30-50 FPS, respectively.

Nintendo Switch 2 offers TV and Handheld Modes with 1080p/30 FPS and 900p/30 FPS respectively, both upscaled. However, variable frame rate is supported to deliver 30 to 40 FPS if you want something higher.

PC Requirements

As for PC players, an Intel Core i5-8400 or an AMD Ryzen 3 3100, 16 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB) or a Radeon RX 5500 XT (8GB) are required at minimum for 1080p/30 FPS on Low settings. The recommended requirements include a Core i5-10400 or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2060 Super (8GB) or a Radeon RX 6600 (8GB) for 1080p/60 FPS on Medium settings. This is all with upscaling enabled, as DLSS 4.0 and 4.5 alongside FSR 3.1 will be available at launch. Way of the Sword also demands a solid-state drive across the board and 50 GB of space for installation.

It puts Sasaki Ganryu, a long-term rival of Musashi’s, front and center. The two have often crossed blades in their respective quests to achieve mastery and greatness, with Sasaki even choosing to become an Onimusha to ensure he’s a match for our protagonist. However, things have gone downhill since he last battled his frenemy, as he’s been indulging in some weird rituals to improve his demonic power, and his mind’s been on the mend as a result.

That means he’s now a shadow of his former smug, self-assured self, albeit a more dangerous threat given that his madness seems to mean he’s abandoned any code he’s had in his past encounters with Musashi. The trailer definitely sets up a confrontation between the two men in Way of the Sword, but there’s an ominous air of finality looming over the encounter. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to come at it with anything but our best when we go hands-on with the title on September 4th.

It’s probably going to be a great showcase of that swordplay that has us so excited from the start, while other monstrosities aside from Genryu also demand our swift attention.

As entities residing in Hell, the Oni and the Genma don’t get along. The former were the first to oppose the latter’s plans to turn humans into food, as revealed in Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, and went to war over the same. Despite having lost, they’re still hanging around, bestowing power on deserving humans to fight the Genma.

These humans are referred to as Onimusha, and as they absorb more Souls, they unlock more of the Oni Gauntlet’s potential. In Way of the Sword, that means unlocking new weapons and abilities, whether it’s Oni Strength to break through environmental objects or Oni Agility for wall-climbing.

Besides Musashi, you’ll encounter other individuals wielding the Gauntlet, including his rival, Sasaki Ganryu. Since it carries the threat of corrupting the wearer, could the latter end up falling to the darkness? Or will he overcome it in his own way? And who is the Oni Lady residing in Musashi’s Gauntlet?

We’ll find out when Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Of course, Miyamoto Musashi, the protagonist, is a major part of its allure, and the game’s latest trailer puts him front and center where he belongs. His proficiency with a blade, a major part of what motivates him, is clearly unmatched, irrespective of whether his opponent is human or otherwise. It’s what made us so convinced that this one’s swordplay is going to keep the lot of us on our toes.

But as for what keeps him going forward in a world where things have clearly gone very wrong? That’s where things get a tad curious. You see, Musashi’s doing it all because fighting is something he relishes. We can understand the sentiment considering how eager we are to fight that monstrosity that the game showed us a few days ago.

Well, that’s as good enough a reason as any for us to be the force guiding his blade when Onimusha: Way of the Sword drops on September 4 for Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

France, for instance, saw more than 55 percent of the sales of Resident Evil Requiem being physical copies. Japan, similarly, saw 51 percent. Australia saw 43 percent, and the UK saw 40 percent. The key takeaway from this is that “not all markets are built the same when it comes to the digital transition.”

It is worth noting that, during the Q&A part of its recent earnings report, Capcom had said that 90 percent of its unit sales have been digital. To that end, the company also doesn’t believe that its business will see a “significant impact” from Sony’s January 2028 deadline to end the production of PlayStation discs.

During the same Q&A, Capcom had also noted that the strong sales of Resident Evil Requiem have led to a larger boost for the entire franchise, causing spikes in the sales of the Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 remakes.

“Sales of Resident Evil series titles grew amid rising interest in Resident Evil Requiem. We have also seen new users who encountered the series by purchasing past titles, creating a virtuous cycle in which sales of both new and past titles grow together. With Resident Evil Veronica, we will likewise work to further expand sales of the series.”

As for the debate between physical and digital copies of games, a recent report has indicated that Sony’s plans might hit a major roadblock due to worldwide lawsuits. Antitrust concerns have also been brought up, with many arguing that the push towards an all-digital future will essentially destroy the second-hand market for PlayStation games. This argument is further bolstered by the fact that Sony makes around 30 percent of the price of each game it sells.

Sony has been drawing quite a bit of criticism and backlash following its announcement that production of PlayStation discs will stop in January 2028. Despite this, CFO Lin Tao has said that the company strongly believes that “digitalization is progressing” beyond games.

“There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that the digitalization of content overall has been progressing, that’s the big factor,” she said. “It’s not just PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalization is progressing. And so, when we think about the future – and we put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this – and we came to this conclusion, and we’re going to cautiously move this forward. And to this decision, we have received various opinions and people have strong views, and we understand that the community has put forth those views to us.”

It extends beyond the visual fidelity and stylized violence to gameplay systems that bring audiovisual feedback, enemy reactions, and mechanical rewards to lend an impact to every move you make in a combat loop where those decisions are often made quickly on the fly.

Does it feel too good to be true? We can’t honestly say it doesn’t, and there are a few concerns along the way in this one. But let’s begin with what we like.

Building on Inspirations

It’s easy to compare anything with a good parry system to Sekiro and fail to see unique additions that it brings to the table. Beast of Reincarnation’s facing the same situation, but Way of the Sword is certainly a lot more than a parry-based combat loop. It’s one where your blocking technique could set up the next few moves in a fluid combo that you build on the fly, responding to your enemies with speed and precision.

You could opt to just block and attack and get some basic protection against a light attacks, or try to parry that attack to create an opening for some serious damage thanks to Musashi’s sword getting a temporary damage buff when you pull one off. Deflect that attack, and you’re directly draining your enemy’s stamina, slowly chipping away at their composure before you open them up for devastating finishing blows.

Of course, Issen counters are where you risk it all, allowing you to get in some devastating damage at the cost of a very tight timing window that needs you to know precisely when to use it in a tough fight. We often found ourselves saving them for the very last chunk of a hard encounter, bringing it out as a means to ensure a victory that might otherwise be out of reach.

But their presence, amid all the other options you have at your disposal in response to any enemy taking a swing at you is quite exciting, and a great way of using defence more creatively than just waiting for the right moment to parry. Of course, the shared health and stamina system is another parallel that does work similarly, making each fight into a personal duel where Musashi wears a foe down to unleash a Break Issen.

Of course, he’s also vulnerable to low stamina, so you’re on your guard, strategically using your defensive options in an approach where you’re encouraged to take the fight to your enemies, but use each blow to your advantage no matter who among you is throwing it. That’s a combat loop that immediately differentiates itself while being immensely challenging and satisfying. Just the moment where a dramatic pause and camera angle accompany a well-executed Break Issen is a reward on its own, but the standard counter’s high-risk, high-reward potential in a fight made it so darn rewarding to execute correctly.

It made reading enemy attacks and responding to them become a natural part of how we were approaching combat encounters, the mechanic helping to bring the other systems into the loop with ease. It’s encouraged defensive mastery by being a defining part of the series since Warlords, after all. If you’re the type who likes to stand their ground and repel attacks instead of constantly striking and retreating, this one’s an absolute treat.

It’s in how a good defence that blends parries and reflects directly feeds your offence, making Musashi a very dangerous protagonist once you allowed him to read his enemy’s moves and respond accordingly. Defensive moves, when managed correctly, could leave you with a damage buff facing an enemy who was totally open to your most devastating attacks. Of course, that’s as good a place as any to throw in Oni Powers, which use absorbed souls to power attacks that break through enemy defenses or ones that add explosive movements that you can then use to great effect.

Of course, even downing an enemy leaves you with ways to control the next few moments of a fight, giving you a choice of where to strike for more damage or extra health or souls. It’s a system where the fight happens in your hands and in your mind, and it’s a lovely interpretation of a samurai using a demonic arm to survive intense battles. However, it’s time to dive into those concerns we mentioned.

Conflict Everlasting

While the enemies we’ve seen so far in Way of the Sword have certainly been a test of our brains and brawn, it’s that very challenge that has us worried if every foe we’re yet to face can manage to find ways to keep us on our toes. It’s easy to see ourselves coming back to this area with enough new skills and better gear to make decimating these hapless opponents be an activity that would be high on fun, but low on the glory befitting a samurai such as Musashi.

In an ironic twist of fate that the franchise is no stranger to, it’s the enemies Musashi is scheduled to mow down who are going to determine just how much his character’s skills blossom as the adventure wears on. They’re going to have to force him to use every tool at his disposal, pushing him into desperate encounters where even a single miscalculation of a case of abd timing can shift the favor of the fight in one direction or the other.

We’ve already seen a foe wielding a weapon that grows more powerful the more of Musashi’s blood it tastes, and having such a foe in what’s likely an early section of the game indicates that there are other ways that our hero’s foes are going to try messing with his groove. But it could also mean that there isn’t too much variation in boss mechanics, with each one affecting one crucial system or the other in ways that might quickly become predictable. Indeed, predictability is probably the enemy we’d say poses the biggest threats in Musashi’s fight.

Every instance of a drawn blade often felt like it could end badly, we worry whether enough upgrades are going to deepen the mechanics instead of overpowering the challenge that’s on offer. Enemy variety is certainly a factor in that equation, and of course, using that variety to force unique ways to use the systems on offer to make Musashi’s responses feel fluid and unique to the unfolding situation.

But has Way of the Sword set expectations a tad too high? Can every encounter in the game offer the same weight and intensity we’ve seen in that curated gameplay segment? Are advanced capabilities going to complement the ISsen system instead of trivializing it? We’re going to have to wait and see if the full release is able to give us satisfactory answers to these questions. But of course, what we’ve seen is evidence that there is certainly a lot of potential on offer.

Way of the Sword seems to recognize that it doesn’t need to have the largest moveset of 2026, overwhelming players with combos to learn and forget while they rely on the basics on easy difficulties to experience the story. Instead, it expands the utility of a focused set of actions, making each outcome you’re aiming for feel earned, distinct, consequential, and, most of all, spectacular. Your every move strengthens your blade, upsets your enemy’s balance, or takes a bold risk for the ultimate payoff.

Making those choices is a part of what makes Way of the Sword feel like it’s a combat loop that’s going to keep feeding itself, bringing depth to its systems the more we get to engage with it. Something this good does come of crashing and burning because it flew too close to the sun, but if it’s able to sustain itself at the lofty heights the slice of it we’ve seen manages, this upcoming title could reawaken a dormant franchise in a year where it’s already dropped some legitimate hits.

Musashi might be the icing on a cake that has already given us a lot of modern gaming’s best flavors, although the rewards in his adventure are going to need some work on your part. We believe it’s all going to be worth it, though, and that Way of the Sword is going to stand out despite Phantom Blade Zero, Beast of Reincarnation, and Mortal Shell 2 putting up a competitive fight.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

A new trailer for his upcoming outing in Onimusha: Way of the Sword gives us a good look at one such enemy, who seems to try to get inside the weathered warrior’s head before attempting to deliver a killing blow. Of course, Musashi’s well ahead of it, but the reward of the encounter is a shiny pair of gloves that might seem familiar if you’ve played Vergil in any of the Devil May Cry games.

Musashi does some serious damage with them and gets quite the buff to his weightlifting ability. We’re curious to see if there are situations where they would be a more strategically appropriate choice over his trusty katana, and what other weapons his arm can conjure as he seeks out dangerous foes and defeats them in combat.

We’re also quite curious about how the animators researched the moves for this particular weapon, given their work with the sword side of things. We don’t know about the latter, but with less than a month to go before its September 4th release, this one’s a title we’re not going to miss.

“When we get to making action in our games, the first step is always kind of self-study and learning about how to do these things and how to use these things,” said Yugen. “And then we proceed to the stages of design and motion capture. [So, I] sat down and spoke with the director, and we [decided we] really wanted to focus on creating this very realistic, grounded sword action for the game, and so from the very beginning, the main goal was first to research the depths of swordplay and how to do that.”

This research also involved contacting swordfighting experts, which in turn led the team to meet Katsugekiza Motion Capture Studio, which specialized in this kind of action.

“We figured it was best to speak to experts in the field, and so we were introduced to motion capture artists and action stunt coordinators at a studio called Katsugekiza Motion Capture Studio. So we were paired together with an expert who knows about sword fight choreography and has provided that kind of service for a lot of different famous movies and dramas.”

To properly capture protagonist Miyamoto Musashi’s swordfighting acumen, the team had to make use of Capcom’s Osaka-based motion capture studio, which features 150 high-tech cameras used for tracking and recording actors’ motions, which can then be animated in the game itself. Upgrades made to the company’s in-house RE Engine have also proved vital in accurately recording motion capture artists.

“With the rehearsal takes, we can take those and iterate until we get to a form of it where we’re quite happy with the creation of the action that we’ve captured. And as with what we saw before with the rehearsal take, once we’ve recorded that, we can see it instantly within the engine. We can review the motion there.”

While Yugen has plenty of responsibilities when it comes to recording animations for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, he explained that the final say still lies with the game’s director. Despite this, however, there is still plenty of back-and-forth. Yugen recalled moments where, while the animators have been happy with the performance capture, the actors themselves weren’t satisfied.

“So ultimately the decisions all come down to the game’s director. He’s the one that gets the final sign-off. But even from the actors, there are cases where we’ve been happy with the performance, but the actors themselves are not satisfied. They’re like, ‘No, no, no, that wasn’t right. I’ve got to do this again.’ And so there are many cases where they will keep doing more and more takes until everyone is satisfied.”

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 4th. For more details, check out how its world is being designed from a gameplay standpoint, and how some of its enemies are based on previous games in the franchise.

During a Q&A with investors, Capcom attributed the boost in sales of older games in the Resident Evil series to the success of Requiem, and spoke about how the company wants to accomplish a similar feat with Resident Evil Veronica.

“Sales of Resident Evil series titles grew amid rising interest in Resident Evil Requiem. We have also seen new users who encountered the series by purchasing past titles, creating a virtuous cycle in which sales of both new and past titles grow together. With Resident Evil Veronica, we will likewise work to further expand sales of the series.”

Generally speaking, the company’s recent quarter has been marked with success, with the company acknowledging that strong sales of Resident Evil games, as well as new title Pragmata, exceeding its internal expectations.

It certainly helps that the company has confirmed that Resident Evil is now the best-selling game franchise in Japan outside of anything published by Nintendo. Along with this, Resident Evil 2 Remake has also turned out to be an incredible success, becoming the best-selling game in the entire franchise.

Resident Evil Veronica was unveiled earlier this year, and as its name might imply, is going to be a remake of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. The title was announced with a trailer that slowly revealed that its story will revolve around Resident Evil 2 protagonist Claire Redfield looking for her brother – Chris – who has gone missing following the events of the original Resident Evil.

In an interview from back in June, producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi confirmed that Resident Evil Veronica is being developed by the teams that previously worked on the Resident Evil 2 and 4 remakes. Along with this, he confirmed that work on Veronica began around the time that development on 4’s remake was winding down. The upcoming title is being directed by Yasuhiro Anpo, with Kazunori Kadoi taking on associate director duties.

“First off, we at CAPCOM love our surprises, so I am going to keep the next information drop a secret. As for development, the team is made up of members who worked on the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes. They started working on the Veronica project right around the time development on the RE4 remake began to wind down.”

“Most of the direction is centralized around a team led by Director Yasuhiro Anpo and Associate Director Kazunori Kadoi, who previously headed the RE2 and RE4 remakes. With that said, it is a massive team effort involving many individuals. There are other team members who share high-level responsibilities alongside the directors, and I hope we can introduce them to you at a later time.”

Resident Evil Veronica is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

When asked about sales and the game’s outlook, the publisher said that performance enhancements “have led to sales for the game improving.” It also noted the response to the announcement of Ascendance, the first paid expansion, and recent pricing changes (the base game now costs $40).

“We plan to continue improving the game’s technical performance as we aim to drive its total unit sales beyond those of Monster Hunter World over the medium to long term.”

Which is all well and good, but when factoring in the Iceborne Master Edition, World is currently at 30 million units sold. Even with the new Prologue Demo and a more attractive price, it’s really going to come down to Ascendance to attract new and returning players.

Thus far, it’s looked promising, offering a new region in the Skybound Eyrie, a narrative focused on Elder Dragons, and the return of fan favorites like Lao-Shan Lung. Master Rank quests will also be introduced, which means a new gear grind for players, and even after launch, you can expect Capcom to continue adding new content.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance doesn’t have a release date, but it will launch in 2027. The Nintendo Switch 2 version is also inbound, and based on datamining, it may end up performing pretty well.