Onimusha Hands On
Image: Push Square

Ladies and gentlemen, I think Capcom's done it again.

The Japanese company's on a generational run right now, having released nothing but bangers for about a decade.

Sure, not every title's been a commercial home run — Exoprimal and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess spring to mind — but slight missteps can be forgiven when Resident Evil is riding an all-time high, Street Fighter is at its brilliant best, and Monster Hunter's on the cusp of being back on its perch with Wilds' soon-to-be-revealed expansion.

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My point is the developer's commitment to quality over the course of the generation has been borderline unprecedented. Indeed, 2026 alone has arguably been dominated by Capcom's output. A combination of Resident Evil Requiem, Monster Hunter Stories 3, and brand new IP Pragmata is crazy, and we're only halfway through the year.

Which brings us to Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which could be — and I'm happy to say will be — a fourth jewel in Capcom's 2026 crown. Mental.

I'm so confident in this Onimusha revival because I've just played through the newly released demo four times in a row. I think the potential is staggering.

I've been an Onimusha fan since the original games on PS2 — which I believe I grabbed secondhand from my local GAME shop for pennies as a teenager — and I've been fascinated by the way in which Capcom seems to be bringing it back.

Way of the Sword is still undoubtedly Onimusha, but so many years have passed since the series' last outing, that the whole thing has required significant modernisation.

Bringing an old property back can be dangerous; Onimusha hasn't been able to ride year-to-year trends like Resident Evil, for example, and gradually reinvent itself over time.

Capcom could have easily scrubbed away Onimusha's identity in a bid to create something new, and then just stick the name on the box to bait nostalgia-driven fans.

But no, Way of the Sword retains the tone and atmosphere of those foreboding old adventures. It's dark and grimy, serious but mysterious.

It's obviously the gameplay that's changed the most, then. And again, I feel like the developer could have easily branched it off into something... derivative. I remember when this project was first announced, people immediately asked if it was a Souls-like — which says it all.

In typical Capcom fashion, Way of the Sword is very much its own thing. Combat is methodical and reactive, but it's definitely not taking any cues from FromSoftware's catalogue.

It's a unique blend of powerful defensive tools — blocks, parries, perfect parries, dodges, and perfect dodges — set against a backdrop of contextual animations, environmental hazards, and impressively detailed interactions.

What I already love about this game is that every encounter feels dynamic and almost impulsive. Again, it's surprisingly slow, but there's a tactical edge to how you deal with each incoming blow, and how you can best manipulate your surroundings.

You commit to your own attacks only when the time is right, and the payoff is always palpable. Patience is frequently rewarded, and there's a satisfying weight to the system as a whole — as you'd expect of Capcom.

Honestly, I can't think of another game that feels like Way of the Sword. Movement, for example, is oddly floaty but also very responsive — and the same can be said of main character Musashi's sword swings.

The development team had a fairly unique vision for this title and it's there for all to see in the demo. Capcom didn't take the relatively easy road and transform Onimusha into a Souls-like, but it also didn't adopt the more hack-and-slash style that so many action titles settle for these days.

The result is a tactile, technical combat system that I'm hoping will evolve into something truly special in the finished release. I'm already a huge fan of the foundations, and I think the mechanics really shine during the demo's tense boss battle.

Speaking of tension, I'm not totally sure what I expected, but I wouldn't say this demo's particularly hard. There's even a 'story' difficulty setting that seems to elongate the timing for perfect parries, and swing damage values in your favour.

I can see some players struggling with the rhythm a little, at least initially, but once you've got the timing down, it's easy to make your opponents look rather stupid. I do wonder if more hardcore action fans will demand a greater challenge from the finished game.

Ultimately, though, I just don't see how Capcom can cock this up. Onimusha: Way of the Sword was already one of my most anticipated titles of 2026, but after squeezing the demo dry, I think it now sits at the top of the list.

Have you played the Onimusha: Way of the Sword demo? Are you looking forward to the game's full release this September? Cleave your way into the comments section below.