Onimusha: Way of the Sword was released to major fanfare on September 4, praised as a successful revival of Capcom’s long-dormant franchise. Despite it all, Onimusha: Way of the Sword‘s return made a big splash in the gaming community, showcasing that revivals, when executed with care, can be wildly successful.
Back in the PlayStation 2 days, Capcom was working overtime to release consistent action-meets-horror Onimusha titles, including multiple bonafied spin-offs. The company kept busy with the sword-fighting game until it wasn’t, completely halting any activity on the Onimusha franchise sometime in 2013 after the release of Onimusha Soul, to focus on Resident Evil. Now that the title is back, it’s time to look at it with fresh eyes, exploring why this remake worked despite the ever-changing gaming landscape.
This Survival Horror Turned Action-Adventure is One of a Kind
Classified as the ultimate sword-fighting action hack-and-slash romp, Onimusha: Way of the Sword remains remarkably faithful to the franchise’s DNA despite popular genre shifts. That’s no easy task. It’s not a Souslike title, and it’s not open-world, two facets that have largely taken over the gaming world. Instead, the Capcom title manages to be its own thing entirely despite massive changes in the gaming landscape since the last Onimusha game was released almost a decade ago.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Instead of pandering to a wider audience, Capcom and its developers stuck to their guns, honing in on the classic title and polishing it to a mirror finish with a few modernized additions that both casual and die-hard fans of the series loved. No compromises, no major changes to the format. Just pure Onimusha.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword remains remarkably faithful to the franchise’s DNA despite popular genre shifts.
Timing-based counterattacks and parries via Issen remain but are much more fluid and showy, brought on by visual cues. It’s all about timing and strategizing your plan of attack with this one. Like the originals, Onimusha: Way of the Sword also features soul-absorption, utilizing that ever-important Oni Gauntlet to suck up floating spiritual energy dropped by those pesky Genma after dispatching them. Specific souls offer specific healing benefits, while others offer upgrades and charging abilities.
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Image via Capcom -
Image via Capcom -
Image via Capcom
Mechanics aside, the game’s tone is very similar to that of the 2006 title, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. Both are jam-packed with samurai action, set in a mythological, grotesque, demon-infested world that leans dark and almost spooky. Uniquely, horror aesthetics remain from the original 2001 game, an aspect that you don’t see very often in a true hack-and-slash romp. Beautiful Feudal Japan aesthetics are seamlessly blended with haunting, dingy, blood-stained castles and dank underground labs with nasty demons hiding out around every corner.
The folklore-heavy narrative also gives the game a haunting, old-world feel, something I felt only enhanced my fear of the roaming demons. Unlike your standard Soulslike, Onimusha: Way of the Sword‘s protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, has his own voice with motivations that shift as he matures throughout the game’s narrative. He’s cocky and roguish with a personality, serving as a reluctant hero at first, before bucking up to save Kyoto.
While the 2026 version has a steadfast identity, it wasn’t always this way. When the first game in the series, Onimusha: Warlords, was released in 2001, things were different. The OG title was classified as an action survival horror, a true product of its time, considering Capcom, the king of survival horror, utilized fixed camera angles and a similar design scheme to their darling Resident Evil. Creepy pre-rendered backgrounds gave way to spine-chilling sound design that kept players on their toes. The game even included environmental puzzles, a true Resident Evil-ism. It is interesting to see that, while Onimusha: Way of the Sword is not classified as true horror anymore, it continues to pay homage to its horror roots, just sans fixed camera.
Revivals like this one are rare. With massive changes being made to older IPs at every turn, Onimusha: Way of the Sword‘s identity remains steadfast. The title focuses on linear fast-paced progression, power scaling, and attacking precisely when the time is right. The game’s tone is moody and cinematic but not punishing. It is completely in its own lane, a testament that staying true to what you are, despite what’s popular, will always be the right choice.
What Developers Can Learn from a Revival Like This One
Old IPs, untouched, are a dime a dozen. Now that Capcom has pledged to revive some of their dormant titles, à la Devil May Cry, Dino Crisis, and Lost Planet, gamers should be gearing up for a pretty good release schedule. The promise of a return of some fan-favorites from eras gone by seems too good to be true, and sometimes, it is. If other companies follow suit, the best course of action is to remain faithful, a la Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Sticking to a formula written when old titles first came out, tweaking it for modern audiences without losing the titles’ authenticity in the process.
Revivals like this one are rare. With massive changes being made to older IPs at every turn, Onimusha: Way of the Sword‘s identity remains steadfast.
With heavy expectations, once revived, some games tend to fall flat. While not abject failures, games like Duke Nukem Forever, Silent Hill HD Collection, and Shenmue 3 are classic examples of revivals that just didn’t cut it for one reason or another. Some revivals suffer from identity crises, straying from their DNA by incorporating new mechanics and plot points that change what fans know and love about them. This ends up alienating the original fanbase, offering something new that no one wanted. In the short-term, revivals sound like easy money, but treating dormant IPs previously is the way to go.
Companies, big or small, must listen to fan concerns. While some fans can be too passionate, they can often spot warning signs from miles away, flagging what big companies might miss during the production of a revival. Fans and gaming companies all want the same thing: a good gaming experience. Incorporating fan concerns and ideas while stacking up a dev team with the right people is key to success. Revivals are a balancing act, breathing life into the old without resurrecting it into something it’s not. With revival culture seemingly in full swing, seen in new works by Nintendo, and Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog, it’s best we all brace ourselves for what’s to come, for better or worse.
- Released
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September 4, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, In-Game Purchases
- Engine
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RE Engine
