Onimusha Way of the Sword PS5 Preview. Back in June I was able to watch a good 20 minutes of Capcom’s Onimusha revival in action, and recently, I actually got to play that segment for myself. Going hands-on with Onimusha: Way of the Sword left a lasting impression, with Capcom striking a welcome balance between offering a newcomer-friendly experience while also adding the nuances that longtime fans will appreciate. No easy task.
Onimusha: Way Of The Sword PS5 Hands-On Preview
Stepping into the shoes of Miyamoto Musashia (portrayed in-game by the late Japanese acting legend, Toshiro Mifune), our hands-on with Onimusha: Way of the Sword opens quietly enough, as we head to the steps of the nearby Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Right from the off, it’s obvious that the RE Engine is working its magic once more: Way of the Sword looks gorgeous, from the stunning architecture of the temple itself, to dense forests surrounding it and the attention to detail on the characters themselves, with Musashia in particular benefitting from some superbly nuanced facial animations. The game runs smooth as butter too, with no hiccups encountered during my session.
I quickly got into a ruck with a bunch of basic foes, which acted as a nice way to ease me into the basics of combat. Square is your basic attack button, while Triangle allows you deliver a meaty overhead blow at the cost of a slower attack animation. You also have your parry with L1, which has a balanced window of opportunity to turn your foes’ attacks against them, while Circle allows you to dodge nimbly about the screen.
Combat feels weighty and responsive, and speaking as a newcomer to the series, wasn’t overly complicated or intimidating. Sure, you can mash your way through a couple of foes, but it will only get you so far; your stamina will deplete over time, leaving you knackered, so you have to be careful about choosing when to attack.
Keeping an eye on your stamina offers a welcome layer of strategy during the midst of battle, which combined with the parry system, makes for a varied and gratifying combat loop.
Outside of the standard Genma to battle, which in groups can prove more deadly than you might imagine for cannon fodder, I also crossed paths with unsettling floating foes known as Kubi Akari, which lob projectile attacks at you and tend to fall behind the lines for added protection. Of course, this wouldn’t be Onimusha without our protagonist gobbling up Souls from fallen adversaries, of which there are three kinds: Blue, Red, and Yellow.
Red and Yellow give you XP and health, respectively, while Blue is particularly valuable as it fills your special gauge for your Oni powers. Once full, you can execute a powerful attack with the Oni Gauntlet, inflicting major damage while looking suitably stylish in the process.
My preview wrapped with a particularly brutal encounter with a chap named Ganryu, a flamboyant, yet skilled swordsman who required me to put everything I’d learned to that point to work. Simply hacking away at this boss isn’t going to cut it (no pun intended); Ganryu will block your attacks and counter with some of his own, quickly depleting your health. Instead, the fight requires diligent use of blocking, parrying and counterattacking, knowing when to pull back and when dish out some punishment of your own.
This also ties into the use of the special abilities available to Musashia, such as the Issen Break. After whittling down Ganryu’s stamina, we were prompted to target a specific body part, allowing us to execute a cinematic and highly damaging attack to really put a dent in our opponent’s health.
Going from this boss alone, there’s definitely plenty of depth to the combat system that is easy to pick up but rewards experimentation and patience. Once I got the hang of things, the rhythm of combat becomes a satisfying and exhilarating loop punctuated by brief moments of tension and personal victories; small victories such as landing a sweet parry or dodging nimbly at the right moment are never anything less than rewarding.
Capcom has also integrated an interesting mechanic where you can hit L2 + R2 to uncover hidden objects that are otherwise unseen. In my hands-on, this was used to hack away at a pulsating mass of something, used to gain access to other areas. It remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the full game, but it’s definitely piqued my curiosity; no doubt there’s room to expand on this mechanic, perhaps resulting in some interesting environmental puzzles.
It’s difficult for me to judge Onimusha: Way of the Sword on the back of the previous games as I admittedly missed out on them first time around. However, going in blind has its advantages; I’m not weighed down by any preconceptions, so first impressions really count. And, from my hands-on experience, Capcom’s samurai slasher is shaping up to be one hell of an accomplished action romp, with its stunning visuals complemented by brilliant combat that cuts a fine balance between user-friendly and rewarding depth.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled for release in 2026 for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.