[SGF preview] Onimusha: Way of the Sword is sweet sword sustenance

Slashing demons feels great in Capcom’s upcoming Onimusha

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is not a sequel. It’s not a requirement to play the previous games in the series to understand what’s going on. This game, which is releasing 20 years since the last main entry, isn’t made just for series fans. But, as Capcom tells us at our hands-off Summer Game Fest preview, by following the main tenets of the series it can be a perfect point for new players and long-timers.

Those tenets? The soul-absorbing Oni Gauntlet, the dynamic gameplay, and the precise sword combat. If those three points are adhered to, Associate Producer Koichi Shibata tells us, then this game will be pure Onimusha.

Our live gameplay demo session starts with Miyamoto Musashi journeying to a temple in what is Kyoto today. Musashi is based on the legendary swordsman, and it was so crucial to replicate the near mythical figure that the Capcom team even used the facial likeness from a famous Japanese actor of samurai film to make it that much more authentic to the genre. Much like his actual story Musashi is extremely prideful. He wants to earn his stature and abilities the old samurai way throughb perserverence and practice, which is perfect for video games where abilities are locked behind a narrative or exploratory plot. The Oni Gauntlet he wears has incredible powers but he’s hestitant to use any of them until absolutely necessary, and even then it’s a struggle.

In Way of the Sword the world is overrun by the Genma, a race of demons that appear and spread a red doom-like cloud known as the Malice. We need to get rid of the Genma first as they’re the front line defense for the Malice. There are different enemy types, like human-like demons, demon-like humans and flying demon balls that explode. Lots of demons!

As the demo moves along we find that the fights are sword based but can also include natural combos including kicks, knees and punches. We can guard in any direction, but doing it too much can break our guard and leave us open to attackes. That’s why parrying is important, and why a “perfect” parry guard is important for survival. Doing so can even deflect an arrow back at a ranged bow-wielding enemy that Musashi comes across in his path. We can even parry with the attack button, and while this is much more difficult it can lead to huge kill shots if managed correctly. It’s very powerful, initiating an impressive animation in which Musashi steps back to perform the attack. If we attack successfuly long enough we can enter a powerd up state that makes Musashi glow blue and hitting for some massive hits.

The game is full of great animation, in fact. I notice that Musashi has a cloak and every once in a while he’ll seemingly brush it back over his shoulder. It’s a small detail, but that emphasizes both realism *and* his intent on Samurai perfection. Environmental hazards are an interesting part of the game, and can be both welcomed or a hinderance. Torches can be used to inflict damage on enemies by setting them on fire, and loose floor boards can be flipped up. In one scene Musashi pops one up inside the temple to block arrows, and with a smooth motion during an opening kicks it forward to the enemy, squashing him against a wall.

Obviously the Oni Gauntlet is an integral part of the game as the source of his powers. With it we can absorb souls and supernatural phenomena that give us experience, skills, health, etc. It seems to house a deity, one which Musashi (with a heavy English accent, I might add) calls “Gauntlet Lady” and has several spats with. She’s there to help him, but he doesn’t quite welcome her antagonism, too often. It’s a nice, wuirky addition to what is typically a more serious idea. The Gauntlet has a lot of attack abilities adding to combat and special combos, but it’s the non-combat aspects that we’re shown that are just as intriguing. One ability is called Oni Awakening, which lets him see what the Genma can see. The temple door is blocked, but using the Awakening he can see a giant strand that essentially points a way through the entrance. We can also use the gauntlet to see events that happened in the past, ghostily depicted as people marching to the temple for instance, and giving us an idea of what to do next. Here they’re dropping sacrifices over the side of the temple, faithful to Japanese historical lore.

Once Musashi finally makes it into the temple, we watch as he faces off against Genma that use ninja abilities. These enemies can drop into the shadows, excel in sword combat, and can even create copies to try and trick our hero. It will take good eyes and poise to make sure we attack them correctly.

In the latest recent trailer we were introduced to Ganryu Sasaki, Musashi’s main rival and seemingly the antagonist of the game. Here inside the temple Ganryu reveals that he also has a gauntlet, and while Musashi is hesitant and paced in his use of the Oni powers Ganryu most certainly is not, utilizing it to make himself more powerful. Unfortunately this means that he’s become corrputed by the evils within it, and now he intends to take out anyone in front of him as the Malice spreads. Unfortunately that means that Musashi is in the way, and a battle ensues.

This human-on-human battle is straight out of Japanese cinema, as the two expert swordsman know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and how to use a sword to inflict major pain. During battles a sort of signifier can pop up to let us choose what actions we want to take, especially when we want to target certain body parts in our attacks. In this battle that proves key; Ganryu, in his rage, uses his Oni powers in his attacks, and if Musashi dodges correctly and parries he can do some incredible reversals. This is most visible when Ganryu lunges towards him with his powered gauntlet and Musashi dodges, grabbing the arm and breaking it. It looks so fluid that I don’t know how else the scene would be able to play out.

With Ganryu defeated, and the journey into the temple hits its crescendo, we see the glowing ball of Malice in front of us. It’s at that moment that a giant axe-wielding Genma, Byakue, appears. He enters to shattering glass, as if the world is breaking apart, and hulks over the scene. This is early in the game, but the power that Byakue has is wild. The scene shifts, the glowing lava-like Malice orb pulsates, and each time that Musashi strikes him Byakue actually gets stronger, feeding on pain and power. The key to surviving this is dodge, dodge, dodge, dodge, and dodge some more, diving in when any tiny morsel of space is visible.

After a length battle, and a key open air strike, Byakue is defeated. Musashi absorbs the Malice orb, closing the demonic rift and preventing any more danger to this temple… for now.

All of this happened in less than 30 minutes. It was heated action, traversal, multiple environments, and a few brutal and gory kills. It felt like a full movie, but IT WAS LESS THAN 30 MINUTES. If the final game is full of this much heat, then our controllers will be grimy from our sweaty palms as we face hordes of enemies. Bring it.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is due for launch in 2026.