In a grim and fictional Edo-era Kyoto, I stride through the ravaged land of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. The corpses of civilians litter the ground, decorated by blood that I naturally take as a warning of deadly foes ahead. I'm too late to save one innocent as they're hacked down from behind, so I draw my blade and set about administering a fitting revenge against the hideous humanoid before me.
They go down in an instant, which isn't too surprising given this is early in my hands-on preview session at Gamescom 2025, but after a few more enemies fall without fuss to my steel, I realize the Sekiro comparisons I've heard may be relevant to setting and aesthetic, but the combat is worlds apart. This isn't a soulslike, and that's ok.
This is Capcom heritage
Developer: In-house
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: TBC 2026
Platforms: PS5, XSX, PC
The Onimusha series has always been for fans of action-adventure games. The earlier titles could be mistaken for survival horrors like the best Resident Evil games at first, thanks to their fixed camera angles and monstrous foes, but the overall experience differs as you play on, feeling more direct and less about finer details like inventory management.
However, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is releasing in 2026 – 25 years after 2001's Onimusha: Warlords, the game that kicked things off – and the world of gaming has changed a fair bit since those halcyon days of PS2 dominance.
The camera stays in a third-person, over-the-shoulder position throughout, in the same style as the Resident Evil 4 remake, making it simple to find your way through the ravaged environment. The game has a moreish parry system, allowing you to deflect enemy attacks both ranged and close-quarters, and it's incredibly generous – no razor-sharp reflexes required like in Lies of P.
In fact none of this is difficult, nor is it meant to be. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a game for people who want to sit back and unwind with an adventure, taking in the surroundings at relative leisure instead of fearing what's around every corner, and defeating bosses in one try, whether playing on the easier 'Story' mode or the normal 'Adventure' setting as I did.
Omae wa shindeiru
You've almost always the favorite in each fight, with enemies lining up to meet you
The result is that Onimusha: Way of the Sword feels more like a power fantasy. Protagonist Musashi may look like an underdog to the untrained eye, with his understated attire and pensive expressions, but the moment you take control you can see he is a warlord through and through.
Even the foes that hit him seem sorry about it, inviting vengeance with generous gaps before the next blow that beg for a parry, or even an all-out assault if you're so inclined. While so many games offer challenging combat that we fall in love with time and again, I'm grateful to Onimusha for reminding me there's another way to play. Think more God of War Ragnarok or Horizon Forbidden West where, although they can get pretty challenging at times, you've almost always the favorite in each fight, with enemies lining up to meet you knowing they're not walking away afterwards.
The downside of this is players who were hoping for something to scratch the itch caused by 2019's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice not having a sequel (or even DLC!) are still without a salve. To be clear, it's not on Capcom to provide such a game, but it's understandable that many who looked at Onimusha: Way of the Sword's unveiling saw something that simply isn't there upon closer inspection.
Amid the throng of best FromSoftware games and the many Souls-inspired games like Elden Ring, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a welcome breath of fresh-yet-paradoxically-familiar air. It's a third-person action-adventure set in a dark world full of danger but it's not really challenging from a combat perspective, although I anticipate the odd optional fight requiring more effort when the game releases next year.
While FromSoft fans will now have to look elsewhere, I'm as excited as ever for Onimusha: Way of the Sword precisely because of its differences, and I can't wait to play more.
For more third-person action, check out our list of the best adventure games to play right now.
