While 2024 was a low-key year for Capcom, the Japanese publisher has been on a recent tear of bringing back beloved franchises. Finishing its spree of Ace Attorney remasters and translations with Ace Attorney Investigations Collection was just the start, as it quickly followed that with the launch of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. What really blew old Capcom fans away, though, was its announcements at The Game Awards 2024. Not only was Onimusha: Way of the Sword a new mainline entry in its franchise, nearly twenty years after the last one, a console sequel for Okami was finally announced.
Capcom’s investor relations website quickly followed up The Game Awards with a short overview of the announcements, with some additional paragraphs declaring its intent to revive dormant IPs that haven’t launched new games recently. Few gaming companies have libraries with as many potent franchises as Capcom, so following Sega’s ongoing example of bringing series back en masse would be a well-received move. However, Capcom starting with new installments for Okami and Onimusha in particular will also have the happy side effect of jump-starting a particular game genre’s return from the very era they hail from.
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What to Expect from the Okami Sequel
Capcom has announced a long-awaited sequel to Okami with original director Hideki Kamiya returning, here’s what this next chapter might bring.
There are a lot of genres under Capcom’s banner, from puzzle games like Ghost Trick to turn-based RPGs like the old Breath of Fire titles. Above all else, though, Capcom is best known for its action games. They are spread across many categories, like Street Fighter’s fighting games, Final Fight’s beat-’em-ups, Devil May Cry’s hack-and-slash, and even Resident Evil 4’s takedown-integrated third-person shooting, but all of these Capcom titles are genre-defining examples of their respective gameplay style. Onimusha and Okami fall closest to DMC, which is a relief after how the last decade has treated their shared subgenre.
Stylish 3D Action Nearly Died In The 2010’s
3D hack-and-slash action, with minimal RPG elements attached, has been scarce since the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Capcom’s AAA and AA output narrowed alongside the rest of the industry, and Devil May Cry’s releases slowed down before the series’ primary director, Hideaki Itsuno, left in 2024. Ex-Devil May Cry, Okami, and God Hand developers continued their hack-and-slash career as Platinum Games, but eventually many key staff left over creative differences and growing financial concerns. Other genre pillars like Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja and Sony’s God of War franchise introduced RPG mechanics to expand their audience. Even accounting for indies, it’s hard to downplay how much ground 3D melee action has lost.
Action-RPG dominance isn’t a bad thing, as Soulslikes are popular for a reason, and other hybrid approaches like Kingdom Hearts, Dynasty Warriors, Like a Dragon, the Tales series, Ys, and even Capcom’s own Monster Hunter and Dragon’s Dogma offer plenty of variety. More options are still better for everyone, though, and Capcom seems dead-set on bringing some back. It’s already on its way, too, as summer 2024’s Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess harkens back to the experimental period of hack-and-slash’s PS2 golden age. Now, Onimusha and Okami just need to make this revival worth Capcom’s trouble.
How Onimusha and Okami Can Correct Capcom’s Combat Course
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is an offshoot of Resident Evil like Devil May Cry itself, and could once again strike a middle ground between the two. It might also be Capcom’s first Soulslike in disguise, but would likely stay close to Sekiro due to parrying and careful offense already being part of its identity. More pertinently, Okami’s sequel is being helmed by its original director, Hideaki Kamiya, on top of an unknown number of ex-Platinum staff. That should guarantee being able to match the surprising combat depth of the first Okami, and could pave the way for future action endeavors at Capcom, just like old times.
