Summary
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword won’t be impossibly difficult, focusing on thrilling sword fights.
- Capcom aims to revive the dormant Onimusha franchise with upcoming Way of the Sword release.
- Developers clarified intentions for Way of the Sword gameplay, distancing it from “Souls-like” games.
Developers at Capcom working on the upcoming action title Onimusha: Way of the Sword have clarified their intentions with regard to the game’s difficulty. Currently in development, Onimusha: Way of the Sword will land on the PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2026.
Capcom’s venerable Onimusha series is seeing a resurgence in activity after years spent largely dormant. The original Onimusha: Warlords was an early PlayStation 2 hit patterned off the gameplay style and presentation of the Resident Evil series. Outside of Japan-exclusive browser and mobile spin-offs and the 2018 remaster of Warlords, the series never left the PlayStation 2 and Xbox generation. Many fans assumed it had become a forgotten Capcom franchise, a relic of a previous generation. Capcom put that sentiment to rest with its showcase broadcast on February 4, where it unveiled Onimusha: Way of the Sword, an entirely new game in the franchise set for modern platforms.
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During the showcase, Onimusha: Way of the Sword Producer Akihito Kadowaki and Director Satoru Nihei outlined their goals for the game, including three core aspects of Onimusha: Way of the Sword gameplay. Nihei also clarified the team’s attitude towards difficulty, saying that it’s not trying to make “an impossibly difficult” game. Instead, Capcom hopes to make a game where players experience “thrilling sword fights” and take satisfaction from slaying their enemies.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword Will Not Be Impossibly Difficult
From his mention of not intending for Onimusha: Way of the Sword to be “impossibly difficult,” it seems that Director Nihei is setting expectations regarding what players should expect from Onimusha: Way of the Sword, as well as distancing Way of the Sword from “Souls-like” action games, which are famous for being challenging to the point of frustration for many players.
Given how long it’s been since Onimusha was last in the headlines, clarifying those kinds of expectations is a reasonable move for Capcom. At first glance, a player with no knowledge of the series might look at Onimusha: Way of the Sword‘s dark fantasy style and violent combat and assume that it takes after the likes of FromSoftware’s Sekiro or Koei Tecmo’s Nioh, and have a similar focus on challenge.
Between Onimusha: Way of the Sword and the also-announced remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, Capcom is on the way towards setting off a full Onimusha franchise revival. With time and success on Way of the Sword‘s part, that could mean a new pillar of modern action games could soon be raised.
