Although CAPCOM is going through a new golden age releasing high-quality new entries in beloved series like Devil May Cry 5, Resident Evil Requiem, Street Fighter 6, and Monster Hunter Wilds as well as new IPs like PRAGMATA, the Japanese publisher went through some rather dark times during the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, requiring a publisher-wide reset to return to the glory days. This reset, and the RE Engine which powers all modern games by the Japanese publisher, are the reasons why Onimusha is coming back with Onimusha: Way Of The Sword after 20 years, according to director Satoru Nihei, as sales alone wouldn't have been enough.
"Whilst Onimusha was always well-received, there were, at Capcom at the time, other major series like Monster Hunter, Resident Evil games, and Street Fighter, but there were also up-and-coming developing titles," Nihei-san said to Game Informer. "And as development became more difficult, needing more time and more people, with all those people focused on those titles, it was very difficult to get a team together to make a new Onimusha game, despite wanting to internally for a long time."
Having gone through a 20-year long hiatus, bringing back the series with Onimusha: Way Of The Sword would have been a significant challenge for any developer, even if they were not a massive fan of the franchise as Nihei-san. As such, the game was built around the series' core mechanics, the Issen mechanics, to make sure the new entry in the series felt like a proper Onimusha game.
"It was one of the critical parts of that satisfaction and the feel of the period action, and the Oni Gauntlet, the tactical elements of it in terms of soul absorption, kind of weighing when to use those abilities and when not to, and then also the elements of the historical ties to the real history of Japan,” Nihei-san said. "Obviously, the previous titles were set in the Sengoku period, so the Warring States period, but just mixing those historical elements with dark fantasy elements is the core of Onimusha."
Although many modern action games are centered around parry mechanics, the Onimusha series' Issen mechanics remain the most unique, requiring not only excellent knowledge of enemy movesets, but pristine timing as well. However, playing the demo now available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 which I also had the chance of playing during last year's Gamescom, it's difficult not to be concerned about its low challenge level which inevitably makes Issen almost meaningless, as enemies are very passive and easy to take down with regular attacks.
Thankfully, producer Akihito Kadowaki confirmed that the final game will be more challenging, although, given current trends toward instant gratification and minimal challenge in modern action games, I will remain worried until I can finally sit down with Onimusha: Way Of The Sword when it launches on September 4.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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