Means of the Sword could be a extra forgiving sort of samurai epic

Capcom’s Onimusha collection has been on an extended hiatus. Combining Resident Evil-style rendered backgrounds with extra agile characters, including in demons, magic and a feudal Japan setting, the collection span a number of sequels — and consoles — til the fourth entry in 2006.

Roughly 20 years (and console eras) later, Capcom has returned to the series, even getting the definitive samurai actor, Tom Cruise Mifune Toshiro, to play the hero, the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. At Gamescom, the corporate is now demoing an early slice of Means of the Sword, which covers most (however not all) of the sport proven at SGF 2025 only a few months in the past.

It’s an attention-grabbing time to return to the samurai-meets-demonic-threat universe of Onimusha, following a sudden increase in video games tapping into feudal Japan. Most just lately, the most recent Murderer’s Creed was set there, whereas, Sony’s upcoming Ghost of Yotei (to not point out its predecessor) each faucet bushido and swordplay in historic Japan.

Whereas I performed via the demo, I made a variety of psychological comparisons to Sekiro – a sport that’s now a number of years previous and nonetheless unbeaten by me. Onimusha attracts collectively comparable themes of demon forces run amok, however has a extra forgiving strategy. Gameplay facilities round blocks and parries, plus weak and powerful assaults, all whereas pulling in orbs dropped by dying enemies that act as the sport’s forex. (Well being orbs are additionally dropped by sure foes.)

The Oni gauntlet that absorbs these souls will also be used to see invisible demons and unlock areas which might be spiritually blocked. It’ll additionally act like a sort-of demonic film projector, displaying what occurred in the course of the demon invasion within the space.

Early enemies had been predictably sluggish demon swordsmen and archers, getting me again up to the mark with how Onimusha fights play out. Even when it predictably appears to be like lightyears forward of its predecessors, Means of the Sword doesn’t reinvent how you narrow up these demon hordes.

Compared to different motion video games, guarding appears very forgiving. You may maintain the guard button down, and it’ll block fundamental projectiles and melee assaults from all instructions I spent a while leaning into exhausting stamina gauges, timing parries for one-hit Issen vital assault and batting away arrows again the place they got here from.

Don’t get me flawed, it’s satisfying and enjoyable, however I’m itching to see how the collection will construct on what’s fairly fundamental assault move. Musashi had acccess to a dual-short sword particular assault, Two Celestials, that barrages the enemy with assaults and tops up his well being ranges.

This implies extra particular assaults and magical thrives ought to open up later within the sport. The preview throughout SGF 2025 additionally confirmed methods to make the most of the setting for defensive assaults, holding up wood boards to dam arrows, as an illustration, though that didn’t set off throughout my playthrough.

The spotlight of the demo was a confrontation with Musashi’s rival, Ganryu Sasaki. He’s nice villain fodder — and has additionally been one way or the other gifted his personal Oni gauntlet. The duel was the one time I felt beneath risk in the course of the demo, and even then, I didn’t die as soon as. There’s sufficient of a well being meter to check your self towards Sasaki’s lavish sword assaults and lunges. When you put on down extra highly effective enemies, you can also make a single, concentrated assault to both glean extra orbs from them or hit for heavy-duty harm.

The early style of Means of the Sword is a enjoyable, straightforward romp, so I’m curious to see how Capcom evolves the system of Onimusha — and the place the true challenges would possibly lie.

Onimusha: Means of the Sword is about to be launched in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Sequence S|X, and PC.