One of the immediate pressures any long laid off game has is proving its mettle.

For Onimusha, it’s been 20 years since the last, and the reason being…Dawn of Dreams didn’t leave the best impression. So any comeback needs to not only one up the predecessor, but after being such a long time away – show it can hang with a modern audience.

While I had every faith in Capcom to pull it out of the bag, what I didn’t expect was for them to actually surpass everything that’s come before. Yet here we are.

Way of the Sword is an incredible video game. It’s as good as any action adventure Capcom have done before, it’s up there with their all time best and in a year where they are already smashing it, frankly, this feels like a bit of a cheat code.

Introducing a brand new protagonist and set of characters, in an all new environment, Onimusha Way of the Sword feels closer than ever to a Devil May Cry than a Resident Evil but it also has its own distinct way of things.

For Onimusha, there’s a big focus on parrying, defending, clashing swords and evasion, as opposed to just button spamming and combo loading. It’s not quite a Souls-Like in that each move is slow and deliberate, but there are connections to the genre though the gathering of orbs/souls and the Shrines that let you fast travel.

Also violent bosses that you’ll need to closely study attack patterns in order to bring them down. But there’s definitely more of a Ninja Gaiden feel here, and something a bit closer to what the original games were. Which should be music to series fans ears.

And heres’ the really cool part, the game’s easiest difficulty may just be one of the best teachers to help you get good in this genre. It’ll tell you when to tap buttons, which button to press, how to position yourself, and then give you time to react accordingly but never to the point of it being too slow or overly simplified. It’s just a great way to get your combat legs underneath you, so that by the time you’ve done one playthrough, or even just the first hour – you’re ready for the game’s true challenge.

But the thing that really catches you off guard in Way of the Sword is the humour. There’s something so tongue in cheek about the game’s whole vibe, between Gauntlet Lady and Mashashi’s own quirkiness. He captures the spirit of classic gaming characters that aren’t stuck in a template model, and I love that about it.

Frequently just beating enemies and saying they were [sh___t] or throwing out a one-liner to throw off an enemy if they’re getting in his face. Or just generally being a smart ass. He plays off the other characters super well, as well as the body-horror enemies that have outlandish humor and over the top eccentricity.

It’s all brought together as a really beautiful game, too. Capcom’s proprietry engine continues to shine with games like Pragmata, Requiem, Monster Hunter, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 already able to scale up to stunning levels, and here again it just shines and stuns time and again. From one epic boss battle, to a confrontation out on the streets, to close up banter among characters, Way of the Sword really looks the part. And sound it too.

The wonderful thing about Way of the Sword is – it felt like a game I wanted to not only beat, but to try and actually be a completionist. Do and see everything. As much as I physically can, and genuinely that’s a rare sight these days with games being such huge sizes and often giving the player too much agency. Here, I think the game is a respectable length, and the open sections are never too vast or overwhelming. If anything, they might be a bit underwhelming in terms of limitations.

But when you compare this game to Blood of Dawnwalker, a vast beast in its own right, or what GTA VI will ultimately be, there’s about the right amount of game here. Doesn’t wear out its welcome, doesn’t leave you feeling shortchanged, and you are happy to see the length and breadth of it. At least, I was.

Of course, there’s a lot of running around, moving between areas, jumping between rooftops and smashing jars, but it’s the combat you keep coming back to and how satisfying fights can look and how they play out. You can pull off some great moves – and unlock a bunch more – and stay really ahead of your enemies with fast strikes and gruesome executions.

It’s not a perfect game, despite being open to the player, you definitely get the sense of lineairty eventually. There’s also quite a few QTEs for combat moments and some repetitions in boss fights and environments, yet the game’s charm pushes it through more times than not and you find yourself just ready to move onto the next area. Or to find out what happens next in the story.

All added in with special abilities from your Gauntlet, like being able to tear walls open with your bare hands and moving between weird realms which you’ll need to get accostomed to.

Way of the Sword is an absolute treasure. It’s Capcom at the peak of their work and a truly monumental return for one of gaming’s most forgotten franchises. It might just be the best action/adventure game this year – right next to Resident Evil and Pragmata – and should hopefully mean we don’t need to wait another 20 years for Onimusha.

I have absolutely adored this one and I really hope we see more of Mushashi and the team – whether it’s more DLC or something else exciting entirely.

Verdict

Onimusha: Way of the Sword understands the assignment, gets what it needs to do and has a magnificent time doing it. The game has a great pace and feel, doesn’t ever really outstay its welcome and still manages to find a sense of humor to boot. Yet its the combat you’ll stay for – among the most satisfying of any I’ve seen from the genre in this or any other generation. Onimusha is definitely back – and it’s better than ever!