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Onimusha: Way of the Sword Review: Capcom Revives a Classic with Mixed Results

Capcom's return to the Onimusha franchise brings back the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi in a new action-adventure set in an alternate Kyoto. Reviews praise the combat and world-building but note some repetitive enemy encounters and a slow-opening hub.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles Version 2 Coverage Aug 31, 2026 Published 23m ago

A Legendary Return

Capcom has revived its Onimusha franchise after nearly two decades withOnimusha: Way of the Sword, a new action-adventure set in ancient Japan. The game, available on PS5 and Xbox Series X, places players in the role of a fictional version of Miyamoto Musashi, one of history's most renowned swordsmen, as he battles demonic forces in an alternate version of Kyoto during the early 1600s.

According to The Daily Star, the game is set during the Sengoku period, Japan's legendary era of warring states, and infuses historical settings with Japanese folklore. Musashi, described as a "cheeky chappy" and "cocky" protagonist, wields the mystical power of the Oni to fight the Genma, relentless monsters bent on conquering the world. The narrative follows Musashi as he is equipped with an Oni Gauntlet and tasked with defending the gate between Earth and hell from a demonic invasion.

Screen Rant echoes this setup, noting that Musashi uses the power of the Oni to battle the evil Genma in an alternate Kyoto. The outlet describes Musashi as an entertaining "goofball" whose cockiness is well captured through combat-based dialogue, including moments where he roasts or chats with enemies.

Combat and Gameplay

Both reviews highlight the depth of the combat system. The Daily Star emphasizes mechanics such as blocking and counterattacking, while Screen Rant details a broader toolkit including dodging, parrying, and deflecting projectiles. Screen Rant also mentions two "clash" systems that require timed button presses or mashing, adding layers to encounters.

Screen Rant notes that the game features "elite" enemies that appear frequently and can become grating after repeated fights. The hub of Kyoto, initially described as "static and stuffy," opens up to a wide array of areas as the game progresses. Secret areas are hidden behind crates and require crawling into small holes, rewarding exploration.

The game includes a skill tree system and uses Red souls as currency, allowing players to enhance Musashi's abilities. The Daily Star describes the combat as "hugely satisfying" and "tense," with a "violent speed" that keeps the action engaging.

Story and World

The Daily Star praises the game's long main narrative and side missions, noting that the story "pumps along" with a compelling mix of history and fantasy. The game's setting in Kyoto around the 1600s provides a backdrop of "grim" and "relentless" danger, with enemies described as "monstrous baddies" and "beasties."

Screen Rant offers a more measured take, noting that while the game is "staggeringly impressive," there are "a few hangups." The outlet highlights the final battle as a standout moment that is "likely to be talked about online for months," suggesting a memorable conclusion despite some mid-game frustrations.

Overall Reception

The Daily Star delivers an enthusiastic review, calling the game "brilliant" and "epic," with a tone that celebrates Capcom's return to the franchise. Screen Rant's review is more mixed, acknowledging the game's strengths in combat and character while pointing out repetitive enemy encounters and a slow-opening hub.

Both outlets agree thatOnimusha: Way of the Sword marks a successful revival of a beloved series, offering a blend of action, folklore, and historical fiction that should appeal to fans of the genre.

How each outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

The daily Star

Framing: The headline frames the game as a 'brilliant' Japanese dark fantasy sword fighter, focusing on positive appraisal and genre setting. — enthusiastic and admiring

as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Capcom brings back a 20-year-old franchise set in ancient Japan.
The game is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
The game is set in the Sengoku period, Japan's legendary grim age of warring states.
The game is set in Kyoto around the 1600s.
The protagonist is Miyamoto Musashi.
The game includes combat mechanics such as blocking and counterattacking.
The game has a long main narrative and side missions.

Read the source article →

Screen Rant

Framing: The headline simply states the game's title and that it is a review, without emphasizing any particular aspect.

as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Onimusha: Way of the Sword features a fictional version of Miyamoto Musashi.
The game is set in an alternate version of Kyoto, Japan.
Musashi uses the power of the Oni to battle the evil Genma.
The game includes combat mechanics such as dodging, parrying, and deflecting projectiles.
The game has two 'clash' systems requiring button presses or mashing.
The game features 'elite' enemies that appear very often and can grate after repeated fights.
The hub of Kyoto is initially static and stuffy, but opens up to a wide array of areas.
Some secret areas are hidden behind crates and require crawling into small holes.
The game includes a skill tree system and uses Red souls as currency.
The final battle is likely to be talked about online for months.

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimCapcom brings back a 20-year-old franchise set in ancient Japan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimOnimusha: Way of the Sword is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimOnimusha is set in the Sengoku period, Japan's legendary grim age of warring states.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimOnimusha: Way of the Sword is set in Kyoto around the 1600s.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimOnimusha: Way of the Sword features a fictional version of Miyamoto Musashi.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC, The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe protagonist of Onimusha: Way of the Sword is Miyamoto Musashi.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC, VICE as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe game is set in an alternate version of Kyoto, Japan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimMusashi uses the power of the Oni to battle the evil Genma.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (3 outlets) via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC, The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC, VICE as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe game includes combat mechanics such as blocking and counterattacking.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC, Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimOnimusha: Way of the Sword has a long main narrative and side missions.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC, VICE as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe game includes combat mechanics such as dodging, parrying, and deflecting projectiles.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC, VICE as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe game has two 'clash' systems requiring button presses or mashing.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe game features 'elite' enemies that appear very often and can grate after repeated fights.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe hub of Kyoto is initially static and stuffy, but opens up to a wide array of areas.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC, VICE as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimSome secret areas are hidden behind crates and require crawling into small holes.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe game includes a skill tree system and uses Red souls as currency.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe final battle is likely to be talked about online for months.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Screen Rant as of Aug 31, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles consulted: The daily Star, Screen Rant 17 claims extracted Version 2 Written 2026-08-31