Onimusha: Way of the Sword - Before You Buy

Storyline (High Level)

• The game is described as Resident Evil–style survival/action set in Japan’s Sengoku era (especially fitting for the early Onimusha entries).
• In Onimusha: Warlords, you play as the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, battling demonic forces.
• The narrative and tone aim to balance humor and horror, with villains presented as particularly cruel—making their defeat especially satisfying.
• The main plot is framed around cleansing/inverting demonic corruption across multiple regions (including a major hub area), moving through structured missions/encounters.

Gameplay Highlights

PC Performance

• The reviewer reports the PC version runs flawlessly:
  • No stutter or slowdown
  • No bugs/glitches
  • Even at max settings

Difficulty Curve

• The early demo feels easy, but the standard difficulty becomes brutally hard, especially in the second half.
• Boss fights are highlighted as:
  • Extremely punishing
  • Continuously ramping in difficulty (no smooth plateau)
• A Story difficulty mode exists for players who struggle once the game spikes.

Combat System (Core “Gem”)

• Combat feels elegant and satisfying, with animations that turn even routine fights into dramatic duels.
• Core actions mentioned include:
  • Light/heavy attacks
  • Special abilities (with cooldowns)
  • Dodge
  • Parry/Reflection

Defense Timing Matters

• Parry/Reflection works best vs sword attacks.
• Dodging works better vs elemental/physical attacks, such as punches/grabs.
• Some attacks are parry-only, while others require dodging.
• Perfect timing can trigger unique counter animations.

Deflection + “Burning State”

• Deflection is described as safer than a regular reflection, but it requires building a burning state through perfect reflections.
• Main hard-fight strategy:
  • Reach burning state
  • Deal heavy stamina damage
  • Deflect bosses to stun
  • Use break eizen to target different body parts for different effects, such as:
    • Head = massive damage
    • Tail = extra “souls” (used for healing/ability charging)

Eisen (Instant Counter)

• Eisen returns from older games:
  • If you attack precisely when an enemy strikes, you get a massive instant counter.
• Timing is extremely precise, even late game.
• The reviewer calls it difficult to perform consistently.

Resource / “Souls” Mechanic

• After fights, you manually absorb souls by holding a button to pick up spheres in the air.
• Souls are used for:
  • Experience
  • Restoring energy
  • Restoring health
• Some enemies can steal souls, and bosses can absorb them to become stronger—creating a tug-of-war dynamic.

Exploration / Hub Structure

• The game includes a hub called Eastern Kyoto, described as semi-open world with:
  • Exploration
  • Resources
  • Side quests
• The reviewer expected Kyoto to be a between-missions stop, but notes that a large portion of playtime is spent there.
• Kyoto activities include:
  • Cleansing areas of demonic invasion
  • Fighting while roaming the city

Strategies / Key Tips Mentioned

• Don’t trust the early-game balance: even if the demo is easy, standard difficulty spikes hard in the second half.
• Learn defensive rules by attack type:
  • Parry vs sword attacks
  • Dodge vs elemental/physical (e.g., punch/grab)
• Enter “burning state” for the hardest fights:
  • Build it via perfect reflections
  • Then use deflection to apply stamina pressure and stun bosses
• Use break eizen intelligently:
  • Choose body parts based on your goal (damage vs souls/healing/ability charging)
• Watch for soul tug-of-war threats:
  • Enemies/bosses that steal or absorb souls affect both your sustain and boss power

Criticisms / Drawbacks Noted

Late-Game Enemy Variety

• New enemy types slow down later in the game, and the reviewer feels combat becomes more repetitive by the end.

Mission / Level Repetition

• The reviewer describes mission structure as repeating patterns, such as:
  • Clearing darkness
  • Entering an Oni dimension
  • Reusing puzzle mechanics
  • Door/barrier/spider mechanics
• Combat remains great, but mission design and Kyoto pacing make the overall experience feel dragged out compared to other Capcom releases.

World / Environment Diversity

• Compared to earlier Onimusha games, Kyoto’s environments can look more dull.
• The reviewer acknowledges the intent to keep things realistic and grounded, but still notes the visual variety concern.

“Before You Buy” Conclusion (Overall Recommendation)

• Recommended for action players who want a real challenge and enjoy deep, complex combat.
• The reviewer emphasizes:
  • Top-tier combat animations and boss spectacle
  • Difficulty as a major factor (using Story difficulty late may be wise)
  • Some aspects don’t match the combat quality due to mission repetition and pacing

Gamers / Sources Featured

• Falcon (reviewer/channel host)
• Mentions and comparisons include:
  • Resident Evil Requiem
  • Pragmata
  • Devil May Cry 5
  • Earlier Onimusha games (series context)
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance
  • Souls-like games (genre comparison)
  • Monster Hunter World and Dragon’s Dogma 2 (PC performance/port comparison context)