Having announced Onimusha: Way of the Sword back in December with a teaser trailer, Capcom has turned up for the State of Play stream with the first real trailer for the classic franchise revival, showcasing the game’s protagonist: Miyamoto Musashi.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and set for launch sometime in 2026.
The Onimusha series has lent on a blend of Japanese history blended with supernatural elements for its setting, built around third-person hack and slash combat for the gameplay, featuring its “Issen” counterattack mechanics.
Way of the Sword takes us to Kyoto in the Edo period where the relative peace of this period has been broken by  the infestation by the demonic Genma, transforming it into na eerie and unsettling place. A long samurai with the Oni Gauntlet will have to step into the darkness and battle the hellish enemies.
Debuting on PS2 in 2001, the series flourished through the generation with a string of sequels, a tactics spin-off on GBA and a fighting game. The most recent main new entry was Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006, so Way of the Sword will mark two decades since that point. We did have a remaster of the original in 2018, though, and Capcom has also recently confirmed a remaster of Onimusha 2, coming out on 23rd May.
Games have come a long, long way since then – just see Capcom’s mastery of the remake and remaster in recent years – so it will be fascinating what parts of the original concept they retain, and what they update and overhaul.
