Onimusha: Way of the Sword Reaction & Impressions

The December 2024 reveal at The Game Awards drew a strong response from fans who had waited years for a new mainline Onimusha. The announcement of Miyamoto Musashi as the protagonist, modeled on Toshiro Mifune, was a major talking point.

Creators and outlets covered the reveal heavily, and the trailer became one of the most-shared pieces of Onimusha news in years.

The free demo, which covers the opening Kiyomizu-dera section, gave players a hands-on look before launch. Impressions were largely positive, with players praising the sword combat and the parry timing.

The English dub drew some online criticism for its tone during the demo period, while the Japanese dub was consistently praised as excellent.

Review aggregator Metacritic recorded generally favorable scores for the PC, PS5 and Xbox versions, and universal acclaim for the Nintendo Switch 2 version. The Switch 2 port was the highest-rated of the four.

One reviewer called it one of the best action games of recent years and said it was worth the $70 price. Another who completed it to 100% said they definitely got their money's worth.

The game sold over one million copies on launch day, a strong opening for a revived franchise. The momentum reflected both the quality of the reviews and the long-dormant fan base returning.

Players highlighted the combat depth, the dismembering Issen finishers and the Japanese audio as standout features.

The most common criticism was around the default English dub, which some players felt sounded un-Japanese for the setting. The general enemy encounters were also described as easy by some, with the real challenge reserved for bosses.

Most critics framed the difficulty as self-directed: the game rewards players who engage deeply with the parry system rather than button-mashing.