Violent B-movie demon-slaying

One of my favourite series from the PS2 era is back with Onimusha: Way of the Sword and it's very over-the-top so ready your steel, chums.

One of Video Chums' core principles is "it's better to be late and thorough than it is to be early and misinformed". 🧐

This town is really starting to stink Musashi's here to slay

Onimusha: Way of the Sword stars the very cocky Musashi who wanders into a horde of demons and through a series of otherworldly events, becomes equipped with the iconic Oni Gauntlet. The campaign that follows is full of memorable characters, gruesome adversaries, and some occasional horror elements via the odd creepy scenario and jump scare. Now, it must be said that although the first 2 games were rooted in some sort of sincerity, the atmosphere and cast are so over-the-top here that I imagine some gamers will love it while others will find it difficult to connect. I'm personally on the fence because the quirky characters hit home for me but the regular obscene violence against humans was a tough pill to swallow. I certainly love tearing demons apart but watching them mercilessly kill folks in brutal ways didn't sit well with me. Of course, that's just my personal taste but that's my point; not everyone will click with the cast and atmosphere. 👺 v1d30chumz tzyzvvyztwywqv

Thankfully, the visuals are excellent in Onimusha: Way of the Sword with some of the best facial animation I've ever seen even if it is a little exaggerated and the voice acting is great, too, with Musashi's oddly British accent being quite fitting for his character. The environmental effects are another highlight with dark and demonic realms really elevating the nefarious game world while vibrant dream-like spots are just off enough to make you feel uneasy. It's an exceptionally well-presented game world that's sure to impress in some way or another. 😸

Watching big baddies fall is always satisfying Brutal combat

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a combat-heavy game and you essentially only wield 1 weapon. Considering previous games feature frequent puzzle-solving as well as multiple weapons, this is definitely a change of pace. The awesome news is that the combat is incredibly fun and takes a lot to master. I actually recommend starting on the easy difficulty as it shows onscreen buttons for what to press next while the timing is still up to you so it's still plenty challenging. Once you get comfortable with what to press and when, switch over to a higher difficulty setting and you'll find yourself clicking with the gameplay and it's super-rewarding stuff indeed. Parrying and evading with perfect timing can devastate your foes (including bosses) and when you unleash a special move via your equipped Oni Armament only to stagger your foe then strike for some huge damage, it certainly feels incredible! Plus, I found the timing to be very intuitive which is superb. 🗡️

Of course, unleashing red, blue, and yellow souls with successful executions then sucking them up makes Onimusha: Way of the Sword feel a lot like its predecessors. Plus, there are some clever elements like the one-button Oni Bow that you'll need in certain situations and even your basic attack has you alternate between 1 and 2-handed attacks to perform some nifty combos. You can equip and use items, too, which let you heal, replenish stamina, and unleash souls on the spot. A couple of advanced moves let you deflect attacks and smash through shields which is always gratifying so combat manages to be quite well-rounded despite only having 1 weapon. With that being said, I wish there was much more variety because even the memorable boss fights can feel too samey gameplay-wise despite being unique spectacles. 🎆

Another rift bites the dust! Seal rifts and snag loot

Although combat is by far the largest component of gameplay, Onimusha: Way of the Sword manages to incorporate a bit of exploration and light open-world elements that let you expand the central city as you carry out missions and seal rifts to the demon realm. Doing so makes for a supremely rewarding progression system, especially as you gather resources then dump them into systems that let you enhance your favourite charm, healing pouch, armour, sword, and gauntlet. There are also skill trees that unlock some swanky moves and enhancements that make mastering the gameplay even more fruitful. Carrying out quests is fairly standard stuff but there are plenty of challenges to master so taking on bosses again and revisiting the linear stage maps with new skills to acquire treasures can be enjoyable and I also love how many cosmetic items there are as I equipped Musashi with an adorable panda sheath and colourful cape; that should make him more humble! 🐼

Musashi's still fighting...

Onimusha: Way of the Sword's super-fun sword combat really packs a punch and is the star of the show along with the ridiculous game world and cast of characters that'll make things a lot more entertaining if they click with you.

Watch A.J. play Onimusha: Way of the Sword 7:36

You may also be interested in these: Garfield - Escape From Monday Review, Asdivine Knot Review, Game Pass Hidden Gem: Herdling, Let's Meow with Fabraz about Bubsy 4D, Starsand Island Review, Game Pass Hidden Gem: BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, Monsters are Coming! Review, Parkasaurus: Dinoluxe Edition Review, Beast of Reincarnation Review, and Denshattack! Review.

Discover more Xbox Play Anywhere games.

Filed under: Reviews › PlayStation 5.