Onimusha: Way of the Sword Preview: More Musashi, please!

It's actually quite rare for major AAA titles, which haven't been widely available to the media or at various trade shows, to suddenly get a playable demo months before their actual release. But that's exactly what's happened with Onimusha: Way of the Sword. The game isn't due out until September 24, but right now you can download a standalone demo (where progress isn't transferable - just so you know) on PlayStation 5, and try out what feels like a chapter from the game's first act.

So that's what I've done, and I can say with relative confidence that, despite Capcom diversifying its portfolio with Pragmata, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Kunitsu-Gami, they have a fairly precise quality bar in place these days, ensuring that if it says Capcom on the box, it's probably worth playing to some extent.

You play as Miyamoto Musashi - it couldn't be any other way. If you've encountered the series before, or simply watched the surprisingly solid anime series on Netflix, you'll know that Musashi's unique blend of heroic self-sacrifice and slovenly, sultry street-wise charm makes for a slightly bizarre but endearing mix. He is once again the focal point and although I was completely hooked by the English voice acting relatively quickly, there is a sharp tone, a fun mix of black humour, and deadly serious menace in this setting, which left me craving more once the demo was over.

Structurally, Way of the Sword comes across as the sort of "linear+" experience we've come to know from Souls games in particular. You have a fairly direct path forward, which is, however, combined with a myriad of branches that are explored because they offer limited resources, or the chance to slay more Genma, which are hostile monsters that themselves yield resources when they die. You might already be thinking that semi-linear paths, ferocious monsters defeated in close combat, and resources obtained only by killing mean that this is a so-called "Souls-like", but no, it isn't. Admittedly, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is shaped by the same gameplay systems, but the intended difficulty level and the way the combat flows are not designed to resemble FromSoftware's iconic games.

The way the combat "flows" is quite essential here. There is a very distinct physical style at play, which admittedly offers distant echoes of Ghost of Yotei, but which is entirely its own entity. Musashi feels a bit clunky to control at first, with his movement patterns and the speed of his attacks and parries particularly challenging your ability to read the telegraphy, but after just 10 minutes it's clear that Musashi's sword flows like water. It's clear to see that Capcom has placed a great deal of emphasis on the chaining of animations, so that the illusion of real sword duels is maintained. Parrying, finishing off vulnerable enemies, and moving between multiple targets, there is an elegant coherence, a satisfying amount of connective tissue between every single animation, making these battles just as satisfying to take part in as they are to watch.

But as I said, it's a game that takes some getting used to, both in terms of understanding its own physics and those of the enemies. Yet it also seems to be the primary way Onimusha: Way of the Sword communicates with you as a player. So far, Musashi moves around, kills enemies and... not much else. Perhaps there doesn't need to be, either. A good story, beautiful surroundings thanks to the RE Engine, and a superb flowstate combat system, it could easily turn into a solid gaming experience, but there's only occasional parkour, and there doesn't seem to be any other systems in play... yet.

So far, however, it appears hugely focused and hugely dedicated to this combat system, which produces some truly unique and stunning fights. That's enough for me, and I reckon it's enough for you too.