When Capcom announced “Onimusha: Way of the Sword,” it generated excitement. The samurai series blended action with the supernatural for an intriguing mix that was groundbreaking for its time. That was back in 2001 when games still used prerendered backgrounds and players dealt with tank controls.

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Video games have advanced considerably since then, and the most intriguing change with a new entry is seeing how Capcom would reinterpret the franchise for modern taste. Would it turn into a quick-twitch action game like “Devil May Cry”? Or could it follow the path of “Resident Evil”? I had a chance to play a short demo of “Onimusha: Way of the Sword,” and it turns out the game feels like Capcom’s interpretation of a Souls-like.

A NEW HERO
In this title, players take on the role of Miyamoto Musashi, a real-life samurai legend from the Edo period. The look of his character is inspired by the late actor Toshiro Mifune. He’s sent to purify the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and runs into Genma attacking the villagers near the grounds. Those fans who played the previous games will notice that these monstrosities look familiar and have similar movement and tendencies as the original games.

Dispatching them is easy. In “Onimusha: Way of the Sword,” players have a fast one-handed attack and a powerful two-handed attack. Musashi is powerful enough to take them out with one handed moves putting them on the defensive so they can Break Issen on enemies leaving them open to a finishing attack.

The Genma are easy one-on-one, but when they surround the player, it grows more difficult. That’s when they have to watch for attacks and evade or block. When timed right, Musashi parries a slash, creating an opening to eliminate a foe. The timing is forgiving for the parries, so it’s often to better to do that because it makes it easier to open a foe to a finish move. What’s more, Musashi is skilled enough that he can combo attacks so breaking the issen of one adversary opens up an adjacent foe to an instant kill attack.

In “Onimusha: Way of the Sword,” Miyamoto Musashi must absorb souls to power his powerful attacks, heal and gain power-ups. (Capcom) 

SOUL MANAGEMENT
That’s important because breaking issen generates more souls, and that’s a hallmark of “Onimusha,” “Way of the Sword” seems to carry that same element. When players defeat an enemy, they drop different colored souls. Red is used for upgrades, blue fills up a magic meter, and yellow restores health. Defeating monsters quickly, absorbing the souls before they disappear and managing the health and magic meters is a key component of survival.

In “Way of the Sword,” Musashi also has quick access to other forms of healing such as Hozuki, which are plants that seem plentiful in the game. They heal a small chunk of life. He can also find a Mild Restorative, which slowly brings back health over time.

Musashi isn’t alone in his quest. In the adventure, he has a mysterious companion that happens to be a voice within his mystical gauntlet. She introduces abilities tied to the gear. In this case, pressing L2 and R2 at the same time activates a type of vision that will show players demonic contraptions that are invisible to the human eye. Players will know when to activate the ability when the gauntlet flashes blue.

Miyamoto Musashi parries an from Ganryu Sasaki in “Onimusha: Way of the Sword.” (Capcom) 

BOSS FIGHTS
I had no problem making my way through Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and eventually, I ran into the demo’s boss, Ganryu Sasaki. Shockingly, this rival swordsman had a similar gauntlet to Musashi. He also had a personality akin to Goro Majima from the “Like a Dragon” series. That is to say,he’s sadistic.

This boss fight tested players’ skills, and success lies in how well they can read his telegraphed moves. When he attacks from above, it’s best to evade. His other attacks can be parried.

At the beginning of the fight, I activated my Oni Armament, which is a special move that fills up by collecting blue souls. It started off the fight right, taking a quarter of his health, and I spent the majority of it trying to dodge and parry his attacks and taking advantage of his openings. I burned through all my healing items.

Eventually, I was able to break his guard, which appears below his health, and that opened him up to a special attack. In this slowed-down situation, players have a chance to hit special areas on the boss. The red section indicates extra damage, while the purple offered more souls. Depending on the situation, players can opt for the best choice. If they need to take the boss down, they can push for the former, or if they want more souls for upgrades, they can pick the latter.

The past “Onimusha” games had small choices like these that piled up by the end of the game. Fans can expect the game to come out in 2026 on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Seies X and Series S and PC.