BODY: For nearly two decades, one of Capcom's most storied action franchises has sat in the vault. On September 4, that ends: Onimusha: Way of the Sword finally arrives — the first new mainline entry since Shin Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006. GAME Watch's verdict, delivered in its headline, leaves little doubt: "This is a masterpiece."
The Onimusha series debuted in 2001 as a katana-wielding, demon-slaying counterpart to Capcom's survival-horror pedigree, blending cinematic samurai drama with tense action. It became a flagship name for the publisher before quietly going dormant. Way of the Sword isn't a nostalgia trip, GAME Watch stresses — it's a franchise "completely reborn."
The review singles out two pillars. First, a high degree of freedom in how players approach encounters and navigate the game world, a marked evolution from the more linear, fixed-camera design of the original PlayStation 2 titles. Second, the swordplay itself: a deep, deliberate combat system where reading an opponent and timing a strike carries real weight, rewarding precision over button-mashing.
That combination — open-ended structure paired with demanding, technical sword combat — is what earns the "masterpiece" label. For a series defined by the elegance of the blade, GAME Watch suggests Capcom has modernized the formula without losing what made the original resonate.
The insider take
Onimusha occupies a peculiar place in the Japanese gaming psyche: fondly remembered, especially for the first game's use of actor Takeshi Kaneshiro's likeness, yet long assumed too niche to revive in an era of live-service giants. Capcom's willingness to bring it back reflects a broader confidence at the company post-Monster Hunter Wilds and the Resident Evil remakes — a sense that its dormant IP has global pull. In Tokyo, expectations are high but cautious; a strong domestic review like this one matters enormously to whether the revival lands with Japanese fans first, before the international samurai-action crowd weighs in.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).