As somebody who solely admired the Onimusha sequence from a distance throughout its heyday, Onimusha: Approach of the Sword is an thrilling prospect. It’s a modernized entry level for newcomers like myself that takes fight cues from its contemporaries whereas nonetheless feeling distinctly of its period. I traveled to Capcom’s San Francisco workplace to take a look at the primary playable demo of the sport, and although my time was quick, I’m feeling good about this demonic romp.
My demo unfolds seemingly early into the journey. Protagonist Miyamoto Musashi, a fictionalized tackle the true historic swordsman (and sporting the likeness of Japanese performing legend Toshiro Mifune), arrives at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto to purify it of invading demons, often called Genma. Armed with the highly effective Oni gauntlet, an heirloom the brash Musashi doesn’t even need, and his trusty katana, he’s well-equipped for the duty.
As I make my method down a mountain path towards the temple, villagers flee the invading Genma, presenting my first alternative to pattern fight. The texture of Approach of the Sword’s mild and heavy assaults jogs my memory of one other current Capcom title, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. It’s not as crisp or fast-paced as another motion video games; it’s paying homage to melee fight from the 2000s (mockingly, Onimusha’s prime), and that’s a constructive…I believe. A lot of the enemies I encounter on this part drop quick, nonetheless, and the problem is extraordinarily manageable.
Musashi and enemies have stamina meters, and depleting a foe’s power with successive assaults permits the execution of ending strikes referred to as Break Issen assaults. Musashi could backstab a foe, then slice it down the center to separate it in half, for instance. On the defensive facet, Musashi’s auto-directional blocking means he can defend from all sides regardless of the place he’s going through (offered you’ve got the stamina), however I a lot favor parrying assaults.
Parrying drains enemy stamina faster, and it appears and feels nice thanks to chill sword-clashing animations. Parrying additionally opens foes to assaults by usually repositioning Musashi behind them, offering a window to slice and cube unimpeded. Hitting the parry button and instantly hitting X (on PlayStation) executes a powerful retaliation assault, equivalent to deflecting arrows again at their senders. Moreover, parrying or dodging in succession builds respective meters: blue for parry, and pink for dodge. When full, the parry meter blankets Musashi’s sword in a glowing blue aura, permitting me to execute a number of foes in fast succession. A stuffed dodge meter, in the meantime, unleashes a devastating mult-hit assault.
Defeated foes drop color-coded souls that Musashi absorbs together with his Oni Gauntlet. Pink souls function forex to buy enhancements, and yellow souls replenish well being. Blue souls fill the Oni Energy Gauge, enabling using particular weapons referred to as Oni Armaments. I’ve twin daggers referred to as the Two Celestials, and when the Oni Energy Gauge is full, I hit R1 to unleash a brief however highly effective flurry. Touchdown hits with Oni Armaments additionally extracts yellow souls, making them nice for siphoning well being when Musashi is on the ropes.
After slicing foes and accumulating crops referred to as Hozuki to fill my well being pouch, I attain the temple complicated. A mass of darkish power seems, inflicting the Gauntlet to react and take in it, violently triggering a imaginative and prescient of the previous. A procession of shadowy villagers marches somberly towards the temple’s excessive platform, the place my goal lies, however for what objective? The Oni Gauntlet speaks to Musashi – sure, it may well speak – explaining that the black mass is a focus of malice created by the merciless reminiscences Musashi is now witnessing. Purifying the temple calls for locating the supply of this darkness.
“Proper, Gauntlet Woman. Sufficient of that,” barks Musashi. He begins to ask questions, however the gauntlet curtly cuts him off to say no his probing. She refuses to be addressed as “Gauntlet Woman,” you see. The irritated Musashi rolls his eyes and silently acquiesces. It’s a humorous little change, and I’m wanting ahead to seeing how this reluctant relationship develops.
Witnessing this imaginative and prescient additionally unlocks a capability referred to as the Oni Imaginative and prescient. This permits Musashi to see the demonic presence in an surroundings in any other case invisible to human eyes. To bypass a gateway blocked by a supernatural power discipline, urgent the left and proper shoulder buttons sends a gold pulse, revealing an enormous spectral rope. Following it results in a spider-like creature hanging on the rope’s base; killing it removes the rope, and the forcefield dissipates.
I make my method towards the temple’s excessive platform, the place I uncover one other mass of Malice. This one exhibits villagers watching helplessly as their neighbors are forcefully thrown off the constructing to a ravine under, together with a father who sacrifices a son regardless of the boy pleading to spare his life. This disturbing scene is interrupted by a shock assault by Sasaki Ganryu, one other traditionally vital swordsman and Musashi’s long-time rival. He, too, wears an Oni Gauntlet and is virtually salivating on the likelihood to check his newfound powers on me.
The ensuing boss combat is an pleasant sword duel that challenges my parrying prowess. Sadly for the cocky Sasaki, I’ve a superb deal with on deflecting assaults, and countering his assaults creates openings for me to chop him aside whereas quickly draining his stamina. Sporting him out creates a particular type of Break Issen assaults the place I can freely select a physique half to assault, equivalent to his head or limbs. Every space is color-coded, indicating the kind of harm it’ll deal; pink inflicts further harm, whereas purple rewards further souls. The combat, with the way it encourages and rewards fixed parrying, is paying homage to a sword duel in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, minus the brutal issue; I defeat Sasaki in fast and, dare I say, dominant vogue. It might not have been a very long time, but it surely was a superb one.
Onimusha: Approach of the Sword follows within the old-school-made-new-again template of a few of Capcom’s current hits, equivalent to Resident Evil and Kunitsu-Gami. At its most elementary, the motion recaptures how the style felt a number of generations in the past, however the parry system feels refined and flashy sufficient to hold with comparable methods in fashionable video games. In a world the place the motion style is more and more changing into a synonym for Soulslike, it’s additionally good to have what’s shaping as much as be an pleasant, old style tackle the model. We’ll have to attend till 2026 to see if Approach of the Sword can kick off the same renaissance for Onimusha that Resident Evil and Monster Hunter have loved, however I’m feeling good about its possibilities up to now.
