Approach of the Sword’ Gameplay Demo Damaged Down

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

Capcom hopes Onimusha: Approach of the Sword will take the Onimusha franchise to new heights, much like what Resident Evil 2 and 4 Remake did for the Resident Evil collection. Primarily based on the footage we noticed at Summer season Recreation Fest Play Days, there’s no purpose to imagine that received’t be the case.

No, we didn’t get to play Onimusha: Approach of the Sword, however in contrast to Resident Evil Requiem, which Capcom had us sit in a makeshift theater to marvel at, Approach of the Sword was performed reside by a Capcom dev, in comparison with Requiem’s pre-taped presentation, which was additionally positive, however for a sport Onimusha, taking part in it reside was the best choice to current this sport to us.

Seeing the sport performed reside allowed us to totally soak up Miyamoto Musashi, Approach of the Sword’s protagonist’s abilities along with his katana blade, and see firsthand simply how far this franchise has come since 2001’s Onimusha: Warlords.

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

Instantly, you notice this sport is beautiful, all the way down to the participant fashions, as we get a very good take a look at Musashi, who’s modeled after the legendary Japanese cinema icon Toshiro Mifune.

Approach of the Sword Takes Onimusha’s Sword Play To A New Stage

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

Musashi’s animations along with his blade are gradual and methodical, however seemingly carry extra weight behind them as he strikes down members of the Genma, the race of demons and first antagonists of the Oniumusha franchise, who look extra horrifying than ever.

What stood out was the parry, which triggers a lovely spark animation because the blades conflict. This appeared rewarding to see when the developer efficiently pulled it off through the temporary demo, so we are able to solely think about the way it feels to parry efficiently within the sport. The developer additionally confirmed off Musashi’s capacity to protect towards enemy assaults from any angle.

The parry additionally permits Musashi to redirect his enemies, for instance, after the dev parried a Genma goon and steered him within the route of a pile of burning particles.

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

We additionally noticed Musashi parry one of many bosses, a large human devouring ogre named Byakue, with ease, one other second that garnered loads of reactions from the press, together with us, who had been watching the presentation.

Musashi may also parry projectiles like arrows again on the enemies, which turns out to be useful when overlaying the gap between himself and the Genma firing at him.

The Issen strike can be again, but it surely has two new tweaks: one is a series assault that enables Musashi to focus on a number of enemies, and one other is named the Issen Break, which permits our hero to focus on particular physique elements throughout boss battles.

Interactive Environment & New Puzzle Function

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

In Approach of the Sword, Musashi may also use the surroundings to his benefit. In a single a part of the demo, the developer showcased a cool mechanic the place Musashi flipped over a desk and used it as a makeshift protect.

Musashi additionally encounters darkish lots that he can take up utilizing the Oni Gauntlet, which can give him a glimpse into the previous, revealing extra of the sport’s story.

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

One other new function is named Oni Awakening, the place Musashi’s eye glows gold, permitting him to see what the Genma see, permitting him to resolve puzzles he encounters that require him to find hidden items.

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

The Oni Gauntlet Returns & Musashi Is Not The Solely Particular person Carrying One

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

Approach of the Sword seems to be to ship a next-gen model of Onimusha, however one staple of the sport stays the identical: the Oni Gauntlet. Musashi makes use of it just like the earlier wearers, Samanosuke, Jūbei, and Jacques, however he’s not blissful that he has been chosen by it.

He additionally collects the orbs from fallen Genma fiends utilizing the gauntlet, however in Approach of the Sword, there are some twists. On this sport, the gauntlet talks to Musashi and is revealed to be an Oni lady.

Additionally, there appear to be quite a few gauntlet wearers. In the course of the demo, the dev took on one among them, Ganryu, a brand new character who’s described as a samurai who embraces his gauntlet, in contrast to Musashi.

Supply: Capcom / Onimusha: Approach of the Sword

The dev made brief work of Ganyru however reassured us that there will probably be a number of encounters with Ganyru within the sport.

Approach of the Sword seems to be very spectacular, and provides to what was a fantastic displaying from Capcom at Summer season Recreation Fest.

We are able to’t wait to play this one when it drops in 2026.