Onimusha: Way of the Sword Is Out Today, and Capcom's 20 Year Comeback Lands With an 85 on Metacritic

Twenty years is a long time to wait for a sequel, and we honestly did not expect this one to show up early. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is out today, September 4, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, three weeks ahead of the September 25 date Capcom first announced in June. The publisher said in July that it was pulling the launch forward "in order to bring this game to you sooner," and credited the reaction to the demo for the decision.

That is a rare direction for a release date to move. Capcom calls this the first new entry in the series in over 20 years, and the earlier titles have sold more than 9.1 million copies since 2001, so the bar was not low.

Video: Capcom USA on YouTube

What you are actually playing

You play Miyamoto Musashi, the real historical swordsman, dropped into an Edo-period Kyoto that has been twisted by clouds of Malice and overrun by demons called Genma. Musashi carries the Oni Gauntlet, the series' signature artifact, which absorbs the souls released by defeated enemies. Each soul type grants a different effect, and you can move while absorbing but are otherwise defenseless, so Capcom is deliberately making that moment a decision rather than a reflex.

The combat is built around timing. A well-timed block redirects an attack and can send an enemy crashing into a wall or another Genma, draining their stamina toward exhaustion. A Deflect repels an attack off your blade and can bounce ranged attacks back at whoever fired them, and a perfectly timed Reflex Dodge opens a follow-up strike. All of this feeds the Issen, the one-hit counter the series is known for, which returns with a Critical Issen for exhausted enemies and a Chain Issen for groups.

Critics have been broadly on board. As of launch day the game sits at 85 on Metacritic from 88 reviews, with the sword fighting and the boss encounters drawing the most praise, and it took Best Gameplay at the gamescom awards last week. The recurring criticism is that the side content around that core feels padded, which is worth knowing if you like to clear every icon.

Editions, bonuses and the demo situation

On Steam the standard edition is $69.99, the Deluxe Edition is $79.99 and the Premium Deluxe Edition is $89.99. The Deluxe Kit is purely cosmetic: charms Musashi can equip, alternate sword appearances, an outfit and an alternate Oni Gauntlet. Some of it unlocks as you progress, and the kits are sold separately if you already own the base game.

Because the launch moved, the digital pre-order bonus became an Early Adopter Bonus. Anyone who buys the digital version through September 25, or September 26 depending on time zone, gets the Lion Dog and White Monkey charms plus the Sealed Curse and White Lion sword appearances. A soft deadline, but the original date still matters a little.

Two notes on the demo. Your demo save does not carry into the full game, and Capcom is upfront that the demo differs from the final build, including PC performance. Keeping the save file on your system does pay out the Kubi Akari charm, so do not delete it before claiming the bonus. PC players also get a free benchmark tool on Steam, and the game is on the Capcom Spotlight lineup for the September 16 broadcast, a reasonable place to expect post-launch news.

Capcom has spent the last few years turning dormant series into some of its best sellers, and Onimusha was the obvious next candidate. Moving a launch earlier signals confidence, and the reviews back it up. Our only caution is the padding complaint, which shows up in enough write-ups to be a pattern. If you are in it for the fights and the Kyoto setting, this looks like an easy pick for the weekend.