Summary
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to release in 2026, bringing back the dark and gritty qualities of the original games.
- The new Onimusha game trailer shows intense combat and abilities, potentially placing it among recent popular Samurai action games.
- Capcom is showing interest in reviving its classic games like Onimusha, hinting at a potential revitalization trend among old titles.
Onimusha is making a comeback with a brand new game revealed at The Game Awards. Onimusha: Way of the Sword will be the first brand-new main entry to the Onimusha series in over a decade.
The Onimusha series got its start way back on the PlayStation 2, with it originally having been conceptuatlized as Resident Evil in Sengoku-era Japan. Players were tasked with fighting frightening demons and monsters and absorbing their power while also tasked with solving dangerous and deadly puzzles. Despite being a fairly popular franchise for Capcom, Onimusha faded into obscurity as the PlayStation 2 made way for the PlayStation 3. However, all these years later, that seems to be changing.
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During Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards 2024, a new trailer was demonstrated showing off a new Onimusha game. Entitled Onimusha: Way of the Sword, this new game is set to release in 2026, and looks to be leaning further into the dark and gritty qualities of the original titles. While the teaser is brief, the protagonist appears to have the iconic abilities of the Oni, as they absorb Genma orbs floating around the area. This was a key component of the original Onimusha games, so fans are likely glad to see it's returning here.
Onimusha Could Rival Soulslikes and Samurai Games
Outside of that, the new Onimusha trailer shows some brief combat, with the sword-wielding protagonist facing off against everything from reanimated corpses to giant, hulking monsters. The main character can be seen fending off attacks from behind with a kick, countering blows with a headbutt, and scrambling up the back of an enemy to deliver a finishing blow. It remains to be seen how much, if any, of this is actual gameplay footage, but the violent, swift action makes this new Onimusha look like it could be a contender among the recent Soulslike and Samurai action games that have been popular in recent times.
Capcom seems to have been testing the water prior to this with the remaster of Onimusha: Warlords, which was released back in 2018. More recently, Onimusha VR: Shadow Team was revealed, but outside of some in-person demonstrations, it hasn't had much fanfare attached to it. In general, Capcom seems to be looking towards its back catalog for games to revitalize using its RE Engine, which notably powered the recent Resident Evil games and remakes. As gamers are still holding out for remakes or reboots of titles like Dino Crisis, it will be interesting to see if another Capcom classic can find its footing with a new generation of gamers.
