5 Things We Want to See From Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Onimusha: Way of the Sword was one of the biggest announcements at The Game Awards 2024. Developed by Capcom, Onimusha has laid dormant for years, except for a remaster of the first game in 2019, so hopes for a new entry were low.

Yet we were greeted with a trailer that seemed to show the original protagonist, Samanosuke, in a village set in Japan once again, collecting souls with his gauntlet as a familiar samurai ninja sneaks upon him. With the 25th anniversary of the Onimusha series landing in January 2026, it’s not a stretch to imagine Way of the Sword coming out around then.

For those unfamiliar, Onimusha: Warlords came out in 2001 on the PlayStation 2 console, originally developed as ‘Resident Evil with swords’ for the original PlayStation before moving to its then-upcoming successor. You would collect magical weapons and trade items with characters spread across the land of Japan, set during the late 1500s, known as the Sengoku.

Three more Onimusha games emerged between 2002 and 2006, but sales dwindled, so the series was put to rest. However, with Capcom on a roll lately with its Resident Evil series enjoying a lot of success, mostly due to its recent remakes, and another property, Okami, seeing a sequel in partnership with Clovers, the return of Onimusha makes sense. With this in mind, we’ve returned to the other games and listed five hopes we want to see in Way of the Sword.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Five Things We Want From Onimusha: Way of the Sword
3. Onimusha Games Released So Far
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Five Things We Want From Onimusha: Way of the Sword
3. Onimusha Games Released So Far
Show Full Guide
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs

Five Things We Want From Onimusha: Way of the Sword

5. More Magical Weapons

One of the best attributes of the Onimusha series was the weapons offered in each entry. While the first game had a double-bladed sword that featured a tornado attack, the third game had an axe with a magical volcanic attack called The Chigo.

For Way of the Sword, seeing a mix of old favorites like these with new ones would be fantastic. Imagine the whirlwind in all its 4K glory or a new blade that could perform a new elemental attack — perhaps a tidal wave or a poisonous swarm of insects to compromise a group of enemies.

4. A Narrative From the Lesser-Known Period of Japan

The first three Onimusha games were set during the Sengoku period in Japan, a time of war and dictatorship. Although the narrative had plenty of mystical moments that strayed from the historical accuracy of the period, everything in Onimusha still felt grounded.

For Way of the Sword, two periods could be told — the end of the Sengoku period, marked by the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and the next period, called Edo. This features the rise of Ukiyo-e art, which could inspire new enemies and settings across Japan. There’s also the potential narrative of how the Samurai declined during this period, which could make the protagonist — whether that’s a new or returning one, see how they can fit into an ever-changing country.

3. The Return of the Dark Realm

One of the best attributes of Onimusha’s gameplay was its mini-games. While you would traipse through the land, solving puzzles and striking down zombies, you would encounter moments where you could take on hordes of enemies through different levels. The first game was called The Dark Realm.

You would fight through 20 levels of many different enemies, eventually resulting in being rewarded with an item that would unlock a door near the end of the game, gifting you the most powerful weapon, the Bishamoon Sword. The second Onimusha game had something similar, but there were a variety of ‘Phantom Realms’ scattered across the game. It would be fantastic to have something similar return for Way of the Sword, especially with the updated gameplay and graphics that the trailer has alluded to.

2. Online Co-op

A big attribute of the Onimusha series is the breadth of different characters you control. Whether that’s Jean Reno in the third game or Keade in the first, they all gave different gameplay variations, which gave the world of Onimusha much more depth. For Way of the Sword, however, the co-op should go one step further.

A separate mode where one player takes on the protagonist while another plays as a side character could work great, especially when it comes to puzzles. The trading mechanic from the second game, where you would swap items for others to unlock rooms in later parts of the entry, could also work here.

1. Return of the Panda Suit

Another aspect that made Onimusha a memorable series was the post-game rewards once you completed one of the games. The first entry, for example, granted you a Panda suit to wear. It offered nothing in the way of infinite health or magic, but by pressing one of the shoulder buttons, the Panda head would come on or off for no reason.

It’s this random charm that ‘cuts’ through the survival horror narrative of Onimusha. For Way of the Sword, let’s see a callback to this, with a brand new Panda Suit in all its glory. Give the player the option to toggle the head once again, and perhaps grant them an extra benefit of a Panda sword to round off this potential bonus feature.

Onimusha Games Released So Far

The Bottom Line

The Onimusha franchise is a series that’s never felt like it got its due. In some ways, it felt ahead of its time. The engaging narrative and the graphics that still don’t feel dated all these years later have put the games in good stead. Yet some regarded it as Resident Evil with swords, which gives the series a massive disservice. They’re fantastically fun games that offer a lot of replayability and engaging narrative.

Now, almost 25 years since the first game came out, Way of the Sword has a great opportunity to show how an Onimusha game can play in 2026, with next-gen graphics that can take advantage of Imperial Japan in the best possible ways. Onimusha is back, and it’s about time.

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