It pretty much goes without saying that Samurai are incredibly cool, and as such playing as one in a video game always appeals. The very first time I played as a katana-wielding warrior in a game was in the first Onimusha, and I fell in love with it pretty bloody quickly. It wasn’t just the protagonist Samanosuke and the setting that hooked me either, it was the combat. I’d never played a game with such deliberate and almost elegant combat, and for the time it really was unlike anything else. When I found out that Onimusha was coming back I was excited but hesitant. Would this series still feel special in an ocean of character action and Soulslikes? The answer is a resounding yes, because Onimusha: Way of the Sword is just that damn good.
As a full reboot of the franchise, Way of the Sword follows a new warrior named Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi follows a path of honour, right from the opening cutscene where he fights an entire school of Samurai for lying about their strength. He’s passionate about the importance of being a strong swordsman through and through, without the sort of bland stoicism you might expect to come with that. When one day in a battle against monsters known as Genma he falls, his life is reborn thanks to a mysterious stranger giving him an Oni gauntlet. Even in death he doesn’t want this powerful advantage in combat, but he doesn’t really have much of a choice.
The story of Onimusha: Way of the Sword is much more engaging than I was expecting, but the real star of the show is the sublime combat. I’m not sure I’ve ever played an action game with such a perfect flow to fights, and it makes you feel like a badass Samurai in every single encounter. Whether you’re fighting a handful of Genma grunts or an outrageous boss fight, it’s always an absolute joy.
Read our main Onimusha: Way of the Sword review
One of the main reasons that combat is so good is that there are so many ways to counter your enemies. Sword attacks can be countered and parried, with a window that feels just the right amount of generous. Unarmed attacks are better dodge rolled, and again with perfect timing you’ll stun an enemy for a moment and can unleash the perfect counter. If you’re really feeling flashy you can unleash an attack just before the enemy hits for the most deadly of counter options, but this is definitely the toughest to pull off (although it feels fantastic when you do).
One element of Onimusha I really love is how unapologetically linear it is. This isn’t some overly ambitious open world adventure, you walk through paths of enemies and just enjoy the fights. There are a few semi open areas and some hidden nooks with resources to gather, but the focus is more on the sublime fighting which continues to open up and grow as you play.
If you want to hear more about what makes Onimusha: Way of the Sword a masterpiece then you should hop over and read Chris’ review, because he loved it as much as I did. I’m here to talk about the Switch 2 version of the game, and its performance. For an action game with such precise timings you can’t play an inferior version with frame drops and slowdown, and Capcom clearly realised this.
Much like Resident Evil and Pragmata before it, Way of the Sword is an exceptional port that doesn’t feel like a downgrade. I didn’t experience anything in the way of frame drops while playing, and the loading times were practically unnoticeable. I personally played through the game at a locked 30fps, but there’s also the option to uncap it and get a slightly higher framerate with a bit of variance if you prefer.
Another thing added for the Switch 2 version of Onimusha is motion control, which works way better than I expected. This is only activated if you play with the Joy-Cons detached though, so you’ll probably only use them when playing docked. When aiming your bow the motion controls provide great precision in targeting, and this feels natural to use. You can also swing the right Joy-Con to swing your sword, with the game easily recognising horizontal and vertical swipes and using the appropriate attack. I won’t pretend I played the entire game in full motion mode, but I enjoyed my more physical session rather a lot.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a must play title in this stacked year of must play titles, and if the option to play handheld means you’ll be able to fit it in then the Switch 2 version comes highly recommended. Capcom have once again proven they are the masters of Nintendo’s more limited hardware, and have even added extra features alongside ensuring wonderful performance.
