After playing more of Onimusha: Way of the Sword's opening hours, all signs point towards a more than worthy reboot for the sword-fighting franchise.16:00, 06 Aug 2026Having already released a slew of awesome GOTY contenders in 2026 already, Capcom's Onimusha reboot seems set to achieve a similar degree of quality - at least judging by our three hours of hands-on time.‌Call it a miracle or the sheer brilliance of its in-house RE Engine, but Capcom can seemingly do no wrong in 2026. Having already delivered a horrifically superb new Resident Evil entry with Requiem and then proving it could work magic with a totally fresh IP in Pragmata, the Japanese publisher isn’t done yet. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is still to come as the next modern reboot of one of its most beloved franchises - and what a reboot it’s shaping up to be.‌Previous showings have already demonstrated that this Onimusha reimagination already has the goods. However, after playing through the first three hours now, I’m convinced we’ve still only seen the tip of the blade in terms of what it represents. It’s a third-person action game focused on dark fantasy elements and swordplay, true, but it also delivers some of the most satisfyingly technical combat I’ve played outside of the Soulslike genre.‌Complete with Capcom’s usual penchant for wildly inventive bosses and a more open-ended structure than I was expecting, I’m now salivating at the thought of playing the full game this September.The latest build I got to play picked up almost immediately after the end of the current demo available to the public, with hero Miyamoto Musashi having just slain the mighty Sasaki Ganryu. From here my mission was to chase down a similarly creepy boss enemy through the fog-shrouded streets of Eastern Kyoto known as Daidara, which gave me ample opportunity to gain a better sense of how exploration in Onimusha: Way of the Sword will work. When on a specific mission the route forward is fairly linear, yet multiple times did I find myself dipping in and around the beaten path in search of extra resources and hidden upgrades.‌My curiosity was stoked even higher after being gifted what’s called the Oni Bow, which once acquired Musashi can summon at any time to fire infinite arrows that come in handy when fighting far-off enemy groups and trying to solve basic environmental puzzles. In some instances the battle allowed, and in fact actively encouraged, me to combine these two basic functions.Because while firing the Oni Bow’s arrows directly at enemies works well enough to whittle down their health, it’s far more effective to blast down a rock that just so happens to be floating above their heads and see them crushed under the weight of the debris. There were a couple times both in group battles and during boss fights where this technique came in handy, and it works well to break up the flow of fights.Elsewhere, Way of the Sword’s emphasis on dodging, deflecting incoming fire, and parrying by clashing blades at the exact same time as your enemy, still provides a great style of sword-based combat that feels very involved and rewarding. Yet again when playing this new Onimusha’s initial hours was I reminded that it can pay to very much not be a Soulslike - and it’s great to see Capcom understand this too, as it finds other avenues to keep you invested in encounters.‌Absorbing souls into Musashi’s gauntlet whenever you can catch a breath, for instance, posed an added degree of challenge I had to manage. While you could probably get through encounters without absorbing the blue orbs needed to power up Musahi’s weapon-based ‘Oni Armament’ attacks, I really wouldn’t recommend it if you want to avoid slogs.Die by the bladeMy opening jaunt through the rest of lower Kyoto culminated in a battle against the demon that I was chasing, fully revealed as an Oni-eating pig-like monster who had seemingly trapped Musashi in his realm. Much to my surprise, though, and despite Daidara’s size I was still able to get the drop on him by timing my parries correctly and layering hits whenever he crashed into a piece of the environment and left an opening.Just as important as parries, however, is how well I was able to deploy Musashi’s dodges when avoiding the boss’ grab. If missed these often provide a devastating amount of damage, hence why they require just as much attention to timing to pull off. Overall, Daidara may have only been the game’s second boss, but he tested my reflexes just as much as Sasaki Ganryu within an environment that wasn’t solely one on one.‌Following this encounter, the world of Onimusha: Way of the Sword began to open up fully, with me as Musashi given the choice with closing rifts littered around the map in any order I chose. It’s here where Way of the Sword started to show itself as more of the freeform sandbox I didn’t originally expect, sharing more with the likes of Resident Evil and Pragmata in its sheer non-linearity.From searching the local region for further resources that could be used to improve my gauntlet, sword, and armour’s attributes back at Musashi’s home base to optional rescue missions where you can protect civilians against demons in the street, there are multiple ways to clear Kyoto of the harmful Magicite currently plaguing it.‌One of these pathways eventually led me to an encounter with a boss called Rasho-Gan, being an evil spirit composed mostly of arms and hands - yes, you read that correctly - and was far more nimble than the previous two bosses I faced. Besting him meant slicing through the red tendrils that served as the source of his power and once again using my Oni Bow to shoot through them before he could throw any heavy rock he could get his hands on at my head.This fight against Rasho-Gan took me three or four tries before I was able to fully best him, after I finally spent the time to make note of his tales and know exactly when to plunge my sword in close for maximum damage effect. Rasho-Gan’s creepy look and more nimble nature made him my favourite boss fight of this demo.Whereas before now I assumed that Onimusha: Way of the Sword would be nothing short of stellar, I left my recent three-hour session believing that Capcom undoubtedly has another GOTY contender on its hands for 2026. With tight dodge and parry-focused swordplay that forces you to pay attention, epic bosses that test your understanding of these skills, and a more sandbox approach to exploration and world design than I was expecting, it’s clear that the bones of old-school Onimusha are successfully being built upon to result in something greater.Article continues belowIt could end up being one of the most memorable action titles of recent years providing this momentum continues into the game’s later hours. Just as Capcom once reinvented Resident Evil for the modern era, Way of the Sword looks to be providing similar treatment to Onimusha.Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled to launch on PS5, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 4, 2026 .