Onimusha Continues Capcom’s Wild 2026 Hot Streak

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a big swing from Capcom. The fan favorite series has been dormant for twenty years, with not a single mainline entry since 2006’s Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. As the series has remained a personal favorite for many long-time Capcom players, the idea of getting a whole new adventure has been a particularly exciting one — especially because the previews and demos for the game released so far highlight a gorgeously rendered action game.

ComicBook.com got the chance to get our hands on Onimusha: Way of the Sword during Summer Game Fest — and we can attest to just how well-constructed the game is. It’s a solid revival that does a great job of maintaining the spirit of the older games while fitting in nicely with modern mechanics and touches. It’s also just the latest example of Capcom’s truly stellar 2026, which may go down in the record books as one of the most critically acclaimed years the publisher has ever seen.

Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Is A Pitch-Perfect Revival Of The Series

Onimusha: Way of the Sword hasn’t gotten a new mainline entry in twenty years, but the hands-on demo that was made available for players at Summer Game Fest highlights that the team at Capcom has delivered another likely hit for the publisher. The demon quickly deposited players into a distinctive shrine, tasking them with exploring the community, finding the stolen spirits, and bringing down the corruption that’s infecting the locals. The game delivers on the storytelling and gameplay fronts, with strong underlying combat mechanics that never undercut the effective sense of atmosphere.

Combat is fluid and deliberate, with an emphasis on counters, parries, and quick strikes. Pulling off a string of devastating blows against the demonic warriors that have infested the town is incredibly satisfying, especially once the player does well enough to turn those attacks into an almost cinematic series of attacks. The result is a game that is fast-paced in the best of ways, without ever losing that samurai-like patience to deliver a strong, fatal blow.

Despite the power you have as a player, the game knows how to ratchet up the challenge when it needs to. The best example of that was the boss, Rasho-gan, who served as the conclusion of the demo, a fearsome force made of limbs that it had taken from the people it had “saved” by severing their fates. The battle was intense, with more than a few deaths for this writer before I was able to properly counter his attacks and deliver some devastating blows of my own. The gameplay is easy to learn but difficult to master — making each successful string of blows, dodges, and finished blows all the more effective.

Beyond the gameplay, Onimusha: Way of the Sword also happens to look phenomenal. The art design is terrific, the monsters horrifying, and the world vivid. Scenes where players step from the cloudy real world to a gorgeous but artificial reality are stunning on a visual level. The characters are distinct, the combat is clear, and the visual effects are impressive. It’s a very impressive game from Capcom — and continues the publisher’s already stellar 2026.

Capcom Is Having An All-Time Great Year

Capcom had a solid 2025, with Monster Hunter Wilds and the Onimusha 2 remaster having a solid reception. However, 2026 has blown that year out of the water. Resident Evil: Requiem and Monster Hunter Stories 3 highlighted the strength of their highest-profile releases. Games like Street Fighter 6 are still thriving, thanks to new content and crossovers. Meanwhile, the publisher delivered a fresh hit with Pragmata, proving that they can also still deliver strong releases with brand-new IP. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a big swing from the developer. While VR releases and remasters have proven that there is still interest in the brand, it’s important to note that it’s been a full two decades since the series got a fresh mainline entry.

The preview at Summer Game Fest proved that the publisher has more than enough confidence and craft to pull off a big franchise revival, with the underlying appeal of Way of the Sword making a good case for fully revitalizing the series as a benchmark of Capcom’s future. The gaming industry of 2026 was always going to be defined by GTA VI, with Rockstar’s latest entry in that series likely being an all-time best-selling game. However, pound for pound, Capcom might have steadily become the most dependable publisher of the year, releasing hit after hit that does well critically and commercially. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is hoping to carry on that hot streak — and after getting our hands on it, we’re confident that the publisher has another hit on their hands.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to be released on September 25 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.