On August 26, during the Opening Night Live at Gamescom, the highly anticipated samurai action game Onimusha: Way of the Sword revealed its latest trailer. They also updated the previously released demo with a new playable segment, featuring multiple mob battles, puzzles, and two major boss fights, giving eager players a satisfying taste of what's to come.
The hidden boss "Hyakki" in the demo was particularly outstanding—the oppressive feeling brought by its wide-ranging and well-paced attacks, the sense of weight when the giant axe clashed with blades, and the sense of control and satisfaction players felt handling various moves, all signaled the exceptional nature of this boss battle. Players' expectations were raised once again by this update, and the game's release date (September 4) is approaching.
At this year's Gamescom, we were fortunate to interview the development team of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, led by Game Director Ken Nibei. They shared many behind-the-scenes stories about the game's development and the messages they hope to convey to players.
Below is the full interview:
Q: The "Dynamic Dismemberment System" revealed this time is a new technical feature added to the RE Engine specifically for Onimusha: Way of the Sword. During development, what was the biggest technical bottleneck encountered with this system?
A:In most games, slicing effects are typically implemented using Ragdoll Physics, where severed body parts are left to the physics engine to move freely. However, we wanted to create exaggerated and dramatic death animations reminiscent of period dramas—where enemies maintain meaningful poses after being cut down, rather than collapsing like lifeless puppets.
Therefore, the biggest challenge was making the limb-severing effects and damage reaction animations work simultaneously. We asked the RE Engine engineers to customize a function so that severed body parts, after detaching, would still perform beautiful and satisfying fall animations in the style of period dramas, rather than simply free-falling. Running these two systems in parallel was a new technical attempt.
Q: Before the official launch, Onimusha: Way of the Sword updated its Demo again, adding new explorable areas and boss battles. Typically, demos rarely receive such large-scale content expansions after their initial release. Was this update part of the original plan, or was it driven by player feedback after the first demo launch?
A:This was part of the plan from the beginning. Our initial idea was to release a complete demo, but we had to announce the release date and open pre-orders in June. We really wanted to launch a demo simultaneously so players could try it immediately. However, completing the full demo by June was impossible, so we split the originally planned complete demo into two parts: the first part was released in June alongside the release date announcement, and the second part was updated before the September launch—which is the version everyone is playing now.
Therefore, the current full version represents the form of the demo we originally envisioned, rather than content added temporarily in response to player feedback.
Q: This title explicitly removes the traditional puzzle mini-games from the series, focusing fully on the core swordplay action. With this subtractive design approach, what were the core criteria for deciding which classic mechanics to keep or remove? How did you ensure the pacing wouldn't become monotonous while maintaining focus on combat?
A:As a samurai action game, the core is naturally letting players fully enjoy combat. However, if it were just slashing enemies, progressing, and fighting bosses from start to finish, the pacing would feel monotonous. Therefore, we intentionally inserted gameplay elements that require a shift in thinking—such as exploration and puzzles—between battles to regulate the player's emotional rhythm, creating peaks and valleys.
Combat is the main course, while the exploration and puzzles in between are meant to let players shift their mindset and catch their breath after intense battles. We deliberately arranged this emotional switching during design to ensure the overall flow isn't too monotonous.
Q: Onimusha: Way of the Sword features larger free-exploration areas. Structurally, will these areas be more like maps that can be revisited with gradually unlocking content, or will they focus on one-time progression with more detours and hidden content off the main path?
A:These Wide Linear areas are designed as structures that players can freely revisit, allowing for repeated exploration. As the main story progresses, the explorable range gradually expands. With more accessible areas, new NPCs, additional side quests, and more hidden content will appear for discovery. It is not simply a main path with detours, but an exploratory space that grows with the narrative, continuously offering new content.
Q: "Issen" is the soul mechanic of the Onimusha series. While preserving the core feel, what adaptations and guidance have been made for new players in this title? How do you ensure hardcore players can still feel the operational joy of high-risk, high-reward? With the addition of more defense and counter measures, what position does "Issen" hold in combat?
A:In previous series entries, "Issen" basically had no tutorial; it didn't kindly teach players how to execute it, so many new players might not even know how to trigger it. In this game, as the story progresses, there will definitely be specialized tutorials informing players about the existence and usage of "Issen."
Additionally, there is a dedicated training area in the companion's base where players can go at any time to practice "Issen" repeatedly. This allows new players to learn and master the mechanic, while veteran players can still challenge high-difficulty Issens, enjoying the thrill of high-risk, high-reward gameplay.
Issen remains one of the core combat mechanics, not just an optional feature. However, we have lowered the barrier to entry through guided tutorials and practice mechanisms.
Q: Absorbed "Souls" are used for recovery and combat, and also relate to character growth. Are the Souls obtained by progressing normally through the main story sufficient for players to complete the main enhancements in their first playthrough? Or will players need to actively seek out enemies, or even engage in repeated battles to acquire more Souls in the mid-to-late game?
A:The game is designed so that the Souls collected by progressing normally through the main story are sufficient to clear the game. However, if you skip all minor enemies and only fight bosses, you will naturally run out of Souls.
In addition to linear stages, you can freely visit the Wide Linear exploration areas mentioned earlier, where you can collect extra Souls to further strengthen your character. However, this is not mandatory—progressing naturally through the game and fighting enemies along the way should provide enough Souls to clear the game. Grinding for extra Souls is simply an option for players who want to maximize their strength.
Q: The Oni Gauntlet and Oni Weapons are core progression lines in the series. In this installment, beyond numerical enhancements, will there be functional upgrades that change the underlying logic of combat? For example, will Oni Weapons of different attributes correspond to completely independent combat styles? From an action game perspective, does the combat and progression design emphasize numerical strength, or does it provide more ways and freedom for players to deal with enemies?
A:It is necessary to distinguish between two systems here—weapon enhancement itself does not unlock new skills or actions; it is primarily a numerical improvement. However, Musashi has an independent skill tree system. Progressing through the skill tree unlocks entirely new martial techniques and actions, not just parameter increases, but genuinely adding new combat methods.
Thus, weapon upgrades and the skill tree are separate systems—weapon enhancement makes you stronger numerically, while the skill tree provides more ways to handle enemies. Different Oni Weapons also offer distinct combat styles; for example, dual-blade Oni Weapons provide a different operational experience compared to single blades.
Q: One of Miyamoto Musashi's most representative images is Niten Ichi-ryu, which he founded later in life. However, Onimusha: Way of the Sword depicts a younger Musashi—thus, his primary combat style currently revolves around single-wielded swordplay. Beyond historical reasons, is this choice also related to the combat system itself?
A:Miyamoto Musashi eventually founded Niten Ichi-ryu (Two Heavens One Style), but that was an achievement of his later years. This game depicts Musashi in his youth, before he established Niten Ichi-ryu, so single-blade combat remains central. Our initial design concept was to explore how rich and varied actions could be performed with a single sword—mechanics like blocking and dodge counters were designed around the flexibility of single-blade combat.
However, the impression of "Musashi = Dual Blades" is very strong—so we consciously retained dual-blade elements in specific scenarios. For instance, certain Oni Weapons are dual-bladed; furthermore, during consecutive Kuzushi-Issen sequences, if you stun multiple enemies simultaneously, you can unleash continuous dual-blade slashes... These are all hints and tributes to Niten Ichi-ryu.
Q: If a player plays through Onimusha: Way of the Sword for the first time on normal difficulty, focusing mainly on the main story, approximately how many hours will it take to complete?
A:For a first-time playthrough focusing on the main story, the total length is approximately 20 hours. This is a volume we deliberately controlled during design—we want players to be able to complete the game, experiencing the entire story and worldview, without giving up midway due to excessive length or difficulty.
Q: It has been many years since the last mainline entry in the Onimusha series. Is this reboot more of a nostalgic return for long-time fans, or a comprehensive革新 (innovation) aimed at new players? Why choose to revive the series this year?
A:Since the end of the previous numbered entry, there had been internal voices wanting to create a new Onimusha. However, modern game development requires teams of hundreds and several years of development, making it impossible to start for a long time. Around 2020, manpower conditions gradually improved, and the company's internal RE Engine matured enough to support new projects. We felt that "now is the time to challenge a new Onimusha," and the project was officially greenlit.
This reboot considers both long-time fans and new players. Although the Onimusha series has a long history, there has been a long hiatus. Therefore, we carefully considered players encountering the series for the first time, ensuring they can easily get started and enjoy the game.
Q: There are already many action games centered on melee sword combat, ranging from those emphasizing high difficulty and death penalties to those pursuing combo fluidity and operational expression. In previous interviews, you mentioned that Onimusha: Way of the Sword does not intend to pursue "extreme difficulty." So, for the development team, what kind of combat experience different from other modern action games do you hope players will gain in this title?
A:Although the Onimusha series has historical accumulation, it has been absent for so many years. What we care about most is ensuring that players encountering it for the first time can play through to the end. Of course, there are challenges and obstacles to overcome in the game, but as a long-awaited return of Onimusha, we hope players can fully experience the worldview, story, and combat gameplay.
We didn't want to make a Souls-like game where players "die over and over," causing them to put down the controller in frustration mid-way. We seriously crafted the story portion and kept the flow to about 20 hours for a first playthrough. We aim to create an action game that players are willing to jump into, play through to the ending, and enjoy the story and worldview—interesting, exciting, but also very welcoming.