On August 26th, during the Opening Night Live at Gamescom, the highly anticipated chanbara-themed game Onimusha: Way of the Sword released its latest trailer. They also updated the previously announced playable demo with a brand-new playable segment, including multiple group battles, puzzles, and two large-scale boss fights, giving impatient fans plenty to enjoy.
The hidden boss "Hyakue" in the demo is particularly impressive—the oppressive feeling brought by its wide-ranging, well-paced attacks, the sense of weight when the giant axe clashes with blades, and the sense of control and satisfaction players feel from handling various moves all demonstrate the exceptional quality of this boss battle. Players' expectations have been raised once again by this update, and the game's release date (September 4th) is fast 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 Nihei. They shared many behind-the-scenes stories about the game's development and the messages they wish to convey to players.
Below is the full interview transcript:
Q: The newly revealed "Dynamic Dismemberment System" is a technical feature added to the RE Engine specifically for Onimusha: Way of the Sword. What was the biggest technical bottleneck encountered during its development?
A:Generally, when implementing slicing effects in games, ragdoll physics are often used, leaving severed body parts to move freely under the physics engine. However, we wanted to create exaggerated and dramatically tense death animations seen in period dramas—where enemies maintain meaningful poses after being slashed, rather than collapsing like puppets.
Therefore, the greatest challenge was making the limb-severing effects and damage reaction animations work simultaneously. We asked the RE Engine engineers to customize the function so that severed body parts would perform stylish, satisfying fall animations in the style of period dramas after detaching from the body, rather than simply succumbing to free-fall physics. Running these two systems in parallel was a completely new technical attempt.
Q: Before the official release of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the demo was updated again, adding new explorable areas and a boss battle. Usually, demos rarely undergo such large-scale content expansions after being released. Was this update part of the original plan, or was it prompted by player feedback after the first demo launch?
A:This was originally planned. Our initial idea was to create a complete demo, but we had to announce the release date and open pre-orders in June. At that time, we really hoped to launch a demo simultaneously so players could play immediately. However, the complete demo couldn't be finished by June, so we split the originally planned complete demo into two parts: the first part was released ahead of schedule when the release date was announced in June, and the second part was updated before the September release—which is the version everyone is playing now.
So, the current full version represents the form of the demo we originally envisioned, not content added temporarily due to player feedback.
Q: This title explicitly removes the traditional puzzle mini-games from the series to focus entirely on the core chanbara action gameplay. Under this design philosophy of subtraction, what was the core standard for deciding which classic mechanisms to keep or remove? How did you ensure the pacing wouldn't feel monotonous while maintaining focus on combat?
A:As a chanbara (sword-fighting) action game, the core is naturally letting players fully enjoy the 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 between battles—such as exploration and puzzle-solving—to regulate the player's emotional rhythm and create 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 amidst intense battles. We deliberately arranged this emotional switching during design to ensure the overall flow doesn't become too uniform.
Q: Onimusha: Way of the Sword will have larger-scale free exploration areas. Will these areas be structured more like maps that can be revisited with gradually unlocking content, or will they be primarily for one-time progression, simply offering more detours and hidden content off the main path?
A:These Wide Linear areas are designed as structures that allow free backtracking, enabling players to return and explore multiple times. As the main story progresses, the explorable range gradually expands. With the increase in accessible areas, new NPCs, additional side quests, and more hidden content await discovery. It is not merely a main path with detours, but an exploration space that grows with the plot, continuously providing new content.
Q: "Issen" is the soul mechanism 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 and high reward? With the addition of more defense and counterattack options, what position does "Issen" hold in combat?
A:In previous entries in the series, there was basically no tutorial for "Issen"; it wasn't kindly taught to players, so many new players might not even know how to trigger it. In this title, as the story progresses, there will definitely be specialized tutorials to inform players about the existence and usage of "Issen."
Additionally, there is a dedicated training area in the companions' base where players can go at any time to repeatedly practice "Issen" (One Flash) and master it through repetition. This way, new players have a path to learn and practice, while veteran players can still directly challenge high-difficulty Issen executions, enjoying the thrill of high risk and high reward.
Issen remains one of the core techniques in combat, not just an optional extra, but we lowered the barrier to entry through guidance and practice mechanisms.
Q: The absorbed "Souls" are used for recovery and combat, and also relate to character growth. Are the souls obtained by normally progressing through the main story sufficient for players to complete major enhancements in their first playthrough? Or will players need to actively seek out enemies, or even fight repeatedly, to acquire more souls in the mid-to-late game?
A:The game is designed so that the souls collected by normally progressing through the main story are sufficient to clear the game. However, if you skip all the minor enemies and only fight bosses, you will naturally run short on 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 additional option for players who want to strengthen their characters more thoroughly.
Q: The Oni Gauntlet and Oni Arms are core progression lines in the series. In this title, aside from numerical enhancements, will functional upgrades that change the underlying logic of combat be introduced? For example, will Oni Arms of different attributes correspond to completely independent combat styles? From an action game perspective, does the combat and growth design reflect more of a numerical increase in strength, or does it provide more ways and freedom for players to handle enemies?
A:Here, we need to distinguish between two systems—weapon enhancement itself does not unlock new skills or actions; it is primarily a numerical improvement. However, Musashi has an independent skill tree system. Growing through the skill tree unlocks entirely new martial arts and actions, not just parameter increases, but genuinely adding new combat methods.
So, weapon upgrades and the skill tree are separate—weapon enhancement makes you stronger numerically, while the skill tree gives you more ways to handle enemies. Different Oni Arms also bring different combat styles; for instance, dual-blade type Oni Arms offer an operational experience distinct from single-wielding.
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, whose main combat style still revolves around single-wielding a sword. Aside from historical reasons, was this choice also related to the combat system itself?
A:Miyamoto Musashi eventually founded Niten Ichi-ryu (Two Heavens as One Style, or dual-wielding), but that was an achievement of his later years. This game depicts Musashi in his youth, before he established Niten Ichi-ryu, so single-sword combat remains at the core. Our initial design concept was to explore how many rich actions could be performed with just one sword—for example, mechanics like blocking and dodge counters were designed around the flexibility of single-wielding.
However, the impression of "Musashi = Dual Wielding" is too strong—so, we consciously retained dual-wielding elements in specific scenarios. For example, there are dual-blade weapons available when using Oni Arms. Additionally, during consecutive Hojo Issen (Stagger One Flash), if multiple enemies are stunned simultaneously, you can unleash consecutive 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 playthrough focusing on the main story, the total playtime 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 main entry in the Onimusha series. Is this reboot more偏向 towards a nostalgic return for old fans, or a comprehensive innovation aimed at new players? Why choose to restart the series this year?
A:After the previous numbered entry in the series ended, there were voices within the company wanting to make a new Onimusha. However, modern game development requires teams of hundreds and development cycles spanning several years, so it couldn't be started for a long time. Around 2020, manpower conditions gradually became available, and the company's internal RE Engine had matured enough to support a new project. We felt that "now we can challenge a new Onimusha," and the project was officially greenlit.
This reboot considers both old fans and new players. Although the Onimusha series has a long history, the hiatus was lengthy, so we fully considered players encountering the series for the first time, ensuring they can also get started smoothly and enjoy the game.
Q: There are already many action games focused on melee sword combat. Some emphasize high difficulty and punishment for death, while others pursue combo execution and operational flair. In previous interviews, you mentioned that Onimusha: Way of the Sword does not aim for "extreme difficulty." So, what kind of experience different from other modern action games does the development team hope players will gain from the combat in this title?
A:Although the Onimusha series has a historical legacy, it has been absent for so many years. Our biggest concern was ensuring that players encountering it for the first time could play through to the end. Of course, there are challenges and obstacles to overcome in the game, but since this is Onimusha returning after such a long hiatus, we want players to fully experience the worldview, story, and combat mechanics.
We didn't want to make a Souls-like game where players "die over and over," getting frustrated and putting down their controllers halfway through. We carefully crafted the story portion and kept the playtime to about 20 hours for a first playthrough. We wanted to create an action game that players would be willing to jump into, play through to the end, and enjoy the story and world—fun and exciting, but also very welcoming.