Ethan Crossfield 
Players waiting for Onimusha: Way of the Sword have a useful point of reference: Motohide Eshiro, planner of Onimusha: Warlords and director of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, has seen the new game and approves of its combat. Eshiro is not officially developing Way of the Sword, but his perspective offers a clear way to judge Capcom’s revival: the new title should preserve the series’ distinctive swordplay while using two decades of technical progress to make it feel more grounded.
What changed in Way of the Sword?
Eshiro was impressed by how the Onimusha series’ visuals and action design have developed since its original games. His strongest reaction concerned the swordplay, which he believes successfully builds on the foundation established by earlier entries. The new combat retains Issen, the series’ precise and satisfying technique for defeating an enemy at the right moment, while adding a more realistic sense of movement and exchanges between blades. That combination is important for longtime fans: Way of the Sword is not simply discarding the mechanics that defined Onimusha, but it is also not treating the older games as untouchable templates. Director Satoru Nihei and his team appear to be using the original combat language as a starting point for a broader action experience.
Who should revisit the classic games?
Eshiro recommends the remasters of Onimusha: Warlords and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny to anyone curious about the series before playing the new adventure. Warlords remains notable for its unusual blend of samurai action and survival horror. Its early concept, known as “Sengoku Biohazard,” reflected the idea of applying the structure and tension of a Resident Evil-style game to a historical Japanese setting, replacing agents and firearms with warriors and swords. Onimusha 2 expanded that formula with a larger scope, a friendship system, and branching routes. Those systems still make it an interesting piece of action-game design history, rather than merely a nostalgic exercise.
What comes next for the series?
Way of the Sword represents Onimusha’s return after a 20-year hiatus. The new game is led by Miyamoto Musashi and is being developed by the team under Nihei, while Eshiro now supports newer producers at Capcom in a broader producer role. His reaction is therefore best understood as an informed endorsement from someone connected to the franchise’s past, not as an official review or a development announcement. Capcom’s continuing coverage is expected to provide more gameplay and behind-the-scenes material, giving players a closer look at how the revival connects to the series’ history. For anyone deciding whether to follow the new release, the remasters offer the most direct preparation.
What players should know
- Motohide Eshiro helped plan Onimusha: Warlords and directed Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny.
- He praised Way of the Sword’s swordplay, especially its retention and evolution of Issen.
- The new game is not being presented as a direct remake of the first two titles.
- Onimusha: Warlords and Onimusha 2 are the recommended starting points for players revisiting the franchise.
- The older games offer contrasting strengths: survival-horror structure in Warlords and broader social and branching systems in Onimusha 2.
Expert View
Eshiro’s approval is encouraging because it focuses on the feature most associated with Onimusha rather than relying only on nostalgia. Still, his comments are an early impression, not evidence that the entire game will match the classics. The safest recommendation is to watch Way of the Sword’s upcoming coverage while using the two remasters to see whether the series’ deliberate, timing-focused combat appeals to you.
