The Return of Onimusha

Musashi is not just some name. It is the name of Japan’s most famous samurai: Miyamoto Musashi. Presumed born around 1583, though the history around Musashi’s origins are murky due to the passing of time and the oral stories surrounding the man as a legend, this samurai is famous for an undefeated record of 62 sword duels; famous for birthing the use of dual-wielded swords in the katana and wakizashi; famous for traveling throughout Japan seeking out challengers; famous enough to be the namesake behind more than a dozen knife shops in Japan; famous enough to inspire serialized newspaper stories that gripped the entire country, followed by an era of movies, manga, and more that inspire today; and now, famous enough to be a protagonist of Capcom’s Onimusha series, finally returning 20 years after the last entry.

I traveled to Capcom’s headquarters in Osaka to play roughly three hours of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, interview the developers bringing this franchise back to life, discuss the resurrection of deceased actor Toshirō Mifune as the face of Musashi (a role he portrayed in multiple films), and find out why and how the game aims to deliver what the studio calls the “ultimate swordplay action” experience. It’s a bold claim, one that reeks of marketing speak, but if my time with Musashi is any indication, it’s a claim rooted in confidence.