Capcom has continued to floor me with its Switch 2 support, not just with ports but also with new multiplatform releases that show how the most affordable console right now (even after the recent price hike) can offer a terrific blockbuster experience even without the same power as its beefier rivals. Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the latest powered by the versatile RE Engine, may just be the best showcase yet.
While I was also able to test this long overdue entry on the PS5 Pro, the Switch 2 version was where I ultimately gravitated towards, which was obviously a boon when I was away at Gamescom during the review period. There's a high quality maintained during in-game cinematics as cocky samurai Miyamoto Musashi swaggers and mugs towards the camera.
RE Engine has always done an incredible job with its face capture, but the secret sauce here is that Capcom has modelled Musashi's face on the late legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, faithfully capturing his expressive charm immortalised in classics like Seven Samurai where he could switch from intense drama to slapstick comedy at the drop of a hat (just don’t let that be spoiled by the dodgy English dub).
But what makes Way of the Sword sing is the swordplay. The original PS2 games always made the act of swinging the sword feel good even though the action itself was quite basic, but here it's just on another level.
It's the way the camera pulls in during a parry (though you can also deflect or perfectly time an instant-kill Issen counter), or the satisfying animation when you're locked in a blade clash with an enemy but then watch Musashi weave out of the stalemate to deliver a counter or a dismembering finishing blow. Everything is just so stylish and satisfying in its own right without the laboured Kurosawa pretensions seen in Ghost of Tsushima/Yotei.
This might have been compromised if the game was only locked to just 30 FPS, which is why I highly recommend playing with the unlocked framerate that reaches up to 40 FPS. Although fluctuating framerates might make you uneasy in an action game that demands precision (even if it's not as hardcore as Sekiro: Shadows Due Twice or the recently released port of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty), but I actually found it pretty stable throughout my time, which might be down to Musashi being a pretty grounded character who's not running and jumping around while the real meaty fights are usually one-on-one clashes.
Those extra frames really make a huge difference to ensuring the slickest swordplay, which is of course supported natively on the console's 120Hz display.
The only Switch 2 feature that had me raising a Mifune-sized eyebrow is its optional motion controls, where you can shake the right Joy-Con sideways or downwards to mimic a horizontal or vertical slash respectively - Way of the Skyward Sword, anyone? For what it's worth, it's more responsive than you think as I did managed to pull off those Issen counters with a swing, though it was ultimately more effort than required swinging at the first boss.
What I would've preferred is being able to make use of the gyro-aiming when using the bow. Annoyingly, the motion controls are only available when holding the Joy-Con as single controllers, which means you can't use gyro-aiming with a pro controller. This isn't the first time Capcom's been inconsistent with its implementation of motion controls, such as why Resident Evil Requiem's gyro aiming requires moving the controller like you're steering left and right, but I'm crossing my fingers for a patch.
Even though Way of the Sword's pacing leaves a lot to be desired compared to the perfect focus of Pragmata, the swordplay is just so damn good that I don't mind slicing down more Genma while I'm just happily doing boss rematches for the fun of it rather than caring about the rewards. With another RE Engine showcase still to come with next month's Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Capcom really does seem unstoppable right now.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is out now on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
