Capcom's long-dormant samurai series is back. Onimusha: Way of the Sword unlocks this week, and the first reviews are in from Eurogamer and PC Gamer, both zeroing in on the same trade-off: a combat system worth showing off, wrapped in a game that runs longer than it needs to.
When it unlocks
According to Polygon, citing the game's PlayStation Store page and SteamDB, Way of the Sword goes live at 12 a.m. EDT on Friday, September 4. In other zones that works out to:
- 9 p.m. PDT on Thursday, September 3 for the North American west coast
- 12 a.m. EDT on Friday, September 4 for the east coast
- 5 a.m. BST on Friday, September 4 in the UK
- 6 a.m. CEST on Friday, September 4 in western Europe
- 1 p.m. JST on Friday, September 4 in Japan
- 2 p.m. AEST on Friday, September 4 in eastern Australia
PC Gamer lists the official release date as September 3, 2026, with a $70/£60 price tag. Capcom is also stacking pre-order and edition bonuses: the standard version bundles a Lion Dog charm and a Sealed Curse sword skin, while the deluxe and premium deluxe editions pile on extra charms, weapon appearances, outfits and, for the premium deluxe, a mini digital soundtrack.
What the reviews say
The protagonist is Miyamoto Musashi, the real 16th-century swordsman, and both outlets single out the fighting. Eurogamer describes a system built on momentum and reading enemies, where readying an attack as a foe strikes triggers an "issen" counter that interrupts and damages them. Filler strings exist mostly to bait and confound; the killing blows come after parries, dodges and counters. Eurogamer called it "a more effective role-play than anything I've encountered in Nioh or Wo Long or even Sekiro," noting Capcom hired real swordsmen to motion-capture the moveset.
PC Gamer was blunter: "Onimusha: Way of the Sword whips ass." The reviewer put the action "up against the best Capcom's ever made" and praised the use of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune's likeness as Musashi, an "act of digital necromancy" that grounds the game in the feel of 1970s samurai cinema. The animation earned praise too, with even basic enemies telegraphed so carefully that Eurogamer said it "makes FromSoft's weaker enemies look embarrassing by comparison."
The complaints line up. PC Gamer spent about 35 hours on the story plus sidequests and flagged "a distinct whiff of modern videogame bloat," contrasting it with the tight 3½ and 8½ hour runtimes of the original Onimusha 1 and 2. The culprits: a dull Kyoto hub, grindy crafting materials that upgrade gear "2% at a time," and bosses that return for "an encore to an encore to an encore." Eurogamer echoed that the open-ish exploration and repetitive side missions feel like "dalliances," arguing the game would be stronger with a more focused, linear structure. Both reviewers agree the setpiece boss duels are the real draw.
For players tracking the release
If you're eyeing Onimusha: Way of the Sword this week, go in expecting a demanding, parry-heavy action game with standout duels and some padding to wade through between them. Fans of Sekiro and Capcom's early-2000s output are the clearest audience, and the September 3-4 unlock times above should help you plan when to jump in.
