I finally finished Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and here are my final thoughts.
The combat is perfect. It’s extremely fun and plays really well. There are a lot of special weapons, and some of them are genuinely useful in boss fights too.
Progression is really good, and there are so many skills to unlock that I didn’t even unlock them all before finishing the game. If you want every skill, you’ll most likely need to complete all the side quests as well, not just collect every hidden material.
The game is visually stunning in some areas, and the level design is consistently well made. The audio design is great too and makes the combat feel even better. The music is good, but nothing too crazy.
The story is dark and interesting. For most of the game it was very good, and I really liked how it shows the importance of friendship. Not many games do that nowadays. Then, about an hour and a half before the end, it drops off. The final hour and a half wasn’t terrible, and it still had some good moments, but overall I found the finale disappointing. There will clearly be a sequel, so maybe those questionable decisions were made with that in mind. I hope the sequel fixes the story mistakes.
The boss fights are great, and each one is unique. Some of them are actually epic. There’s a specific one I’ll never forget. My problem is with the mini-bosses. The game only has three specific mini-bosses, and every mini-boss fight is one of those three. They get repetitive, and I think that’s a real weakness. Each one should have been unique.
Overall, the game is great and almost a masterpiece. If it didn’t have the repetitive mini-bosses and the mid finale, it would surely be one. Those problems don’t ruin the game, though. It’s still very fun and satisfying to play. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves samurai games and story-driven action games in general, and I’m excited to see what comes next.