Again in June, I traveled to Osaka, Japan, to go to Capcom’s HQ and play never-before-seen components of Onimusha: Way of the Sword for hours, interview the staff making it, and extra. I did so to jot down Recreation Informer’s newest cowl story (that subscribers can read right here), and as a part of my protection, I’ve been posting every kind of unique behind-the-scenes options, interviews, information breakouts, and extra; all of it may be considered at Game Informer’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword hub.
Some of the thrilling components of this cowl story journey was taking part in via a stage set within the mysterious and terrifying underground lab that’s dwelling to Dokyo, one of many extra standout Genma gamers will encounter within the recreation when it launches subsequent month. Under is an edited model of my preview ideas on this part from my cowl story, highlighting what I considered Dokyo’s traditional Japanese ghost house-inspired lab alongside developer commentary I acquired from interviewing the Onimusha: Method of the Sword staff at Capcom.
Director Satoru Nihei launched this stage as one of many extra horrific in Method of the Sword’s dark-fantasy motion expertise, likening it to a “traditional Japanese ghost home.” Considerably acquainted with this subgenre of Japanese horror, it’s clear in what methods: shadows on the lab’s shoji spotlight horrific physique mutations and animal experiments gone unsuitable. All of the whereas, the halls of this lab are dripping with blood that shines within the smooth orange mild of torches that illuminate an in any other case darkish house; once-beautiful kimonos cling from the rafters above, and I can solely assume they belong to the themes of Dokyo’s experiments.
Dokyo is a shrill, petulant, and evil Genma, although extra superior than the senseless hordes hungry for souls I slice via by the dozen. Dokyo is hiding in plain sight on this underground lab, proper beneath the imperial citadel of Kyoto, doing unholy issues to people and animals alike in an effort to create much more terrifying Genma. She’s fairly the scene-stealer, with a terrifying charisma that makes her the standout character of my time taking part in Method of the Sword. She’s twisted however decided, and that makes her a compelling voice to hearken to because it echoes via this dungeon between my bouts with demons.
It’s this dungeon the place I’m free of the shackles of tutorialization, and it appears like protagonist Miyamoto Musashi has eliminated weights from his arms – I really feel just like the grasp historical past says this samurai was.
Although I really like the motion style, I’ve admittedly grown tired of quite a lot of it, no less than within the triple-An area. I’m hardly ever shocked mechanically, and tutorials seldom educate me something new. I do know what the buttons just do minutes into the expertise. Method of the Sword is a refreshing change of tempo in that regard, as a single playthrough of the sport’s demo will see your time paused by a mess of tutorials. The Issen returns – press one of many assault buttons simply earlier than an enemy’s hit lands to carry out the lethal counter that’s been in Onimusha because the first recreation. Don’t fear, it’s nonetheless the toughest transfer to drag off in Method of the Sword, similar to in older titles, because it requires the strictest timing.
However there’s additionally the usual Parry, which fills your Blazing Gauge that mechanically lights Musashi’s sword up with blue flames for elevated injury, and the Reflex Dodge, which fills your Reflex Gauge and units Musashi up for a large blow to an enemy’s again or aspect. The Break Issen assault could be carried out when you’ve exhausted an enemy’s stamina sufficient, and you may considerably deplete that stamina with a deflection – swords, arrows, you identify it, you possibly can deflect it. You too can carry out Chain Issen assaults to slice via a number of enemies in an otherworldly flash, and you may backstab unaware enemies for stealth insta-kills.
Are you following?
If you and an enemy carry out the identical sort of assault, a Blade Barrage happens, and to win, you must use a sword assault apart from the one you used earlier than it to finish the stalemate and injury the enemy. There are seize reversals, too, and Oni Armaments, that are powered-up bumper assaults that do quite a lot of issues relying on which you’ve outfitted – the Two Celestials, for instance, do straight injury, whereas the Earth-Shaker hammers I make the most of within the underground lab hit an enemy’s stamina bar closely.
Inside this multifaceted fight system, there are further layers of complexity. I particularly like that the sparks that fly out of your blade and the related sounds change relying on how early or late your parry try is. It’s each a useful notification of my parry timing and a diegetic gauge for enchancment. When preventing greater enemies like bosses, you possibly can even select the place to put a Break Issen. For instance, in opposition to Rasho-gan, I can goal his head for additional injury or his torso for added yellow health-granting souls.
It’s a degree of expression up to date motion video games have forgotten, however in hindsight, it’s precisely what I count on of the newest Onimusha recreation. In any case, that combative creativity dates again to Onimusha: Warlords.
“Clearly, within the earlier titles, Issen does really feel nice to make use of and pull off, nevertheless it occurred so quick […] it’s onerous to inform precisely what’s happening in that second and so one of many issues that Nihei-san approached me about with this title was making an attempt to make the Issen somewhat extra reasonable and somewhat extra grounded – like what would that appear to be, what would it not really feel like?” animation staff lead Hiroshi Yugen tells me. He provides that there are round 10 totally different variations that Musashi can pull off relying on assaults coming from totally different angles and extra.
Yugen’s largest aim with Method of the Sword’s fight was to take the larger-than-life moments current within the cutscenes of earlier Onimusha video games and imbue the gameplay with that feeling. What was as soon as solely doable in Onimusha cutscenes is how Method of the Sword performs. That’s highlighted greatest on this underground lab, as I slash via dozens of Genma, splitting their fleshy corpses and watching as two distinct halves slide to the wood slats under. Yugen calls it the “Dynamic Dismemberment System,” and I can already think about the methods the Resident Evil builders in close by workplaces may use this expertise in new video games.
“[This dismemberment] shouldn’t be one thing that’s existed in another title earlier than, and it’s one thing that, on a technical degree, wanted to be added to the RE Engine [by Capcom’s engineers],” Yugen says. “Including this function was fairly troublesome as a result of we wished to mix it with the enemy deaths. In quite a lot of samurai dramas, they’ve a really exaggerated traditional dying the place they’re on display for an additional 5 or 6 seconds after which slowly fall to the bottom. To have that along with this dynamic dismemberment system on a technical degree is sort of tough, so it’s one thing we actually needed to ask the programmers to introduce.”
The result’s a satisfying dying animation for each single Genma within the recreation, assuming you deplete their stamina like a correct samurai and enact the Break Issen or one in every of Musashi’s varied different ending strikes. Between this cowl story and a number of playthroughs of the demo, I’ve performed in all probability 4 hours of Method of the Sword, and the dismemberments stay a pleasant, if grotesque, visible to see on display by the hands of my blade.
Yugen teases the behind-the-scenes motion-capture movies, bragging like a proud father about how the varied swordsmen who carried out the actions for this recreation went to nice lengths to promote the impact within the studio. Movement seize is without doubt one of the methods Yugen and Nihei hope to make Method of the Sword really feel like a contemporary motion title. There are exaggerated parts however Yugen stresses that real-life samurai specialists and choreographers carried out the actions of Musashi in addition to the larger-than-life actions of bosses just like the eight-armed Rasho-gan and Dokyo, together with her prolonged neck and uncanny appendages.
These technical, visible, and mechanical achievements are on show within the two boss fights of the underground lab. Whereas looking for a lady trapped someplace inside, Musashi comes nose to nose with Byakue – Hundred Defilements, a boss that grows stronger the extra you injury it. Whereas I’m one to hurry into fight swinging left and proper, Byakue forces me to regulate my playstyle on the fly. I keep again, watch his wide-swinging strikes and lunges, and search for entry factors to do probably the most injury. My eyes widen as I deflect one in every of his spinning blade assaults, steel sparks showering the stage – it’s one more second the place I simply really feel cool. This sentiment is current all through my time taking part in Method of the Sword, and I recognize that the Onimusha collection hasn’t misplaced its contact within the 20-year absence.
Defeating Byakue yields me the aforementioned Earth-Shaker hammers, which change into vital to defeating a dual-chimera boss on the finish of the stage. These Chimera, referred to as Nue on this combat, are a pair of legendary beasts impressed by varied animals, one purple and one blue, with electrical tails that, but once more, pressure me to regulate my playstyle on the fly. Dashing in with slashes and swings solely ends in Recreation Over screens. As an alternative, a defensive strategy is required, as the one path to success is one in every of parries, Reflex Dodges, and Issens. Whereas I’m cautious of even mentioning a Soulslike comparability – and don’t fear, Nihei and the staff stress to me that Onimusha is completely not a Soulslike, and I concur – I’m reminded of moments in FromSoftware video games the place the perfect technique is to be taught the boss’ assaults and easily counter all of them.
That’s what I do in opposition to the Nue, and after the umpteenth Break Issen, I’m profitable (and scared, as a result of Yugen teases {that a} bigger chimera boss awaits me later within the recreation). A closing cutscene of Dokyo’s bloody labyrinth is my reward, and although I gained’t spoil what I see, I’ll reaffirm that Dokyo is probably the most compelling character on display in Method of the Sword to this point.
I’ll proceed diving deeper into Capcom’s return to Onimusha as a part of Recreation Informer’s month of Method of the Sword protection. We’ll be publishing unique gameplay and behind-the-scenes movies (together with a Speedy-Fireplace Interview) on the Game Informer YouTube channel as nicely. Keep watch over the Onimusha: Way of the Sword coverage hub so that you don’t miss any of it.
Within the meantime, right here’s some further Onimusha: Method of the Sword studying for you:
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