Capcom Reveals More About Its Plan To Bring Back A Cult Classic Series
A new protagonist and a new setting for new audiences.
Capcom has been on a roll as of late: Not only have its long-running mega franchises like Monster Hunter and Resident Evil hit their stride in recent years. It has found critical success with smaller titles like Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess and commercial success reviving some of its more obscure titles like Dragon’s Dogma. It’s looking to keep its hot streak going by bringing back an often-forgotten cult-classic series from two decades ago.
As announced at The Game Awards last December, the hack-n-slash action series Onimusha is set to return in 2026. During last night’s Capcom Spotlight stream, the developer shared more details regarding this long-awaited sequel and how it plans to reintroduce the series to newer fans after all this time.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword will be the fifth mainline game in the series, but will be a solid entry point for newcomers, according to the game’s producer Akihito Kadowaki. It will feature a new protagonist, enemies known as Genma, and “a cast of compelling characters.” The game will be set in a dark fantasy take on Edo-period Kyoto, combining the fantastical with historical real-life locations. And of course, the sequel will double down on the fast, sword-based action the series was known for.
While the rest of the action genre (namely those inspired by From Software games) has steered towards testing player skill and aptness to understand game mechanics, the next Onimusha will seemingly buck this trend.
“With sword-to-sword combat, we put particular emphasis on the satisfaction of slicing through enemies,” the game’s director Satoru Nihei said. “We’re not trying to make an impossibly difficult game. Instead, we want to make a game where fans of action can experience thrilling sword fights and taste satisfaction from slaying their enemies.”
While this ambitious sequel is still a ways off, those who need a refresher or history lesson on what made the series so great won’t have to wait much longer. Six years after Capcom re-released the first Onimusha game, the developer plans to drop a remastered version of the 2002 sequel many consider the series’ peak.
The 2018 remaster of Onimusha updated the original game’s framerate, visuals, and soundtrack.
A remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is dropping later this year on Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles. It will mark the first time the sequel’s been playable on modern consoles since its original release. While Capcom didn’t reveal much about the re-release, it’s likely following the blueprint of the 2018 release. If so, expect improved textures and framerate, revised controls, and a revised soundtrack.
Onimusha isn’t the only bygone Capcom franchise set for a big return this decade. At The Game Awards, the company revealed that against all odds, Okami is getting a follow-up more than 20 years later. Not only will canine goddess Amaterasu return, but franchise director Hideki Kamiya is returning to lead development under his new studio, Clovers.
