Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword claimed Steam's No. 1 selling position within 24 hours of Friday's launch, marking the franchise's biggest commercial moment in two decades. The action game, set in reimagined Edo-period Kyoto, attracted 74,575 concurrent players by Saturday, surpassing fellow releases like Halloween: The Game and WARDOGS. The ascent started at No. 6, with opening day's 40,000 concurrent players demonstrating sustained weekend demand for the comeback title. The performance marks a significant reclamation for an IP dormant in triple-A gaming circles since 2006.
Critics largely validated the commercial enthusiasm, though with important reservations about specific design elements. The game achieved an 85 Metacritic score with mostly positive reviews from major outlets. Industry reviewers consistently identified one primary weakness: repetitive combat design and recycled enemy encounters that undermine action mechanics and artificially pad gameplay length. Polygon's Giovanni Colantoni acknowledged the game's strengths but argued it feels 'stretched to an exhausting 25-hour' experience, citing recycled bosses, redundant rift-closing missions, and sidequest padding as design choices that dilute what could be a more focused, cohesive title.
ScreenRant's Chris Carter noted similar problems with boss repetition and enemy variety, yet maintained these flaws 'take little away' from the overall package, calling Onimusha 'a triumph' for hardcore action fans willing to engage with higher difficulty settings. IGN's Will Borger departed from the repetition narrative, offering unqualified praise for the moment-to-moment swordplay and near-meditative flow of combat. Borger described moments where 'the controller falls away' and precision-focused play becomes paramount.
The 20-year gap since the franchise's last mainline entry, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006, had clearly left pent-up demand among longtime supporters, validating Way of the Sword's immediate commercial success.