Onimusha: Way of the Sword provided great enjoyment for MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes, particularly due to the bosses, which allowed him to overlook major criticisms. He especially appreciated 3 aspects.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword marks the return of Capcom’s samurai series, which began as Resident Evil with Samurai
. This time, there was more of a linear action game, a dream for players like me, who have grown weary of the many soulslikes.
Even in the demo, the first boss fight thrilled me, and it continued throughout the entire game. Three aspects stood out to me that made these battles so well done.
How to Create Great Bosses
What makes a good boss? Naturally, bosses differ depending on the genre, but many aspects apply to both action games and turn-based games. Here, I will present the 3 aspects that made the new Onimusha so great for me:
Boss Health and Damage
Nothing annoys me in boss fights as much as bosses with way too much health. No matter how cool the mechanics are, if it takes too long to kill them, it feels like a chore – not a test of my skills.
In Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the bosses had the perfect health bars; they weren’t too short or too long, mostly due to the parry and counter mechanics, which can deal high damage. Additionally, I didn’t have to wait through infinitely long attack phases before I could strike effectively (unlike what soul games tend to do these days).
The damage from the bosses was optimal on normal difficulty. You weren’t killed by a single attack and typically had enough time to heal or reposition without being overwhelmed.
My favorite bosses in the game were Ifuu and Burai, whom Capcom already introduced in a video:
The Presentation
This is purely an audiovisual aspect, but it makes the boss fights feel even more epic. The sword combat sounds not only great but is also fantastically animated. This provides great feedback not just against regular enemies but especially intensifies the moment against bosses.
When two weapons clash during a counter, the combat feels more direct, even more immersive. The collaboration with real sword fighting experts was worthwhile. This allows players to create their own cinematic moments without needing real cutscenes.
I was particularly impressed by how meticulously the animations for counters were adjusted. Sometimes an opponent wields a katana, sometimes a spear, but it still looks as if you are countering that exact weapon, and it feels realistic. This doesn’t make a gameplay difference but provides a different feeling in combat.
Parrying and Countering
Onimusha: Way of the Sword has the most satisfying parry system I have experienced in a long time. This is not only due to the previously described presentation but also the execution. The window for parrying most attacks is not so short that you need reactions like a race car driver, but not so long that it becomes obsolete.
At the same time, many animations can be canceled when parrying, which prevents frustration in boss fights. If you still want to utilize a more challenging mechanic, you can use the Issen technique. If you attack just before an enemy’s attack, you dodge it and counter immediately with a powerful sword strike.
Together with a dodge button (which I didn’t use that often), it offers a nice repertoire, allowing the impressively designed bosses to feel like worthy opponents you can defeat, rather than impenetrable walls you must respect.
This can make each fight very easy, but also very hard, without relying solely on a lot of health or damage. I liked the bosses so much that I was able to overlook criticisms.
What criticisms are there of Onimusha: Way of the Sword? While I spent nearly 25 hours in the game, there were a few things that annoyed me, such as the progression with many resources or the rather dull side quests.
But every time I entered one of the boss rooms and was greeted by a new demon, my excitement grew, and I forgot everything that had annoyed me moments ago. Just like Musashi in the game, I ultimately respect the opponents who have provided me with a good fight.
This feeling is lacking in many soulslikes these days, although I loved it in Dark Souls 1 (not with Bed of Chaos). That feeling of fighting a formidable opponent whom I can still match is simply brilliant. Many games these days prefer to give me bosses with huge health bars that feel more like a test of patience than skill.
However, I can also understand that it is challenging to balance a boss because there are different player types, and a good middle ground needs to be found. But Onimusha: Way of the Sword has found the perfect approach with its bosses such that I actually enjoyed every fight. If you’re interested in combat anime, here’s a tip: Anime with an invincible samurai conquers the top 10 on Netflix in 51 countries, gaining 3.4 million views in 4 days.
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