On Capcom’s February Spotlight, Onimusha Way of the Sword was announced for a 2026 release. To celebrate, the developers of Onimusha 2 Samurai Destiny revealed a full 2025 remaster, inviting new players to the franchise. The second game’s return could be their response to Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. In January, Xbox Developer_Direct revealed Ninja Gaiden 4 to continue the story of Ryu Hayabusa. Instead of competing against them, Capcom is following Team Ninja’s marketing plan. Here are a few reasons why.
Introducing Exclusives to New Fans
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny 2025 is a gift to veteran players. Released in 2007, the original PS2 title captured the hearts that set expectations of a fun samurai action game. Despite the graphics not looking spectacular, players enjoyed the combat, in-game animations, and the branching story paths. The trailer shows improved framerate and clean audio through Gogandantes’ in-game cutscene. Capcom hopes to attract new players who couldn’t their hands on the PS2 exclusive on modern consoles and PC.
The remastered was announced 2 weeks after the release of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. Team Ninja’s plan used a fantastic marketing tactic to advertise the remaster after Ninja Gaiden 4’s reveal. This Xbox 360 exclusive can now be played on Playstation and PC for the first time in Unreal Engine 5. Capcom followed suit after Omnimusha Way of the Sword’s Capcom spotlight.
Return of Iconic Gameplay
Capcom and Team Ninja aimed to recover their franchise’s gameplay. Onimusha focused on the player’s timing of their sword attack and absorbing Genma Souls. Meanwhile, Ninja Gaiden is all about mastering ninja weaponry and skills. Both series later lost their sense of gameplay in their 3rd mainline games. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege added gun shooting using Devil May Cry’s controls. NG3 Razor’s Edge tried to include quick-time events and button-mashing combos.
Onimusha Way of the Sword brings gamers back to sword fighting. Game director Satoru Nihei explained to viewers that the gameplay should make you feel satisfied to slice Genma. The trailer and images show the samurai deflecting attacks and enemies with an open weak point. With Ninja Gaiden 4, Platinum Games joined the project to assist in programming between Raven and Ryu. Raven has a more agile battle style while Ryu’s is weight heavy.
The Year of Samurai And Ninja
Onimusha and Ninja Gaiden have fierce competition ahead of them. Throughout 2024, many games are approaching Japanese culture for their game concepts. Their strongest competitors will be Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei. Right now, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is attracting original fans while waiting for the fourth game’s release. As for Onimusha fans, some are skeptical about Samurai’s Destiny 2025 to see if Capcom will improve its gameplay. The game is set to release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and Steam this year.
