// PC GAMER — GAMING
Worried about Onimusha's difficulty after the demo? I have the death count to prove the full game's got teeth
Plenty of challenge awaits in Onimusha: Way of the Sword once you get past the game's opening hours.
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When Capcom released a demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword a few months ago, a vocal portion of action game fans landed somewhere between concerned and crestfallen—enemies just weren't aggressive enough, leaving them worried the final game would be unchallenging to the point of boredom. There was enough heat that Capcom producer Akihito Kadowaki decided to respond in a video, not to say that they'd be making the game harder, but that the demo was "just a slice of the early part of the story" and that "in the final game, the bosses and the regular Genma will put up a tougher fight."
Now that I've played the full game, I can back that statement up. Onimusha kicked my ass plenty.
As the demo hinted at, though, the first few hours of Onimusha are quite easy if you have any experience with action games, particularly if you're used to managing stamina meters in soulslikes or dying from just a couple hits. And on the whole, the game isn't as punishing or demanding as FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or the Nioh games. But across nearly 40 hours of playtime I died plenty, particularly to bosses that ruthlessly punished my poor parry timing or overeager button mashing. Even the basic mobs took me down more than a few times when I leapt into the fray just a bit too cocky or impatient.
That said, let me try to address the specific complaints I saw from players when Onimusha's demo set off this wave of concerns.
It has one! Unfortunately, though, you have to beat the game to unlock it, and Way of the Sword is not short. I think Capcom would've been wise to make this option available from the start.
it is 2026. if you dare imagine a game with group combat, don’t worry: enemies will politely take their turn one by one and die with a single parry. pic.twitter.com/wUG1nrUhAOJune 3, 2026
I saw the video above spread around as evidence that Onimusha's enemies are far too passive, attacking one at a time instead of as a group. This fear should mostly be put to rest by full game. It holds true that when a group surrounds you, they won't all attack simultaneously, but after the opening couple hours, which essentially serve as an introduction to Onimusha's key combat mechanics one at a time, you'll usually be fighting mixed groups of enemies that keep you on your toes.
The basic, weak Genma will begin an encounter by dashing behind you, encircling you and then menacing their blades in what I think is a fun nod to how these battles are often depicted in samurai films. They're no threat by themselves and are clearly fodder for you to enjoy slicing to pieces. That said, they do offer some resistance: if you open with a heavy attack, which is vertical, they'll usually sidestep it. Sometimes they'll block multiple attacks in a row, pushing you to either wear through their stamina meter with repeated blows, back off and parry them, or break through their guard with a shoulder check you'll unlock a few hours in.