Forget Marvel's Wolverine and God of War Laufey — I’ve played Onimusha's sword-fighting State of Play demo, and I think it could be the sleeper hit of 2026

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Forget Marvel's Wolverine and God of War Laufey — I’ve played Onimusha's sword-fighting State of Play demo, and I think it could be the sleeper hit of 2026 Features By Isaiah Williams published 3 June 2026

The best sword clashes since Sekiro?

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(Image credit: Capcom)

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Gaming has had an incredibly strong start in 2026, with Pearl Abyss delivering an open-world action-adventure epic in Crimson Desert, IO Interactive surprising fans with its impressive 007 First Light, and Capcom making a splash with Resident Evil Requiem.

Unsurprisingly, Capcom is in the spotlight yet again, and this time it's because of the new trailer of Onimusha: Way of the Sword that appeared in Sony's recent PlayStation State of Play. Not only did we get some new, exciting, and intense sequences to look forward to once the full game arrives, but a September 25, 2026 release date is now locked in.

That's not all, as Capcom blessed its fans yet again with a shadow drop of Onimusha's demo; I've played 2 hours of it, and I'm fully convinced that we might have one of the best sword fighting games ever on our hands, and a potential GOTY contender in a year that is already absolutely stacked with massive titles.

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Capcom's animations are out of this world

Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Capcom)(Image credit: Capcom)

First things first, the Onimusha Way of the Sword demo has one of the best combat animations I've ever seen in any game.

Every movement, small mannerism, or gesture from the game's main protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, is dripping with personality.

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If the player has just executed an enemy, Musashi will sometimes wipe his sword off balance or nonchalantly, asking for a better challenge. The same stylish but laid-back personality is present in the game's sword clashes.

The best way I can describe it is what From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice had to offer in terms of sound, visuals, and the weight it adds to combat. Every attack, parry, or block while controlling Musashi feels impactful, and Capcom seems to have nailed the slow and deliberate approach to combat, just as a samurai would when in combat.

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Capcom isn't asking players to rush into combat in Onimusha at a fast pace, although they can if preferred. Instead, this short sample of the game shows that it thrives best when you gradually take on enemies one at a time, creating this special ebb and flow that very few games have captured before.

Fortunately, this isn't a Souls game, so those who aren't happy with extremely difficult bosses or no difficulty levels won't find any of those issues here. In fact, there are some ways in which standard enemy encounters feel a little too easy on the harder difficulty — but there's a strong chance it's because this is a demo, and one that's showcasing very early stages of the game.

With Marvel's Wolverine set for launch in September, and God of War Laufey's release date still up in the air, 2026 is shaping up to be the best year of gaming in decades, and Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks set to be a strong part of why, competing against some of the biggest IPs this fall.

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Isaiah WilliamsSocial Links NavigationStaff Writer, Computing

Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He's spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren't a complete mess.

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