Capcom intentionally gave players access to abilities they would normally unlock much later in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, a decision that left some fans questioning the demo's difficulty.

Addressing the feedback in a post on Onimusha's official X account, producer Akihito Kadawaki explained the reasoning behind the approach.

Kadowaki said, "We really wanted you to enjoy a variety of Musashi’s actions, so we intentionally equipped him with some late-game skills. Because of that, some players might have felt a lack of challenge. Rest assured, in the final game, the bosses and the regular Genma will put up a tougher fight. Please look forward to the challenge in the full game."

Games like Onimusha are generally far more challenging than what Way of the Sword's demo has reflected. However, Kadowaki has echoed the sentiment that this was a deliberate choice by Capcom.

According to the producer, the protagonist has been made overpowered in the demo to allow users to try a wide range of moves and get used to the protagonist's capabilities before the game launches.

His last sentence suggests that fans should expect the full game to be more challenging than the demo.

A balance can never be fully reached. Some games produce challenging demos that also receive adverse reactions, as they discourage users from trying the game because of their initial difficulty, acting as an entry barrier.

While Onimusha: Way of the Sword's demo plays at a much easier level than expected, it gets more people interested, especially with the overpowered theme being a meta choice in many successful games and anime right now.

Easy Demo Not The Only Issue with Onimusha: Way of the Sword

There are more issues with Onimusha: Way of the Sword that fans are pointing to, as fans have raised concerns ahead of release.

First of all, Capcom's decision to move away from its usual franchise protagonists and introduce Miyamoto Musashi as the protagonist to make it easier for new players to connect with the story and not feel left out has drawn criticism from some fans.

With so many steps taken to move away from the Soulslike fundamentals, fans of the genre feel the game could be moving away from its identity, which has again raised doubts about the game's potential popularity upon release.

The demo being easy is a conscious effort to bring in newer users and lower the entry barrier. The critical reviews have been more on the positive side of the scale.

However, at the end of the day, fans dictate the success of a game, and the Onimusha: Way of the Sword team will be hoping the trade-off is worth it.

Players will be able to judge whether the increased challenge lives up to Kadawaki's comments when Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on September 25, 2026 on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC(via Steam and Epic Games Store).

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Written by

Abhisek Bajaj

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav