After a 20-year hiatus, Capcom’s samurai action series Onimusha is back. Well, almost – the next installment, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, launches next month. Ahead of its release, I traveled to Capcom’s Osaka HQ in Japan to play never-before-seen parts of the game and interview the team making it for Game Informer’s latest cover (and you can read the cover story right here). I’ve been writing exclusive features, interviews, and more from my time with Capcom, and you can read them all in the Onimusha: Way of the Sword hub.
Despite having played the demo a few times and playing through roughly three hours of the game within Capcom’s main development building in Japan, I still wasn’t quite sure what the Genma, the demonic enemies that plague early Edo-period Kyoto, were up to in Way of the Sword. So, I asked lead writer Hiroshi Yamashita.
“To set the scene, we obviously have the Genma in [this game’s] Japan, but we have the other realm in Hell, which is ruled by the Oni,” Yamashita says. “And within that space, the Genma also exist, and the Oni have kept them in place, but in the living world, from people killing each other and committing crimes, it generates this negative energy, this malice that you see in the game, and [that attracts] the Genma to the living world.”
Yamashita says the Oni are meant to contain the Genma, but because of the growing malice happening on Earth, “and for certain reasons” he didn’t share due to spoilers, mysterious rifts appear in Kyoto that allow the Genma to seep into the real world and invade.
“So, for the Genma, at a very basic level, their objective, their motives are pretty much just killing and eating – that’s what drives them,” Yamashita continues. “They’re these menacing invaders, but they’re only thinking on instinct. Within the Genma ranks, though, there are specific Genma who are maybe a little different and do have their own motivations and objectives. So, whilst the main Genma might not really have a specific objective because they’re just killing and spreading chaos, those others are more like scheming Genma.
“What do they get out of the Genma invading and doing all this chaos? Killing does create more malice, and as the malice builds up, it’s building toward allowing these specific Genma to do something. That’s going to be the main driving force for Musashi – working to try and stop them from completing this objective.”
Unfortunately, Yamashita wouldn’t spill any more on what that objective might be, but I did learn on this trip that Nobunaga, a recurring villainous figure, is not returning… so it’s safe to say the Genma aren’t trying to resurrect him (again).
Previously showcased Genma that rank higher than the standard killers include Dokyo and Rasho-Gan, pictured below. Dokyo, especially, is in a Genma league of her own. Not only does she have a terrifying screen presence backed by a standout voice performance (from what I’ve heard so far), but she has a “special” and “unique” place in the wider story of Way of the Sword. But Yamashita says we’ll have to wait until the game’s launch next month to learn more.
I’ll continue diving deeper into Capcom’s return to Onimusha as part of Game Informer’s month of Way of the Sword coverage. We’ll be publishing exclusive gameplay and behind-the-scenes videos (including a Rapid-Fire Interview) on the Game Informer YouTube channel as well. Keep an eye on the Onimusha: Way of the Sword coverage hub so you don’t miss any of it.
In the meantime, here’s some additional Onimusha: Way of the Sword reading for you:
What do you think the Genma are up to in Onimusha: Way of the Sword? Let us know in the comments below!