CAPCOM Responds to Onimusha Way of the Sword’s Demo Difficulty Criticism
Reassuring words!
With the announcement of Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s release date, CAPCOM released a demo across all platforms to give players a taste of the upcoming title ahead of its September launch. While impressions have been largely positive, many players, myself included, felt that the demo was a bit too easy.
The Onimusha team has already confirmed that it is listening to player feedback online and has now responded to one of the most common criticisms of Way of the Sword’s demo: its relatively low difficulty and lack of challenge.
CAPCOM Addresses Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s Lower Difficulty
Akihito Kadowaki, producer of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, took to the official Onimusha account on X (formerly Twitter) to address feedback regarding the demo’s difficulty.
He reassured fans that the demo represents an early section of the main campaign. Musashi was also equipped with several late-game skills because the team wanted players to experience a wider range of his combat abilities. According to Kadowaki, the full release will feature bosses and enemies that actually put up a fight.
Here’s a transcript of his short video:
Hello, everyone! I’m Producer Kadowaki. Thank you so much for playing the demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword! We’ve heard the feedback that the demo felt too easy for some people. First, the demo is just a slice of the early part of the story. Also, 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.
This explanation makes a lot of sense. Musashi feels pretty overpowered in the demo, allowing you to get through most encounters by simply mashing the attack button, outside of the boss fight.
I’ve completed the demo several times now, and if you approach it with the intention of experimenting with its swordplay mechanics, there’s actually a surprising amount of depth on display. Most players simply didn’t engage with those systems because the demo never really pushed them to.
The way enemies react to each other and the environment is one of the best parts of the combat design, and there are a lot of neat details to appreciate the more you dive deep into its reaction-based approach to encounters.
CAPCOM also confirmed that the demo has been downloaded over a million times, a big milestone for the upcoming release.
If you haven’t tried out the title yourself, you can download the demo from the links below:
Onimusha Way of the Sword Release Date
Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on PC, Xbox Series S|X, and PS5 on September 25, 2026.
Onimusha has never been a franchise known for extreme difficulty like Ninja Gaiden or more recent titles such as Sekiro. However, the series has always emphasized positioning, quick reactions, and a methodical approach to combat encounters. I’m confident that the final release will feel more in line with previous entries when it comes to its overall challenge.
