Onimusha: Way of The Sword’s release in 2026 will mark 20 years since the series’ last mainline entry. Due to its realistic hack and slash action and bloody effects, its developers expect it to receive a CERO Z (18+) rating in Japan. Although it hasn’t officially been rated yet in other regions, Capcom says that the content of the game will stay the same across all versions.
In an interview with 4Gamer, Onimusha: Way of The Sword director Satoru Nihei and producer Akihito Kadowaki talked about the game’s mature content and how they’re planning to present it to a global audience. Nihei explains that the game is expected to be rated 18+ due to its gory depictions of severed body parts. This is directly related to Onimusha’s new Break Issen mechanic, which allows you destroy parts of an enemy’s body after staggering them. Kadowaki clarifies that the scenes were too gory to include in the game’s Japanese trailer, however, this doesn’t mean that the game itself will be toned down. He assures fans that all versions of Onimusha, be it the Japanese version or the international version, will be in line with the developers’ original intentions for the game.
“Onimusha: Way of The Sword was created with the idea of ‘everybody on the globe enjoying the same game’ in mind, which means that there are no differences in the domestic version and the overseas version of the game – we wanted to bring the same experience to everyone. Furthermore, there will be settings to toggle dismemberment scenes and adjust the amount of blood you see on screen.”
Furthermore, Kadowaki added that the “satisfying swordplay” of the game will also be expressed exactly the same in both Japan and overseas versions of the game, through the character of the historical Miyamoto Musashi. Kadowaki describes him as the perfect vessel to embody the feeling of hacking and slashing away in a Japanese-styled dark fantasy setting.
Regarding the game’s rating in Japan, Kadowaki says that the team initially intended to make separate versions that would aim for a 17+ and 18+ rating respectively. However, he remarks that 18+ versions of games just seem to be more popular among players – if a game has a “censored” and “uncensored” version, players are more likely to go for the uncensored one. Furthermore, and most importantly, the dev team believed that the uncensored version wouldn’t be able to carry the game to its full potential– which is why they decided to eventually scrap the idea of a separate, 17+ version. Finally, Nihei and Kadowaki announced that the next batch of new information and a demo version of the game will be announced in August, during this year’s Gamescom.
While there’s still some time until the official release of Onimusha: Way of The Sword, it seems like the developers are determined to convey the same experience of slick swordplay in a dark fantasy that’s unique to Japan to everyone in the world. Regardless of where you are or what platform or language you are playing on, the story and the gameplay will ultimately reflect what the developers intended to portray.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled to release in 2026 for the PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X❘S.
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