Onimusha: Way of the Sword has a very different approach to action combat than many modern action games. It can look fast and flashy, but the game actually puts a lot more emphasis on defense, timing, and knowing when to strike.
If you are about to start playing, there are a few things I recommend knowing before jumping into the story. Some of the game’s systems are easy to overlook at first, and understanding them early can make the tougher fights much more manageable.
In this Onimusha Way of the Sword Beginner Guide, I’ll go over seven things you should know before playing Onimusha: Way of the Sword, from choosing your controls and upgrading equipment to using consumables, practicing counters, and making the most of Break Issen attacks.
Onimusha Way of the Sword Beginner Guide – Practice Grounds
When you start a new game, Onimusha: Way of the Sword asks you to choose between the Aggressive and Defensive control layouts.
Don’t let the names fool you. This isn’t really about whether you’re an aggressive or defensive player. The main difference is where your attack, guard, and evade buttons are placed.
With the Aggressive layout, the main combat controls are placed on the face buttons. The Defensive layout moves the guard button to the left bumper, while the one-handed attack, two-handed attack, and evade are mapped to the face buttons.
If you have played a lot of Soulslike games, the Defensive layout may feel more familiar because guard is placed on the left bumper. I personally found this easier to get used to because it follows the control setup used by many other action games.
The good thing is that you’re not stuck with your choice. If you try one layout and find yourself pressing the wrong button during fights, you can change it from the options menu.
Keep Your Gear Upgraded
Your equipment becomes increasingly important as you progress through Onimusha: Way of the Sword. At shrines, you can use materials to upgrade your clothing, sword, and gauntlet.
Each piece of equipment serves a different purpose. Clothing upgrades improve things such as your health and stamina, sword upgrades improve your different types of damage, while gauntlet upgrades increase your Oni Armament gauge.
Most of the materials required for clothing and sword upgrades can be found inside the small treasure chests scattered throughout Kyoto and the different areas you visit during missions.
You can spot these treasure chests on your map, so I recommend checking them whenever you’re exploring. If you notice that enemies are becoming much stronger while your equipment is falling behind, take some time away from the main story and search for more chests.
The gauntlet uses some different materials. Malicite and Malicite Masses are obtained by closing rifts, while some upgrades also require Byakui’s Talismans and Dohatsu Ten’s Horns.
Byakui and Dohatsu Ten are mini-bosses you’ll encounter several times throughout the game, including when they appear from rifts. When exploring Kyoto, keep an eye out for the red streaks coming down from the sky. These indicate rifts that you haven’t closed yet.
Defense Is More Important Than Constant Attacking
One of the biggest things to understand about Way of the Sword is that this isn’t an action game where you should constantly run around and mash attacks.
The combat is more deliberate. Enemies can punish you if you attack recklessly, and some of the best opportunities to deal damage come from defending yourself correctly first.
Pay close attention to enemy attack patterns. When an enemy begins an attack, you need to recognize whether you should parry, dodge, or attempt an Issen.
Issen is a risky counterattack that requires you to press the attack button just before an enemy’s strike connects. Getting the timing right can give you a powerful opening, but trying it at the wrong moment can leave you taking damage.
You’ll also need to watch out for ranged enemies such as archers and some of the smaller wheel-based enemies. The red attack indicator is especially useful when an enemy is preparing to attack from outside your immediate view.
So, rather than trying to overwhelm every enemy with nonstop attacks, take your time and learn their moves. Once you understand their patterns, your defense will naturally create better opportunities for offense.
Don’t Let Your Red Souls Go to Waste
As you progress through the game, you’ll probably end up with a large supply of red souls.
Most of your skills are unlocked using Power Stones and Oni Stones, while the skills that require red souls don’t consume a huge amount of them. You can also use red souls to upgrade your charms, but there isn’t much reason to spend heavily on charms you aren’t planning to equip.
Instead, once you have unlocked the things you actually want, you can put those extra red souls to better use.
After completing the Careful What You Wish For main quest, you’ll gain access to Yorimasa’s Monument. This allows you to exchange red souls for various consumables and, more importantly, upgrade materials.
I recommend prioritizing the skills you actually want in the skill tree first. They can make a noticeable difference to your combat performance.
After that, if you have a large pile of red souls sitting unused, visit Yorimasa’s Monument and check which materials you need for your weaker equipment. You can then trade your excess souls for those materials instead of simply letting them accumulate.
Make Good Use of Consumables
Consumables can give you a much-needed advantage during difficult fights.
You can carry up to six consumables at a time, and empty slots are automatically filled when you pick up new items. If you want to change which consumables you’re carrying, you’ll need to visit a shrine and use the Storehouse option.
As you progress through the game, you’ll find stronger versions of many consumables. Whenever you obtain a more powerful version of something you regularly use, make sure you equip it.
Use Prayer Beads in Malice
One consumable that I recommend paying particular attention to is Prayer Beads.
Prayer Beads provide substantial protection against Malice, the red mist that you’ll encounter in certain areas. Malice can drain your health while you’re inside it, making exploration much more stressful if you don’t have enough protection.
Whenever you know you’re about to travel through an area covered in Malice, use Prayer Beads beforehand. You’ll have much more freedom to explore the area without constantly worrying about your health disappearing.
Use the Practice Grounds
The Practice Grounds are one of the best places to learn the game’s more difficult mechanics without putting your character at risk.
If you’re struggling with Issen, I strongly recommend spending some time on the Issen and Chain Issen drills. These let you practice the timing without having to worry about losing health or failing during an actual fight.
The Practice Grounds are also useful if you’re having trouble with Blade Barrages. Repeating the drill can help you stop automatically pressing the attack button and instead wait for the right opportunity to counter.
You can also practice against Byakui and Dohatsu Ten. Since you’ll encounter these two enemies multiple times throughout the campaign, learning their attacks early can save you a lot of trouble later.
The main benefit here is that you can experiment. Find out which attacks you can reliably counter with Issen and which ones are better avoided. Once you return to the actual game, those practice sessions can make a noticeable difference.
Understand How Break Issen Works
Break Issen is another mechanic you’ll want to understand before getting too far into the game.
A Break Issen occurs when you deplete an enemy’s stamina and then use a powerful attack while they’re stunned. Against regular enemies, this attack will often finish them immediately.
Bosses work a little differently. When you trigger a Break Issen against a boss, you’ll usually be given a choice of body parts to target. The different targets produce different animations and effects.
You’ll generally see red and purple targets.
Red Targets
A red target focuses on dealing heavy direct damage to the boss.
The downside is that you’ll receive fewer orbs after performing the attack. If you’re mainly concerned with reducing the boss’s health as quickly as possible, the red target is usually the more straightforward choice.
Purple Targets
Purple targets work differently. They deal less direct damage, but they cause a much larger number of orbs to appear.
This can actually make them the better option depending on your current situation.
For example, if your health is low, the additional orbs can provide enough recovery to make up for the lower damage. Likewise, if your Oni Armament gauge is nearly empty, collecting more orbs can help you refill it and then use an Oni attack to make up some of the lost damage.
Before choosing your Break Issen target, take a quick look at your health, Hosuki charges, and Oni Armament gauge.
You don’t always need to choose the option that deals the most immediate damage. Sometimes the purple target gives you enough resources to recover, refill your gauges, and gain more value from the rest of the fight.
Final Tips Before Starting Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Onimusha: Way of the Sword rewards patience more than button mashing. If you approach every fight by constantly attacking, you’ll probably have a much harder time than someone who takes the time to learn enemy patterns and use the defensive mechanics properly.
Before starting, make sure you’re comfortable with your control layout, keep checking for treasure chests and upgrade materials, and use the Practice Grounds whenever a combat mechanic isn’t clicking.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to slow down during difficult fights. Learning when to guard, dodge, parry, or use Issen is a much bigger advantage than simply having a powerful weapon. Once those mechanics start becoming second nature, the game’s deliberate combat becomes much more enjoyable.