Compare Onimusha: Way of the Sword vs End of Abyss

The reviewers who discussed technical reliability reported playthroughs without notable bugs, glitches, or crashes.

Technical reliability is a major concern in much of the pre-release coverage, including map-state errors, invisible barriers, stuck geometry, softlocks, broken interactions, and falls through the world. A smaller number of playthroughs reported few or no issues.

Spirit Mirrors make revisiting areas straightforward, although travel is tied to those points rather than available from anywhere. One reviewer specifically liked that restraint.

The transit system helps connect sectors, but several sources still find backtracking too slow and wish travel between important safe areas were more convenient.

One recurring complaint is that the overworld leans on repetitive objectives and familiar enemy groups, reducing variety outside the bespoke story stages and bosses.

Optional rooms, secret bosses, upgrades, weapons, notes, and alternate-ending content give the campaign more to uncover than the main path initially suggests.

The reviewers who addressed crashes reported stable playthroughs without crashes, reinforcing the broader impression of strong technical reliability.

Crash reports are inconsistent: some playthroughs were crash-free, while others suffered multiple hard crashes that interrupted progress.

Oni Armaments fill distinct roles such as healing, stamina damage, and crowd control, and at least one reviewer found each option useful rather than redundant.

The infinite-ammo pistol is often too efficient, discouraging use of limited-ammo alternatives and weakening survival pressure. Several sources also find ammo economics or upgrade incentives skewed toward sticking with the starter weapon.

Regular Genma can be overly passive and easy to dispatch without using the full defensive toolkit, making ordinary encounters feel weaker than the bosses.

Enemy behavior supports tactical play: aggressive foes can be manipulated into groups, and one source specifically praises their behavior and variety as a combat strength.

Transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are described as seamless, and retries after defeat are quick enough to keep difficult fights moving.

Frequent loading screens between areas are called out for interrupting an otherwise immersive world.

The easiest Story setting is praised as an effective introduction to modern timing-based action, especially because it teaches defensive responses without turning the game into a passive tutorial.

The first boss can arrive before the aiming and control scheme feel natural, making the opening combat lesson harsher than it needs to be.

Cinematic camera work can make attacks look spectacular, but combat framing is inconsistent. A few reviewers found the camera could get trapped or become frustrating near walls and bosses.

The fixed and shifting isometric camera is effective at making Cel feel small and vulnerable, and its framing contributes meaningfully to the game's mood.

Common-enemy variety is a recurring weakness, with several reviews noting repeated basic foes and armored variants across a long campaign. Boss variety is much stronger.

Enemy variety is broadly praised, with creatures and machines using distinct looks, attack patterns, and environmental themes. A few sources note derivative designs or behavior that becomes less threatening after repeated encounters.

Musashi’s reluctant-hero arc and growing acceptance of the Oni gauntlet are widely appreciated, as are several supporting arcs. Some reviewers wanted the Ganryu rivalry and parts of the cast developed further.

Cel is a deliberately quiet lead, but the limited personality leaves the protagonist underdeveloped for at least one critic.

Several reviewers criticize material gathering and repeated combat as unnecessary grind, especially around upgrades. Others found resources plentiful enough that deliberate grinding was rarely required.

Resource recovery can become an unwelcome grind when failed boss attempts force players to revisit cleared areas for more crafting materials.

The combat, animation, and major presentation beats feel highly polished, but reviewers also point to camera issues, repetitive content, minor technical roughness, and uneven secondary systems.

Polish is the most repeated weakness after navigation. Numerous sources encountered map errors, collision problems, softlocks, crashes, audio glitches, or other prerelease issues that made the game feel less finished than its art direction suggests.

The writing is strongest in character banter, relationships, and emotional moments, though a few reviews describe the larger script as more serviceable than exceptional.

The understated writing can reinforce mystery and tone, but vague exchanges and delayed answers leave some players wanting clearer, more substantial storytelling.

Japanese myths, legends, readables, collectibles, and side stories give the world substantial optional lore without requiring prior knowledge of the series.

Environmental clues and hidden notes can sustain mystery, but the amount of concrete lore feels thin to players who want clearer answers about the facility and its events.

Progression is split between useful skill growth and incremental stat upgrades. Some reviewers enjoy how new abilities change combat, while others barely feel the numerical gains.

Progression is most satisfying when new keys, tools, mods, and upgrades reopen old routes and make exploration pay off. In some runs, power growth eventually reduces combat tension or leaves certain systems underused.

Combat benefits from environmental tools such as carts, planks, flames, and destructibles, but one reviewer disliked how many seemingly fragile objects cannot be touched.

The scanner makes doors, objects, weak structures, and route information feel actively discoverable, rewarding players who deliberately inspect the environment.

Character banter and comic exchanges give the cast personality, while quieter conversations help sell relationships and the reluctant-hero tone.

The sparse dialogue approach divides opinion. One source finds character exchanges too vague to be useful, while another likes the short, concise subtitles and notes for keeping the game moving.

Pacing is the most repeated non-combat concern: early hub stretches, side activities, backtracking, and recycled fights can drag. The linear story missions and final run of set pieces are much more frequently praised for momentum.

Pacing impressions are split: one source praises a tight, well-paced adventure, while another finds the plot slow to gain momentum and technical or navigation problems can stall progress.

Movement is mixed: modern 3D navigation and wall-running can feel good, while the dodge roll, lack of a normal jump, and some traversal friction draw criticism.

Slow sprint speed makes repeated backtracking feel heavier than it needs to.

The combat is easy to understand but demanding to master, and many reviewers enjoy the process of learning timing and boss patterns. Some training and system explanations could be clearer.

Most players can adapt to the controls after a short adjustment, but the unusual aiming scheme remains a lasting obstacle for some and never fully clicks for the harshest critic.

Opinions on length are mixed, but the strongest criticism says a superb shorter action game has been stretched into a 25–30 hour experience. A smaller group felt the adventure did not overstay its welcome.

The main path commonly lands around a compact 10-13 hours, with optional exploration extending playtime. Some appreciate that it does not overstay its welcome, while others feel wandering pads the runtime or that the ending arrives just as momentum builds.

The sword combat is the overwhelming consensus highlight: precise, weighty, reactive, and deeply satisfying, with parries, deflects, dodges, Issens, clashes, and Oni Armaments giving players meaningful options. Even critical reviews tend to praise the core fighting.

Twin-stick combat is often tense, tactical, and satisfying, especially when dodging through crowded encounters. Its simplicity, repetitive enemies in reused routes, awkward arenas, and uneven weapon economy keep it from landing equally well for everyone.

Checkpointing is usually generous, especially around difficult fights, though one reviewer disliked having to restart multi-phase boss encounters from the beginning.

Restoration pods are generally well spaced and create relief, strategy, and fast boss retries, though bug-related reloads can still cost meaningful progress.

Collectibles often reward exploration with mythology, story details, cosmetics, or progression, and the Lion Dogs and Oni Portals are particular favorites. Some completion-oriented tasks still feel repetitive or low-value.

Optional collectibles can unlock an alternate ending and additional context, making thorough exploration worthwhile, though the unreliable map can make that hunt less inviting.

The body horror, grotesque Genma, corrupted environments, and occasional Resident Evil-like sequences add genuine unease without overwhelming the action-adventure focus.

The opening hours create strong unease through darkness, sound, ambushes, and threatening spaces. Tension often fades once enemy placements repeat, the pistol becomes dominant, or progression makes combat too easy.

Difficulty is demanding but generally regarded as rewarding, with Story mode offering a gentler route and Action mode asking for precise play. Opinions split where normal enemies feel too easy or late bosses become punishing and unforgiving.

Challenge is frequently rewarding and fair in regular play, but the curve is uneven. Early spikes, one notably punishing centipede boss, later bosses that become too easy, and upgrade-driven power swings can make progression feel inconsistent.

Animation is one of the game’s clearest showpieces, with bespoke parries, blocks, executions, facial reactions, and combat transitions repeatedly singled out as exceptional. A few reviewers noticed a gap between cinematic and gameplay presentation.

Enemy animation helps sell the creatures as strange and dangerous, while Cel’s movement animation also receives specific praise.

The best reviews argue that the swordplay has a rhythm and identity of its own despite borrowing from modern action games. More critical voices feel the broader structure follows too many familiar contemporary conventions.

Despite obvious inspirations, the combination of top-down sci-fi horror, Metroidvania exploration, and twin-stick combat develops a distinct identity that several sources feel stands out.

The blend of samurai action, body horror, mythology, and distinct locations creates a strong dark-fantasy atmosphere. The best areas feel eerie and characterful rather than like generic combat spaces.

Atmosphere is the clearest consensus strength: the facility feels eerie, oppressive, isolated, and cinematic, with lighting and sound repeatedly making simple exploration feel ominous.

The material economy is a weak point for some reviewers: common upgrade resources can be oddly expensive or grindy, and their relationship to the broader progression loop feels less refined than the combat.

Resource balance is uneven: early scarcity can encourage careful choices, but Fragments and crafting materials often become so plentiful that ammo tension and loot excitement fade. Other sources dislike being forced to farm when supplies do run dry.

Post-game play includes harder Carnage difficulty and New Game Plus-style replay, giving mastery-focused players a reason to continue after the credits.

Optional sectors, alternate-ending collectibles, and extra narrative material give curious players meaningful content to pursue beyond the straightforward ending.

Exploration can be rewarding when it leads to charms, upgrade materials, myths, portals, or secrets. The strongest praise comes from reviewers who enjoyed searching every corner despite reservations about the hub structure.

Exploration is the game's biggest point of disagreement. Its interconnected routes, secrets, upgrades, and discovery loop can be deeply rewarding, but weak guidance, backtracking, dark visibility, and map problems can turn the same design into exhausting wandering.

Performance is strong across PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC, and handheld testing, with many reports of stable targets and smooth combat. Steam Deck’s Eastern Kyoto hub is the main recurring performance caveat.

Performance reports are strong where frame rate is discussed, including smooth 60 FPS on PS5 hardware and solid results on a high-end handheld.

Detailed environments, expressive characters, fluid presentation, and the historical-fantasy setting create strong immersion for many reviewers. Repetitive Kyoto layouts and repeated activities can break that spell for some.

Sound, lighting, environmental scale, minimal interface, and controller feedback can make the facility highly immersive, although loading screens and repetition occasionally break the spell.

Kyoto, temples, forests, palaces, and supernatural spaces are praised for dense detail, historical texture, lighting, and small visual touches that reward close attention.

The facility is visually rich and communicates decay, infection, scale, and former function through its spaces, though some areas can look too similar for reliable navigation.

Reviewers praise the way the game modernizes Onimusha and combines familiar action ideas into a distinctive parry-centered system rather than simply becoming another Soulslike.

The blend of cinematic horror, survival mechanics, twin-stick shooting, Souls-like ideas, and Metroidvania structure feels fresh to many sources, even when the pieces do not always fit together cleanly.

Sparks, slow-motion reactions, attack effects, and cinematic finishing flourishes make clashes look dramatic without obscuring the swordplay.

Lighting is a standout visual effect, balancing deep darkness and visibility without requiring much manual brightness adjustment.

Most reviewers found the swordplay and boss mastery intensely fun and addictive, often seeking extra fights simply to keep playing. Repetition and padding are the main factors that wear down that enthusiasm.

Overall enjoyment ranges from exceptional to uneven. The atmosphere and discovery loop frequently carry the experience, while bugs, navigation friction, repetition, and balance issues are the main reasons enthusiasm drops.

The game is widely regarded as gorgeous, with strong character models, lighting, environments, and RE Engine presentation across platforms. Performance modes and the gap between cinematic and gameplay rendering introduce only minor visual compromises for most reviewers.

Visual quality is consistently strong, with smooth presentation, striking lighting, grotesque creatures, and cinematic industrial spaces repeatedly singled out.

Upgrades are mixed: combat skills and some equipment boosts feel meaningful, while incremental stat gains and material requirements can feel dull, imperceptible, or grindy.

Weapon and suit upgrades can make exploration feel valuable and materially change survival odds, but some sources find suit customization shallow and the upgraded pistol too dominant.

Reviewers consistently praise the grotesque Genma, corrupted Kyoto, historical architecture, and supernatural imagery. The aesthetic feels recognizably Onimusha while benefiting from much richer modern detail.

The blue-lit industrial horror aesthetic is a major strength, with striking lighting, shadows, grotesque creature imagery, and carefully staged spaces creating a distinctive look.

Steam Deck and Switch 2 coverage is notably positive, with playable performance and strong visuals on the go despite heavier battery or CPU load in Eastern Kyoto.

Handheld impressions are excellent, with strong reported performance on both MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Xbox Ally X hardware.

The bow’s generous auto-aim makes headshots easy, but lock-on and targeting can occasionally keep attacks moving in an unwanted direction.

Aiming is one of the most divisive mechanics. Some found it manageable or skill-based after practice, while others struggled with touchy sticks, movement spread, a fussy laser, or shots that felt less predictable than they should.

At its best, the loop of dueling, mastering defensive timing, absorbing souls, and upgrading Musashi is highly compelling. Some reviewers felt the opening and repeated hub chores obscure that excellent core.

The explore-scan-unlock-return loop can be highly addictive, but repetition and navigation friction make the same structure feel inconsistent when the map or combat starts getting in the way.

Story reception is divided. Many reviewers love the character-driven tale, humor, relationships, and emotional beats, while others call the plot thin, convoluted, or less memorable than the combat.

The restrained, cryptic story suits the eerie setting and works well for players who enjoy piecing mysteries together. Others find the buildup too vague, the protagonist underexplored, or the strongest story beats delayed until very late.

The layered defensive options, soul management, armaments, environmental tools, and resource systems create unusually rich moment-to-moment play. A few explanations and secondary systems can feel confusing or less polished.

The scanner is the standout mechanic, turning doors, objects, enemies, and map completion into an active exploration system. Its manual nature is engaging for some players but can cause major backtracking when an important object is missed.

Fetch quests, repeated demon-clearing jobs, and reused overworld activities create a clear sense of repetition between the stronger set-piece missions.

Objective structure can become repetitive, especially when progression leans on successive activation tasks instead of more varied goals.

Stealth exists, but the reviewer who evaluated it found direct sword combat far more rewarding.

The knife and occasional opportunities to approach enemies quietly feel underused; one source wanted smarter positioning to enable more meaningful stealth takedowns.

Musashi is one of the strongest points of agreement: reviewers repeatedly call him charismatic, funny, cool, expressive, and easy to root for, with only a small minority finding his arc less compelling.

Cel's quiet, minimally defined personality leaves the lead less compelling than the world surrounding them.

Reviewers who directly addressed the controls describe them as tight and responsive, which helps the demanding timing-based combat feel fair.

Movement and shooting generally feel responsive once learned, but the unusual aiming scheme can feel awkward on controller and creates a steeper adjustment period for some players.

Japanese performances receive near-universal praise, while English-language reactions are more mixed because of accent choices and occasional odd delivery. Several English cast members are still singled out for excellent work.

The invented, gibberish-style speech is surprisingly effective, with delivery conveying seriousness and intimidation even without a real spoken language.

Boss fights are the standout attraction: dramatic, mechanically distinct, visually memorable, and built to reward mastery of parries, dodges, deflects, and Issens. The main caveat is repeated use of some minibosses and recurring foes.

Boss quality varies sharply by source. Some praise creative grotesque designs and pattern-based fights, while others find several encounters repetitive, cramped, or poorly balanced across the campaign.

The UI is praised for being restrained, clear, and largely out of the player’s way.

The minimal HUD is praised for cleanliness, but the map interface can malfunction or fail to load, creating a sharp contrast between presentation and usability.

Eastern Kyoto can feel maze-like, and map controls or blocked routes sometimes make simple travel more awkward than it should be.

The map is both essential and one of the game's biggest risks. When it works, scanning and charting routes are satisfying; when doors fail to update, layers are hard to read, or cues are too vague, navigation becomes frustrating and time-consuming.

Sharp sword clashes, parry impacts, executions, and other combat sounds give the fighting strong physical feedback and make successful timing feel satisfying.

Sound design is one of the strongest areas, using distant clangs, wet creature noises, reverberation, weapon impact, and industrial ambience to make unseen threats and vast spaces feel tangible.

Real mythology, Edo-period details, optional legends, and character stories give Kyoto a rich backdrop that many reviewers found unusually rewarding to dig into.

The derelict facility is a compelling character in its own right, with distinct sectors, infection, machinery, environmental clues, and spatial scale doing much of the storytelling.

The handcrafted linear stages are generally the strongest spaces, with memorable temples, castles, laboratories, and supernatural areas. The hub and a few repetitive routes are less consistently praised.

The interconnected facility can be intricate, dense, and rewarding, with strong shortcuts and vertical layering. Less favorable impressions point to confusing flow, overly linear stretches, hidden progression cues, and areas that are hard to read.

The bespoke story missions work well, but generic Encounter-style objectives and busywork are repeatedly called filler.

Some later objectives feel mundane and overly dependent on activating chains of systems rather than introducing more meaningful tasks.

The score is praised for mixing traditional Japanese instrumentation with cinematic fantasy and horror tones without overpowering the action.

The score is consistently praised for being restrained, ominous, and responsive to action, reinforcing the industrial horror atmosphere without overwhelming it.

Technical optimization is a strong point, with reviewers highlighting smooth frame rates and good visual quality even on less powerful or handheld hardware.

Where raw performance is tested, optimization is a strength: high-end PC, PS5, PS5 Pro, and handheld runs all receive positive reports.

Reviewers who directly discussed price generally felt the campaign quality, replay options, and production values justify the cost for action fans.

Value impressions are strongly positive where discussed: the $29.99 price is considered excellent for the amount and quality of the experience.

Boss rematches, harder difficulty, challenge rewards, and New Game Plus give combat-focused players meaningful reasons to return. Replaying padded missions is less appealing to some critics.

Secret areas, missed upgrades, alternate-ending collectibles, and route knowledge create reasons to return, although there is no New Game+ in the coverage that discusses it.

Console and Switch 2 versions are generally well supported with useful performance options and stable play; Switch 2-specific control features are seen as fun if somewhat gimmicky.

PS5-specific DualSense support is a welcome touch, with haptics and adaptive triggers adding texture to scanning and other actions.

Story mode earns strong praise for wider timing windows and real-time action prompts that teach parries, dodges, deflects, and Issens. One review still wanted broader visual accessibility options.

The use of Toshiro Mifune’s likeness and the game’s performance casting are generally viewed as fitting and distinctive, even though a minority questioned the ethics or necessity of recreating a deceased actor.

The supporting cast is a major strength, with Shizuka, Okuni, Takamura, Ganryu, and the villains repeatedly praised for personality and memorable interactions.

The game is packed with ideas, but at least one source felt several systems were not fully implemented or developed as far as they could have been.

Crafting special ammunition can become tedious when a failed encounter consumes supplies and forces the player to make them again.

Despite the action-heavy premise, reviewers frequently found the character relationships, personal arcs, and later story beats funny, heartfelt, or unexpectedly moving.

Facial animation is repeatedly described as among the game’s best visual work, especially Musashi’s expressive mannerisms and subtle reactions during both cutscenes and gameplay.

The revival modernizes movement, camera, scale, and combat without losing the Oni Gauntlet, soul absorption, Issen timing, horror flavor, or eccentric Onimusha identity. Longtime fans largely see it as a successful return.

DualSense haptics and adaptive-trigger support are appreciated as worthwhile immersion extras, even if they do not fundamentally change play.

The hands-off philosophy can go too far; missed scannable objects or subtle routes can lead to hours of wandering, and a light scanner cue or extra guidance would help.

The minimal HUD earns praise for staying clean and keeping attention on the art rather than cluttering the screen.

Fragments become too common in several playthroughs, making glowing pickups and fragment-heavy rooms feel less rewarding than meaningful upgrades or supplies.

Wall-running is a small but well-liked traversal addition that expands movement without turning the game into a platformer.

Shizuka, Okuni, Takamura, and Ganryu often earn praise for personality and chemistry with Musashi, though some reviewers wanted the rival storyline to go deeper.

One critical review argues that some late skill upgrades feel more like delayed quality-of-life fixes than genuinely meaningful progression choices.

The survival layer works best when secondary ammo is scarce and safe-room choices create pressure. Infinite pistol ammo, abundant materials, repeated respawns, or forced farming can undercut that tension.

Story mode’s prompts and the practice systems make the timing-heavy mechanics easier to understand, with reviewers praising their usefulness for newcomers and mastery alike.

Cosmetic options exist, with additional looks unlocking through play and harder modes, but the selection initially feels limited.

The interface and menus are praised for staying unobtrusive and avoiding unnecessary tab complexity.

One source specifically praises the final graphics for matching the visual quality presented in the trailers.

The central Kyoto hub is the most consistent structural complaint. Reviewers often see its fetch quests, repeated streets, and resource chores as padding between much stronger linear levels and boss encounters.

Puzzles are a light part of the experience, but the secrets and environmental challenges that do appear can be enjoyable diversions from combat.

The side content is uneven: Lady Murasaki’s Mysteries and character-focused quests receive real praise, while generic fetch, kill, and resource jobs are frequently dismissed as filler.

Sparse save points magnify the cost of crashes and softlocks, because technical failures can force large sections to be replayed.