A free demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword recently dropped on console and Steam. It places players in an early tutorial section of the action game and gives them a taste of swordsman Miyamoto Musashi’s various abilities and how combat will feel in the sequel to a long-dormant Capcom franchise. In the days since, players have been complaining that the demo is too easy, and they’re worried it’s an indication of just how breezy the full game will be, too. Capcom has now responded to the backlash claiming that won’t be the case.
“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,” Onimusha: Way of the Sword producer Akihito Kadowaki said during a recent video addressed to fans. “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.”
From what I read in comments it is more the enemy aggression or that you can "spam mash" basic attacks and one guy made video like it's all not needed because you can mash and that the game doesn't make him learn the moves for the boss because of it. 😅 But dude if you rather do… pic.twitter.com/Z2aV0c3bW7
— Yo it's double 0 🎮 Flo (@Yo_its_Flo7) June 8, 2026
But some players have still been left wondering just how much harder the actual game will be. While Kadowaki mentioned overpowered abilities, the main issue with the demo is that enemies just aren’t that aggressive. This makes it easy for Musashi to rip through them by mashing buttons alone. “Don’t cater to the filthy casuals Capcom, you can do it, be brave, give us a harder game even from the start, no need to be like Fromsoft’s, just a bit harder, not like in the demo, it feels like a kids game at this point,” wrote one player on Steam.
While the perfunctory combat in the demo is leaving some fans cold, it may have done the job of getting people who otherwise have no history with the Onimusha games to give it a try. Capcom reported the free demo has already been downloaded over 1 million times. And not every player is hating the current level of difficulty.
“I’m waiting to see how the difficulty shakes out,” one wrote on Reddit. “Right now I would personally prefer a little more challenge, but I think they’re doing a good job of striking a balance where you can’t just blindly spam your way through every encounter, but nothing is so brutally difficult that it will be off-putting for the average gamer when they reach difficulty spikes like Ganryu.”
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is out September 25, along with every other game this year.
