During a hands-off showcase at Summer Games Fest, Onimusha: Way of the Sword quietly surfaced as one of the most thrilling prospects on the horizon. Capcom allowed the game to convey its message. What it expressed, resoundingly, is that they’re not merely resurrecting Onimusha to tap into nostalgia. They’re reconstructing it from the ground up.

It has been almost twenty years since Onimusha was regarded as a cornerstone of Capcom’s catalogue. However, with recent remasters and Way of the Sword approaching, the studio is treating this comeback as a special occasion. This isn’t just a minor spin-off; this is a comprehensive installment with significant impact, and a distinct creative vision driving it. It proudly showcases its influences, particularly from samurai cinema and modern action mechanics, yet it never comes across as derivative.

Set in a stylized rendition of feudal Kyoto, the game centers on Miyamoto Musashi, not the philosophical warrior of lore, but a younger fighter visually and vocally inspired by Toshiro Mifune, an iconic Japanese actor and producer celebrated for his contributions to the samurai film genre. That casting decision carries substantial weight. It roots the game in a very particular cinematic period, one characterized by black-and-white duels and striking silhouettes.

Musashi isn’t merely dispatching bandits, of course. The supernatural elements are integrated from the outset. He wears the Oni gauntlet on his arm, a cursed object that enables him to absorb the souls of his adversaries. While many contemporary action games might simplify this into an auto-collection system, Way of the Sword incorporates it as an active mechanic. Enemies release red, blue, and yellow orbs upon dying, representing experience, skills, and health, respectively, which Musashi must manually gather. If he fails to do so, they vanish or, worse, are seized by other foes who enhance their power. This twist introduces a genuine tension to every encounter. It’s refreshing to see that this mechanic remains intact amidst the series’ modernization.

Combat ascends to a new height with the return of the Issen. Series veterans are well-acquainted with the term. These are instant-death counters that activate with perfect timing and appear truly impressive. Capcom has evolved them from a subtle flourish to a focal point. Time slows, the camera zooms in, and Musashi links together one-hit kills that feel like they’re pulled straight from a Kurosawa dream sequence. And the most thrilling aspect is its expressiveness.

We caught only a glimpse, but another hinted boss, Byakue, resembled a full-blown nightmare—a colossal, skinless creature adorned with talismans and oozing corruption. The confrontation was abruptly halted, but the visuals alone conveyed enough. This game isn’t shy about embracing the bizarre, and it expertly cultivates dread without excessive exposition.

The supernatural aspects in Way of the Sword extend beyond the battlefield. Musashi can utilize Oni Visions to uncover hidden paths, phantoms, and clues. In one segment, he observed a funeral procession disintegrate into ash mid-step, unveiling his route. In another vision, he unveiled the moments of a warrior whose soul had been warped by remorse after slaying members of his village. These Dark Mass fragments enrich the narrative with layers of context and sadness, developing a world that already exudes haunting qualities.

From a presentation standpoint, Way of the Sword is breathtaking. The art direction is carrying most of the weight, but the animation quality enhances the overall experience. Musashi’s stance appears to adjust subtly based on the foe he confronts. Even his idle poses seem infused with purpose. Enemy design is equally striking.

What is perhaps the most thrilling is how assured everything feels. Capcom isn’t doubting what Onimusha should embody. They’ve rediscovered it. Not by recreating what once was, but by distilling what made it resonate and letting it resonate in a new key. It’s fierce, beautiful, and boldly allows silence to convey meaning when necessary.

There’s still a lot we haven’t witnessed. The complete narrative arc, the expansiveness of the map, how far the mechanics develop. But if the remainder of Way of the Sword maintains this momentum, Capcom isn’t merely resurrecting a franchise; they’re reminding everyone why it mattered in the first place.

Capcom has consistently pushed the limits of horror, but with Resident Evil Requiem, it appears they’re intent on making us feel uneasy in a manner that emphasizes raw, unfiltered fear over combat. Following a thirty-minute presentation, it’s apparent: this isn’t merely another return to Raccoon City; it’s a plunge into a realm that’s colder, more anxious, and profoundly personal. I can’t shake the thought of it.

Slated for release next year, Resident Evil Requiem is already setting itself up to be one of the most unsettling entries in the franchise, not solely due to the grotesque creatures or the return to a nuclear-devastated Raccoon City. The crucial transformation comes from the viewpoint—not just the camera angle, which players can switch between first and third-person at will, but in the narrative tone and the emotions Requiem aims to evoke. The key term here is helplessness. It masterfully encapsulates that feeling in every breath and misstep made by protagonist Grace Ashcroft.

Grace is not a gun-wielding action hero. She doesn’t resemble Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield. Instead, she’s a terrified FBI agent who regains consciousness strapped upside down to a hospital bed, injured and utterly confused. Her breathing is ragged. Her footsteps echo ominously as if an anvil has fallen on the ship deck. Her voice quivers, perpetually teetering on the brink of panic, as if each step could be a blunder. It’s unsettling and at times draining, but that’s the intent.

“Resident Evil Requiem doesn’t merely simulate fear; it enforces it.”

Indeed, the heavy breathing and pained gasps may become grating over time, and the thunderous footsteps might feel engineered to shatter eardrums, but there’s a purpose behind this chaos. Resident Evil Requiem doesn’t just simulate terror; it enforces it. The game endeavors to make you feel overexposed, vulnerable, as though every action is a risk. It wants your head to throb a little. At least, that’s what I gathered.

Fortunately, you are not confined to that stifling first-person perspective the whole time. At any moment, players can access the pause menu and switch to a third-person viewpoint, a feature we eventually saw in Resident Evil Village’s Winters Expansion DLC. It’s not merely a gimmick, either. It significantly alters how you perceive Grace and your environment. The third-person view allows for a bit of distance and detachment, providing a much-needed breather from the suffocating intimacy of the first-person perspective, particularly when you’re fleeing from the massive creature that pursues Grace through the dilapidated corridors.

Speaking of that creature, it’s a grotesque, towering woman-beast with hands reminiscent of catcher’s mitts and an aura that evokes nightmares. She doesn’t just pursue Grace; she consumes her prey and disrupts the area they inhabit in the demo, chasing her and cutting power to the lights, forcing Grace to traverse through darkness once again. One moment in the Resident Evil Requiem demo unfolds like a horrifying exhibit: the beast lifts a corpse and tears into it. It’s a gruesome, visceral scene, and the animation is so expertly done that it approaches the line of being offensive.

Much of the Resident Evil Requiem demo hinges on this kind of tension. You’re not constantly under attack, yet you never feel secure. Most of Grace’s time is spent trying to figure out her location, flicking nonfunctional light switches, searching through drawers for keys and fuses, and glancing into shadows that seem deeper than they ought to be. The environments are dimly lit, often by red emergency lights that cast a blood-like hue over everything. The facility she’s trapped in is decrepit and claustrophobic, filled with narrow corridors and locked doors. This embodies classic Resident Evil but viewed through a perspective that feels more psychological, suffocating, and quiet—at least until it isn’t.

When violence occurs, it strikes hard. An infected body tumbling from a doorway represents the closest thing to a jumpscare we encountered early in the demo, and even that is overshadowed by the reveal of something far more monstrous lurking behind it. Grace does not retaliate, at least not in this segment. She flees. If you’re seeking shotgun-blasting action like in Resident Evil 4 Remake, that hasn’t been presented so far. However, if you appreciate the slow, dread-filled panic of Resident Evil 7, you’re in your element.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply Grace lacks efficacy. We’re told she has training; she is, after all, an FBI agent, and this comes through more in how she manages herself under duress rather than through combat. A syringe supplants the traditional green herb as the primary healing item, instantly

Nintendo has made an unexpected reveal with the announcement of the very first Splatoon spinoff game, Splatoon Raiders, set to release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. This revelation came alongside a complimentary update for Splatoon 3, presented through a video named “Research Report from Squid Research Lab.”

Rather than proceeding with another numbered installment in the Splatoon franchise, Nintendo has unveiled Splatoon Raiders, a spinoff that invites players to embark on an adventure across the enigmatic Spirhalite Islands. Players will take on the role of a mechanic, teaming up with the Deep Cut trio—Shiver, Frye, and Big Man—as they set out on their quest. The teaser video showcases the trio traversing the Spirhalite Island, pursuing a yellow beam shot into the sky, although it does not disclose much regarding the gameplay or the islands themselves.

While the teaser leaves plenty to speculate about, it suggests that research is still in progress, indicating that fans may need to be patient for a release window. In the meantime, the free update for Splatoon 3, scheduled for release on June 12, will be accessible on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. This update presents the Splatlands collection, featuring 30 new weapon kits with innovative designs and a variety of sub and special weapons.

Furthermore, the update affirms that Splatoon 3 players will have access to cross-play between the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. However, additional details about Splatoon Raiders will be disclosed in the near future, keeping fans eagerly looking forward to the new spinoff.