Sep 4, 2026 · 1h 37m
Capcom’s resurgence meets games’ mounting industry pressures
'Onimusha: Way of the Sword' Reactions and Capcom's Career Year | Button Mash
The episode connects layoffs, rising hardware costs, AI graphics, and digital ownership disputes with a close look at why Capcom is thriving.
- 1Onimusha: Way of the Sword makes sophisticated sword combat approachable, but its roughly 40-hour campaign repeats itself.
- 2Sony’s digital-ownership argument draws sharper criticism than its more plausible defense of tariff-related console refunds.
- 3Capcom’s resurgence reflects strong leadership, the RE Engine, Japanese development, and a productive balance of remakes and new games.
Don't miss
The panel argues that Onimusha’s excellent combat and approachable systems could have supported an all-time classic, had the campaign been shorter.
The brief
Ben Lindbergh, Steve Ahlman, Matt James, and Lewis Gordon open with layoffs, console price hikes, GTA-driven hardware demand, and the instability facing game development and media.
A mock Podcast Court finds Sony’s claim that digital purchases are merely licenses especially unconvincing, while its tariff-refund defense earns a more qualified hearing.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword wins praise for its setting, characters, voice acting, and swordplay, where parries, clashes, timing, and animation create a satisfying flow.
The catch is repetition: a roughly 40-hour campaign recycles enemies and stretches cutscenes, turning a potentially all-time classic into a less disciplined achievement.
The panel places Onimusha within Capcom’s broader resurgence, then weighs Orbitals and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy as contrasting recommendations with clear caveats.