[0:05] [music]
[0:08] >> Developer Capcom revives its long
[0:10] dormant Onimusha series with Way of the
[0:12] Sword, where a new demo offers up a
[0:15] slice of the adventure ahead of its
[0:17] September 25th release. The team's RE
[0:19] Engine is deployed once again, of
[0:21] course, hot off the heels of its uses in
[0:23] Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata just
[0:25] this year. Today, then, as legendary
[0:28] hero Miyamoto Musashi, you hack through
[0:30] demon-infested temples in this 30-ish
[0:33] minute segment, dispatching each foe to
[0:35] great bloody effect, and mopping up
[0:37] their souls with your gauntlet as you
[0:39] go. The highlight, so far, is once again
[0:42] Capcom's stellar use of facial capture
[0:44] technology. Musashi's every grin and
[0:46] grimace is put in these tight close-ups,
[0:49] selling his role as the reluctant hero
[0:51] before a single word's even been spoken.
[0:53] Paired with object destruction, cloth
[0:56] physics, plus decapitations, if you're
[0:58] so inclined, there's a convincingly
[1:00] hefty feel to his every move. Now, it is
[1:03] obviously early days, but there are some
[1:05] limitations to the demo worth touching
[1:07] on. The upside is that PC and PS5 Pro
[1:10] support ray-traced reflections, which is
[1:12] great to see. On PC, the ray-tracing
[1:14] setting affects the quality of those
[1:16] reflections alone. However, beyond RT
[1:18] reflections, we're missing support for
[1:20] RT global illumination, RT shadows, and
[1:24] even path tracing, features that are
[1:26] included in Requiem and Pragmata. As a
[1:29] result, and regardless of your chosen
[1:31] Onimusha's demo reverts to a limited
[1:34] rasterized approach to shadowing in
[1:36] particular. It holds up well enough
[1:38] outdoors, but you might notice lacking
[1:40] shadow reactions from interior light
[1:42] points, like lanterns and candles.
[1:47] Limited ray-tracing features aside, as
[1:49] an early snapshot of its progress on
[1:51] PlayStation 5 and Xbox, Onimusha's in a
[1:54] promising state overall. To start, every
[1:56] console release gets two graphics modes
[1:58] here, 460 FPS performance and 30 FPS
[2:01] quality. Visual settings are identical
[2:04] either way and both upscale to a 4K
[2:06] target as noted in Capcom's handy
[2:09] graphic here. However, the most notable
[2:11] difference is the underlying native
[2:13] resolution of each mode, which affects
[2:15] clarity. So, PS5 and Series X run at a
[2:18] dynamic 1440p to 4K in the performance
[2:21] mode and settle more typically at a
[2:24] fixed 4K value in the graphics mode.
[2:26] Meanwhile, Series S drops to 1080p in
[2:28] both modes and based on early testing,
[2:31] it's rare to see much in the way of
[2:32] dynamic adjustments under that figure so
[2:34] far. In practice then, it's 1080p either
[2:37] way, though this may change for later
[2:39] chapters in the final game. Lastly, PS5
[2:42] Pro operates at a more flexible 1296p to
[2:45] 4K range on its performance mode using
[2:48] Sony's new improved PSSR upscaler while
[2:51] the graphics mode runs at 4K.
[2:55] Rounding out, the settings menu offers a
[2:58] few other extras. The big one is the
[3:00] fixed frame rate option allowing for a
[3:01] cap at either 60 FPS or 40 FPS if you
[3:05] have the performance mode selected. To
[3:07] access that fixed 40 FPS cap, you'll
[3:09] need a 120 Hz display attached of
[3:11] course, while as an alternative, it's
[3:14] possible to run entirely unlocked, which
[3:16] is ideal for VRR displays. There's
[3:19] plenty of useful options here then, but
[3:20] in practice, the fixed 60 FPS
[3:22] performance mode is all you'll likely
[3:24] need. It enough on PS5, Series X and S
[3:28] and controllable play is a locked 60
[3:31] based on the demo content at least. On
[3:33] the quality mode meanwhile, it's only
[3:35] possible to fix the frame rate at 30 FPS
[3:38] or again, run with uncapped frame rates.
[3:40] Finally, the PS5 Pro version gets one
[3:43] extra toggle allowing ray trace
[3:45] reflections. This works independently of
[3:47] the graphics mode toggle at the top of
[3:48] the menus and in fact, it combines
[3:51] beautifully with Pro's 60 FPS
[3:53] performance mode. Effectively, you can
[3:55] run at 60 FPS with ray tracing engaged,
[3:57] and there's no performance penalty in
[3:59] doing so. There's no downsides. Engaging
[4:01] RT reflections replaces the screen space
[4:04] reflection method seen on all other
[4:05] consoles, and for Pro owners, it's
[4:08] really the biggest plus point. Alas,
[4:10] it's not used as extensively as say
[4:13] Pragmata's glossy spaceship corridors,
[4:15] and the Onimusha demo limits the effect
[4:17] to puddles and ponds scattered around
[4:20] the temple. It's expected given the
[4:22] setting. Still, as you can see, ray
[4:24] traced reflections allows more thorough
[4:26] coverage of the scene than SSR, and
[4:28] avoids that method's classic occlusion
[4:31] artifacts from the player.
[4:40] The second PS5 Pro advantage is its use
[4:42] of Sony's PSSR upscaler. In this case,
[4:45] on its newest iteration. Combined with
[4:47] the typically high pixel counts on PS5
[4:49] Pro, PSSR resolves a sharper image
[4:52] compared to base PS5. A cleaner, more
[4:55] stable frame in still moments
[4:56] especially. It really stands out when
[4:58] using the 60 FPS performance mode, where
[5:01] a native 4K isn't a given. Though, to
[5:03] truly demonstrate, I've had to go for a
[5:05] two times or even three times zoom here.
[5:08] The resolution on base PS5 generally
[5:10] holds up, but Pro offers a decent
[5:13] refinement in clarity across the dark
[5:14] pathways ahead. On top of that, the
[5:16] additional benefits of PSSR is its
[5:19] treatment of the moving image. Some form
[5:21] of reconstruction artifact is expected
[5:23] within the upscaling tech, but at least
[5:25] PSSR avoids the banding trails, the
[5:27] ghosting, present on the standard PS5
[5:30] version here. Note the arc of the sword
[5:32] as we approach this demon, and likewise,
[5:35] the trail left behind by Musashi's
[5:37] cloak. PS5 Pro benefits from fewer
[5:39] artifacts, and again, a slightly sharper
[5:42] image if you know where to look. Great
[5:44] stuff.
[5:50] >> Looking past the image quality
[5:51] differences and the ray tracing option,
[5:53] PS5, PS5 Pro, and indeed Series X are
[5:57] identical. The biggest variation in
[5:59] settings is on Series S, as you'd
[6:00] expect, which drops to 1080p with an
[6:03] expected loss in clarity. The most
[6:05] glaring impact of its lower native
[6:07] resolution is the presentation of hair,
[6:09] which tends to break up more obviously
[6:12] on the four teraflop console. In classic
[6:14] Capcom fashion, Series S also reverts to
[6:17] lower quality texture maps. To be fair,
[6:19] this is subtler than, say, the glaring
[6:21] cutbacks in Street Fighter 6, and the
[6:24] third-person view in Onimusha tends to
[6:26] prevent putting them in frame too often.
[6:29] Elsewhere, minor level of detail
[6:30] differences are also in place for
[6:32] foliage, favoring Series X, but
[6:34] otherwise, Series S holds up well based
[6:36] on the demo. You get SSR into the
[6:38] bargain for reflections, volumetric
[6:40] effects hold up well, and it runs at a
[6:43] tight 60 frames per second on its
[6:46] performance mode, too.
[6:51] >> [music]
[6:53] >> On which note, let's talk performance.
[6:55] Base PS5, PS5 Pro, Series X, and S are
[6:58] all faultless in their push for 60
[7:00] frames per second, at least while in
[7:02] gameplay. There's barely a drop on
[7:04] record here, and again, PS5 Pro does it
[7:06] all with ray tracing engaged, too. Even
[7:09] with a high on-screen enemy count,
[7:11] multiple effects, and the destruction
[7:13] physics, each is locked at 60. The fact
[7:16] that Series S is also hitting the mark
[7:18] perfectly is encouraging. The only
[7:20] downside is the cutscenes, which engage
[7:23] more post effects, notably depth of
[7:25] field, with less flattering readings
[7:27] overall. On base PS5, for example, we're
[7:29] dropping into the 50s while first
[7:31] collecting the gauntlet, and then later,
[7:33] even going into the high 40s during a
[7:35] final boss showdown. It applies to all
[7:37] machines, sadly. The silver lining being
[7:40] that it's still within range for VR to
[7:42] smooth out. That said, PS5 Pro does at
[7:44] least minimize these cutscene lurches in
[7:46] the demo, and so switching to a similar
[7:49] boss cutscene on Pro, it's only dropping
[7:52] to the 50s here. Again, it's only for
[7:54] cutscenes, and once you take control
[7:55] again, all consoles are back to a
[7:57] rock-solid 60.
[8:04] Those lucky enough to have a VR display
[8:07] have an extra benefit in the form of an
[8:09] unlocked FPS option. It works fine with
[8:12] the graphics mode, but it's more
[8:13] sensibly combined with the performance
[8:15] mode to give VR the most frame data
[8:17] possible. This way, both PS5 consoles
[8:19] run from 60 to 90 FPS depending on the
[8:23] complexity of the frame, and PS5 Pro is
[8:26] the clear performance leader on average
[8:28] as you'd expect. In fact, the Pro lead
[8:30] ranges from 4 FPS to 8 FPS in matching
[8:33] runs, and surprisingly, you'll spot the
[8:36] ray tracing mode is the more performant
[8:38] of the two. In almost every scene,
[8:40] keeping ray tracing disabled, therefore
[8:43] engaging SSR, is actually more expensive
[8:45] for the system across a bulk of the demo
[8:47] content. Perhaps it's down to the
[8:49] minimal use of ray tracing in most
[8:51] scenes, being limited to a small
[8:53] scattering of puddles. Either way, ray
[8:55] tracing or not, the divide is very
[8:57] slight, by around 2 to 3 FPS in favor of
[9:00] keeping RT engaged. Meanwhile, jumping
[9:02] over to Xbox Series X and S running
[9:05] unlocked, you're getting a likewise 60
[9:07] to 90 FPS range. Despite running at
[9:10] matching settings here, Series X is
[9:12] averaging at 2 to 3 FPS lower than base
[9:14] PS5, which thankfully doesn't affect
[9:17] play with a 60 FPS cap engaged. And
[9:19] then, Series S trails behind X by a
[9:22] further 1 to 2 frames per second on
[9:23] average here.
[9:30] All of this points to Onimusha: Warlords
[9:32] of the Sword being a well-optimized RE
[9:34] Engine release on console as it is, but
[9:36] there's surely more to do and see in the
[9:38] full version. There's a fixed 40 FPS
[9:41] option, too, of course, which could
[9:42] potentially be a good backup if you
[9:45] prefer to mask those sub-60 drops during
[9:47] cutscenes on the performance mode. That
[9:49] said, I did notice an unusual bug at 40
[9:52] FPS with one frame seemingly dropping
[9:55] every 960 frames. PS5 and Xbox consoles
[9:58] have the same issue, a minor blip that's
[10:00] evenly spaced out over the course of the
[10:03] 120 Hz output. Thankfully, there's no
[10:06] such issue with the fixed 30 FPS option
[10:08] via the graphics mode. This gets you to
[10:10] a perfect 30 FPS line with the most
[10:12] crisp, high-resolution output each
[10:14] console can afford.
[10:17] The only remaining question then is how
[10:19] this series return will play out on
[10:21] Nintendo Switch 2. Looking at Capcom's
[10:23] spec sheet, we're expecting a 900p image
[10:25] in handheld and 1080p in docked, both at
[10:29] 30 FPS. It's not yet certain if those
[10:31] stated resolutions are the target image
[10:34] for, say, DLSS or the actual native
[10:36] pixel count we can expect on Switch 2.
[10:39] Without a demo in hand for this one,
[10:40] we'll also have to wait till September
[10:43] to see if Nintendo's machine can hit a
[10:45] tight 30 FPS lock. But for now, that's
[10:48] all for this quick look. If you did
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