Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is my favorite game of all time. This is the closest another game has gotten to replicating what made me fall in love with that game so completely.
Many games have taken inspiration from Sekiro since it came on to the scene and introduced everyone to the joy of a parry that actually feels Good. Parries are everywhere in games now but they don't always nail the part about them feeling Good. Onimusha's parry feels really Good.
At its heart this is a game about responding to enemy attacks. Sekiro had three main ways to respond: parry, jump, and Mikiri Counter. Onimusha has two: parry and dodge (and kind of the Issen, but those are basically just perfectly timed parries). Nailing those responses in this game feels so good and they do a great job of making you feel cool while doing it. There are a ton of different animations within the gameplay of Musashi doing extremely slick shit with his sword that always feel fluid with the action. The meters are a nice addition to parrying and blocking as well that allow you to get stronger or do a burst of damage after succeeding on enough of the actions.
The bosses are absolutely the highlight of this game. Each one feels like a well crafted experience. They nailed the feeling of the back and forth dance between you and your opponent in these fights and did a great job of making every fight feel cinematic. I almost don't want to say too much because I feel like that's where the real spoilers for this game are, not in the story. Experiencing certain unique mechanics or moments in many of these fights for the first time is absolutely a thrill. Every boss has at least two phases where after the first they lock in and change up their attacks a little bit and it always creates really good tension in the fights.
Where it falls a little short of Sekiro in my mind is not quite getting to the rhythmic aspect of Sekiro's combat. For most of the game you only need to respond to one attack before you get your chance to go on the offensive, unlike Sekiro where even in the early fights bosses have strings of attacks that you need to learn to get your openings. Successfully parrying or dodging in this game explicitly creates the opening for you. This does make Onimusha have a lower barrier to entry which is nice, but you don't get the same highs that are created by perfectly timing a series of parries to wear down a boss's stamina in the blink of an eye while peppering in slashes where you've learned it's safe to strike for a second. In the back half of the game there are a few more instances of bosses that will have a follow up attack even if they get parried, but still never more than one or two.
The story is not much to write home about, it's a pretty straightforward story about a reluctant, kind of goofy hero who slowly comes into his role as the savior of the world. You'll see pretty much all of the story beats coming but they are executed in a fun way that will be enough to keep you entertained in the cutscenes. The characters really do shine within the fairly standard plot though. Musashi is an amazing protagonist, he is an incredible mix of charming and badass without crossing into "Mary Sue" territory. He grows a lot over the course of the game and it's fun to be a part of. All of this is accentuated by the crazy facial tech they've got going on for him, no video game character has ever conveyed more emotion through their facial motions. The supporting cast is great as well, highlighted by the two main villains who are constantly popping up throughout the game.
I know a lot of people have taken issue with the quality of the content between the boss fights, but I was not overly bothered by that until late in the game when I just wanted to wrap things up. And if I had been wired differently to where I could just leave side content unfinished it would've been even less of an issue. I think the combat is good enough that for most of the game it's fun enough to just stunt on some fodder enemies on your way to completing a side quest or even try out some of the new skills you've unlocked or work on your Issen timing.
If you're a parry sicko like me who has been chasing that Sekiro high since it came out, this should definitely scratch that itch but it is also a very fun game in its own right with many memorable boss experiences and a fun, if not inventive, story. And if you're not a parry sicko, or are unsure, I still think the game is a perfectly approachable for people newer to this type of game as well (I haven't tried the accessibility options like getting a indication of what type of response is required for a given attack, but I've heard good things). Now for the love of God FromSoft, please remember that Sekiro exists and make a new one or even just some DLC I am begging.