Day 4 of PAX West 2025 wrapped up the show with a bang, featuring a mix of long-awaited sequels, chaotic co-op shooters, and inventive indie surprises. From the return of Onimusha to the explosive charm of Captain Wayne – Vacation Desperation and the mayhem of Borderlands 4, the show floor offered plenty of reasons to keep your eyes on the horizon. Here’s everything we played on the final day of PAX West.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
I won’t go into too much detail, as we previously covered the same demo in full over here, but I can say that Onimusha: Way of the Sword was an absolute treat to play. Taking on the role of Miyamoto Musashi, I got to work clearing paths of demonic enemies as I eased myself into the game’s satisfyingly fluid combat system. In no time, I was effortlessly parrying enemies and dodging out of the way to then attack back. My demo was a brisk ten minutes, but it culminated in a boss battle with an old friend of Musashi’s that put me on my toes as the game tested whether I had absorbed all of its mechanics.
Perhaps my favorite feature was a boss mechanic where, if you fill a stagger meter, the game slows down, allowing you to choose to attack certain body parts for varying effects. In this scenario, attacking the head dealt massive damage, while attacking the body did less but caused a wealth of orbs to release that fuel your special abilities. The only shame with my time in the game was realizing that I’ll have to wait until sometime next year to play more.
Stars of Icarus
Ever wanted to man a spaceship crew and fight against other players doing the same? Or maybe you’re a lone wolf and think you can take on a fully crewed ship in your small fighter ship? Both options are available to you in the PvP game Stars of Icarus.
If you’re familiar with Guns of Icarus, Muse Games’ previous title where you manned steampunk battleships, then you’ll be in familiar territory here. My first go at the game had my friends and me crew a large frigate, with myself in the gunner position. We immediately got to work shouting directions of enemy ships to each other and scurrying to each gunner spot, taking shots when we could. It was hectic, as things exploded and we had to scurry around repairing them—but in a good way. Afterwards, we gave solo work a try as we all got into fighter ships and tried to work together to take down an enemy frigate, and boy, let me tell you, frigates got hands. We were zipping around that thing, and while we got some licks in, the frigate crew was victorious in the end.
We overall had a fun time with Stars of Icarus, and while it controls a bit less arcadey than I usually like from my spaceflight games, I was able to adjust pretty quickly to its weightier controls and start having fun. If all that sounded like a good time, then keep your peepers peeled for when the game launches next year.
Captain Wayne – Vacation Desperation
Monday is usually my favorite day at the show because I try not to schedule any appointments so I can freely wander the floor and let something speak to me, and that’s exactly what Captain Wayne – Vacation Desperation did.
I’m always on the hunt for a boomer shooter that scratches the right itch of blending tight, satisfying gameplay with a suite of guns that are fun to use and a killer aesthetic. Captain Wayne nails all of that. Marooned on Orca Isle after a scuffle with the Killer Whales gang, Wayne decides to make it everyone’s problem and deal with those responsible.
My demo began with Captain Wayne attacking a shipyard with the goal of destroying a ship belonging to the Killer Whales. Armed with a shotgun arm to replace the fleshy one he lost years ago, I got to work hopping around the level, blasting enemies away. Something the genre has struggled with a bit is making melee combat satisfying, and Captain Wayne seems to have solved that by allowing you to use both mouse buttons to punch your way through enemies. There’s a really satisfying weight to your punches, especially when you uppercut an enemy into the air, and most importantly, using your fists is equally viable compared to your guns.
The second half of my demo tossed me onto a beautiful hotel resort with a few additional toys to play with in the form of a chaingun attachment to my arm and the ability to charge up my punches to electrify them. I was effortlessly swapping between shooting goons at a distance and comboing them with punches when I got close, all along the beach before making my way into the hotel to continue my mayhem.
Unfortunately, the sound of the convention center starting to close brought my time with Captain Wayne to an end. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait too long for more, as it’s set to release by the end of this year.
Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 wants you to break free. This was especially noticeable by the loud Rage Room that they had set up on the show floor, which occasionally broke up my demo with the sound of glass breaking and pounding metal. It was a very chaotic demo because of this, and of course, very Borderlands. Which I think is a perfect way to describe Borderlands 4: it’s more Borderlands, for better or worse.
