The mask puzzle in the Underground Laboratory is one of the few proper puzzles in Onimusha Way of the Sword and it can catch you off guard if you do not know where to look for the answer. The good news is that everything you need is already in the room with you. Here is how to solve it quickly and move on.

Where to Find the Mask Puzzle

The puzzle shows up during the What Lurks in the Shadows quest inside Underground Laboratory Level 3. You will come across a large locked door early in the area that cannot be opened yet. Keep moving through the hallways past the Genma enemies until you reach a dojo room. Walking into that room triggers a short cutscene where four masks drop down from the ceiling. That is your puzzle.

Onimusha Way of the Sword Underground Laboratory Mask Puzzle Solution (1)

How to Solve the Mask Puzzle in Onimusha Way of the Sword

The four masks are your targets. You will need to shoot them with your Oni Bow you get in Mission 2 to solve the puzzle. The trick is that you cannot just shoot them in any order. There is a specific sequence and the clue for that sequence is not in the room itself.

Walk back through the doorway you came in from and look at the shadows on the wall and floor. Each of the four masks casts a shadow and each shadow has a different number of openings in it. Some have one hole, some have two, some have three, and one has four. Those numbers tell you the order to shoot the hanging masks.

The mask whose shadow has one opening gets shot first. The one with two openings gets shot second. Three openings goes third and four openings goes last.

If you just want the quick answer without counting the shadows the correct shooting order for the hanging masks from left to right is:

  • 3 — 4 — 1 — 2

So you shoot the third mask from the left first, then the fourth, then the first, then the second. There is no timer and no penalty for shooting in the wrong order so take your time getting it right.

What You Get for Solving It

Once all four masks are shot in the correct order the cage in the room unlocks and you can collect the Unsettling Mask inside. This is not just a collectible. You need it to activate the creepy face mechanism on the locked door you found earlier in the area.

Head back to that door and interact with the face on it. A short cutscene plays where the Unsettling Mask slots into the door and its eyes glow red. The door opens and you can continue deeper into the Underground Laboratory completing the Open the Door objective and pushing the What Lurks in the Shadows quest forward.

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FAQs

What is the correct order to shoot the masks in Onimusha Way of the Sword?

Where is the clue for the mask puzzle in Onimusha Way of the Sword?

Walk back through the doorway out of the dojo room and look at the shadows cast by the four masks on the wall and floor.

What happens if you shoot the masks in the wrong order in Onimusha Way of the Sword?

Nothing bad happens. There is no penalty and no timer so if you shoot a mask in the wrong order just check the shadows again and continue with the correct sequence