Nioh Review

Nioh is the latest game in the “so tough yet so rewarding” genre of action RPGs to be released. The genre saw a big push with releases like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, which this game is modelled closely off of when it comes to progression, style and difficulty level. However, Nioh does enough different with its interesting  storytelling and complex, faster paced combat, along with a brighter colour palette and varied environments, that it just might be my favourite challenge of this type so far.

Team Ninja are known for their quality combat in past games like Ninja Gaiden, so the development team have shown confidence here, creating a system that’s based on stamina, or “Ki”, as much as it is on the dodging and blocking tactics required to survive. Not only are you able to monitor your own, but you can also clearly see the Ki that your opponents have used, represented by a small bar above their head. If you are out of Ki, you can’t attack or block until it regenerates, so tactically speaking you can ensure that your enemies are out of juice before going in with more powerful attacks yourself.

You can also promptly recharge your Ki by correctly timing a button press, which also becomes crucial. All of these different combat elements come together seamlessly, even though they sound like a lot on paper. After several hours of play, I was able to change stances, recharge my Ki and chain together decent attacks against multiple foes at once, feeling pretty damn proud of myself in the process.

The structure of each level will be familiar for anybody who has played any of the aforementioned Souls games before; you start near a shrine, which is where you’ll need to trade in your Souls – err, sorry, Amrita – to be able to level up your character, increase your stats, break down gear etc. There are also Titles that are essentially additional side-missions that can add bonuses once complete and guardian spirits that you can find on your journey that also provide passive boosts and buffs.

Dying is a regular occurrence, and you must learn from these deaths to then be able to go back and retrieve the Amrita that you’d dropped. Enemies loom in hidden rooms and doorways, shoot arrows from unexpected places and some of them are, of course, ridiculously hard to take down. In particular, demons called Yokai can appear, which are not only more difficult to kill but create areas that stop your Ki from recharging, making certain battles even more taxing and tactical.

You’re able to shoot arrows or rifles and attempt to pick off enemies before they spot you, which is something that trust me, you will have to do if you want to make your adventure just that little bit easier. Even so, years of playing these frustratingly difficult games had me well prepared for my time with Nioh, but if this is an entry point into this genre, be prepared for what could easily be some of the most anger-inducing moments you’ve ever experience as a gamer. Don’t forget though, completing certain battles (especially difficult but incredibly well-designed boss fights) will also feature as some of the most rewarding memories you can have as a gamer, so it’s all incredibly well-balanced.

Nioh also provides the ability to tackle areas with a friend via co-op at increased difficulty, along with asynchronous multiplayer that allows you to fight Revenants; spirits left behind by other players where they fell in battle. These extra challenges extend the life of the game even further beyond the main story and side missions, which will already have you occupied for dozens of hours on their own.

It’s the overall pace of Nioh that helps it shine through, with the fast combat creating a vibe and urgency that helps it to stand out above the rest. There are skills and abilities  I haven’t even touched on that you can combine and experiment with, along with multiple weapon types, so there’s plenty of ways to customize the way you play. There’s a rhythm and flow to the battles, particularly sword fights against opposing Samurai, that really brings together all of these skills in a harmonious, memorable way.