Team Ninja has had a few rough years after the departure of the studio’s lead developer Tomonobu Itagaki. After series of disappointing titles, there comes “Nioh” to redeem their old glory, as this is one of the best games the studio has ever put out.
GameRant shares details on Team Ninja’s latest game “Nioh”. The story revolves around a westerner named William Adams who travels to feudal Japan in the tremulous period of the “Warring States”. Stuck in between the fights of factions, Adams has to fight his way through series of enemies in search of both an escape and salvation. Even though in its combat philosophy and mood the game resembles From Software’s “Dark Souls” the games distinctly differ from one another. The combat in “Nioh” is both more complex and more dynamic. There are available stances which offer different combat bonuses and knowing when to use the right stance is crucial for survival. Apart from that the Ki meter, which serves a purpose similar to the one of the endurance meter in “Dark Souls” can be recharged with good timing upon delivering blows to your enemies. Besides that, quickly changing stances in combat offers bonuses which should not be taken light heartedly.
Arstechnica shares a detailed review of the product covering most of its content, if not all. Point which differs “Nioh” from “Dark Souls” is the appearance of loot, a lot of loot. While in “Dark Souls” a drop would appear once out of a dozen enemies if not even more, “Nioh” does not shy away from loot, bringing back old memories of endless grinding in the dungeons of “Diablo”. The randomly dropping loot may give you that one ounce of advantage that you needed to defeat the boss of the area.
Kotaku has sad news for those who planned on co-oping their way through the game. Co-op is possible, but only with players who have already passed the level that they are summoned to. This means that a fresh run for two friends is impossible. While the demo allowed for such cooperation, the finished product does not, since in Team Ninja’s official answer, it would make the game too easy for players.
This game takes and polishes the initial “Dark Souls” formula by adding enough to it to turn it into its own game and not just a bland copy. Your enemies are molded by Japanese legends, combat is hard, but yet rewarding for those, who can master its methods. Even though the game’s mechanics and flow can sometimes see overwhelming it is still a nice game, worth trying out by every gamer who seeks a new challenge. “Nioh” is available on PS4.
