Nioh isn’t the first game to tip its blood-stained hat to Dark Souls (remember Lords of the Fallen?), but it is the first Souls clone that’s actually any good. In fact, Nioh isn’t just a good game, it’s great!
And it’s also more than just a cheap Dark Souls knockoff – even if it feels that way at first.
Dark Souls fans will feel instantly at home with Nioh’s combat system, which is less hack and slash where the fastest thumbs win, and much more of a tactical affair where caution is key.
Like Dark Souls/Bloodborne, players must dodge attacks for dear life, they’ll need single out enemies wherever possible, and will have to keep one eye on the health and stamina bars at all time. Oh, and you can also expect to die… a lot.
Even battles against the lowliest of enemies are fraught with danger – especially if they surround you – while boss battles feel nigh-on impossible, or at least until you’ve memorised attack patterns and studied their weaknesses.
Dying sends you back to the last shrine you visited (think bonfires/lanterns), only without all the EXP you accrued. Players can get their EXP back, but only after returning to the scene of their demise without dying again. Sound familiar?
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being influenced by titles as accomplished as Dark Souls, and even less so when you nail what makes those games so appealing.
Nioh manages this and more, delivering a brutally challenging experience that’s enormously satisfying.
While the Dark Souls influence is evident from the get-go, it’s not long before you see developer Team Ninja’s own heritage shine through. Don’t forget, this is the studio behind those excellent Ninja Gaiden releases on the original Xbox.
The combat system, for instance, features high, middle and low stances that can be switched between during battle. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, changing the speed and power of attacks, not to mention how much stamina you consume.
You can also buy new moves, techniques and combo extensions, which gives the combat system a level of complexity that’s missing from the Souls games.
Likewise, you can call on Guardian Spirits when you’ve built up enough power, making you temporarily stronger, faster and more deadly.
Then there’s the Ki Pulse move, which lets you quickly recover stamina and dispel stat-sapping energy fields if you press the button at the optimum time.
Corpses of your fellow players litter each stage, and serve as a warning for potential sneak attacks or tricky battles. But instead of just seeing a phantom of a fallen player, Nioh actually lets you fight them and gain even more valuable EXP.
All of these added touches and features give Nioh its own unique sense of identity and style, and in many respects, elevate it above the likes of Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
It’s arguably only really in the narrative and design stakes where Nioh doesn’t quite hit the same heights as its peers.
You play as a fictional version of real-life sailor William Adams, who goes toe-to-toe with all manner of beasts, bandits and demons, not to mention fellow historical figure Edward Kelley, who was a bit of an enigma even in his own day.
It’s a fun story full of interesting characters, but you won’t be poring over every piece of lore and absorbing every fan theory like you would in the Souls games – and that’s half the fun.
The levels are also beautifully realised and exceptionally designed, but locations are separated and must be selected from a mission map.
There’s more than enough variety to keep players happy, but one large, interconnected labyrinth would have been more favourable.
But even that’s not enough to detract from an exceptional release that’s already a contender for game of the year.
Nioh is punishing, tense and brutal… and that’s exactly why we love it.
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
