Nioh, a PlayStation 4 exclusive, has been drawing comparisons to Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, which is already a good sign for the upcoming action game.
Nioh is set to be released on Feb. 7, and early reviews reveal that Team Ninja, known for its work on the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchise, could have another hit in its hands.
Nioh: A So-Called Masocore Game
In a previous report, it was revealed that Team Ninja classifies Nioh as a "masocore" game, with the term derived from the combination of "masochistic" and "hardcore." With these two terms, gamers were already given an idea on the degree of difficulty that they can expect from the title, wherein they will take control of a main character named William.
While the studio itself stated that the development of Nioh drew inspiration from the Dark Souls and Bloodborne series, Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton said that it was not a clone of these two other franchises. There are similarities in terms of structural elements, including the famed degree of difficulty found in the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games, with hints of Diablo mixed in, but Nioh does not fall into the trap of being seen as the same as these games but only in a Feudal Japan setting.
Miguel Concepcion of GameSpot, which has its full review of Nioh still in progress, claims that the game is able to carve its own identity, especially as the possessed humans and demons that players will encounter in the game move with more emotion and assertiveness compared to the enemies in the Dark Souls franchise. The environments of Nioh can also be deceptive, luring players into what they feel are safe spaces only to be surprised by a hiding enemy.
Philip Kollar and Arthur Gies of Polygon revealed that a full review has also not yet been completed for Nioh even after having the review copy of the game for around six days, due to the title being "extremely long and incredibly challenging." According to Kollar and Gies, this is the most difficult game that they have ever reviewed, with players needing to be in full concentration at all times as a single mistake can lead to a dead William in a few hits.
Rishi Alwani of Gadgets 360, meanwhile, highlights the gameplay of Nioh, specifically the three stances that players have access to and the fluid combat system. Gamers are also given in-depth customization options so that they can transform William's capabilities according to their playstyle.
Nioh Launches on Feb. 7
Dave Thier of Forbes can be counted among the gamers who are intensely looking forward to playing Nioh upon its release date on Feb. 7. According to what Their has heard, Nioh is harder and more complicated than Bloodborne, but also possibly more rewarding, with Their looking forward to the Japanese demons that exist within the world of Nioh.
Nioh was first announced in 2015 and had undergone several changes since then, with the final version more "streamlined" compared to its earliest versions so that mainstream players will also be able to appreciate the game.
