Nioh
The Best Action Video Games of 2017
Nioh takes players back to a fictionalized 1600s Sengoku period Japan, where protagonist William must hunt down his nemesis. You’ll have to fend through the powerful yokai swarming the region, all the while mastering the game’s merciless combat system.
There’s much here to compare to the Souls series — players trade in experience at shrines to level up their attributes, the world is brutal and filled with secrets, and even potion consumption brings back thoughts of the good ol’ Estus days. Even so, there’s plenty to love about Nioh itself. The cast is colorful, the journey flows between dramatic and lighthearted tones, and the combat system is satisfyingly layered, yet not overly alienating.
The Ki system places the focus on your character’s stamina, managed by precise combo executions and stance-switching. Melee, magic, and ninjutsu combine in a flurry against the game’s challenging bosses, whose mechanics only get more interesting with time.
Nioh offers dozens of hours of adventure, a journey well worth the time for an action enthusiast.
