Nioh Review

Samurai looter simulator.
nioh, souls, best ps4 exclusives

The biggest appeal of Nioh is probably the concept of forging equipment and making it your own. The process is largely random, and it’ll likely cost you a small fortune and a fair bit of time before you finally craft that perfect dream set of dual katanas, but the end results are always satisfying. Every piece of gear is unique, and the build customization is dangerously compelling.

Recommended Videos
Nioh_20170210165119
Behold, the ultimate set of dual katanas.

This was my first ‘perfect’ set of dual katanas. See that close combat life recovery Special Effect? I was ecstatic when that Effect popped. I ended up abandoning the weapon a few play sessions later because I couldn’t afford to raise its level to keep up with the game’s difficulty, but I knew I’d be able to craft an even better weapon later on down the line.

Nioh’s moment-to-moment gameplay is pure, unadulterated fun, so it was a welcome surprise when I saw just how much content the game had to offer. Outside of the main story missions, there were much tougher and much more rewarding sub-missions available for me to tackle. A lot of these sub-missions are fairly straightforward – explore a small subsection of this level you’ve already been to, kill the dangerous yokai, collect your reward. However, there are some sub-missions that hide away some of the game’s toughest optional bosses as well. This is where your skills will really be put to the test, but thankfully, the fights always feel fair, and every death you suffer is usually well-deserved, as odd as that might sound. The enemy variety proves to be really limited as you play more of the game, however, and I couldn’t help but feel a little let down when I realized that most of Nioh’s enemy types had already been revealed in previously released demos.

A few sub-missions will pit you against waves of tough yokai, or against a powered up version of a boss you’ve previously defeated, but with a ton more HP this time around. These “endurance test” sub-missions are grueling to be sure, but the rewards are often attractive and well worth the effort. Don’t expect to beat Nioh in anything less than 30 to 40 hours. The main campaign itself is pretty damn lengthy, and its sub-missions are where the real challenge lies. We haven’t even talked about Twilight missions yet, which are basically super hard missions with tougher-than-usual enemies, along with great rewards. Even after you beat the game, Nioh has a whole set of New Game Plus missions to offer you, and – you guessed it – even better gear for you to farm and craft.

While William is a complete dullard as a main protagonist who doesn’t offer much to a story that feels messy and silly at times, Team Ninja has done a spot-on job at really capturing the horror and tragedy of a war-torn Japan during the Sengoku era. The main story can largely be ignored, but it’s hard to turn the other cheek when you loot a dead corpse and hear the last thoughts of a soldier before he was struck to death. Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have opted to keep the Japanese voice-overs in the game, which adds to the authenticity of the setting they’re presenting here. The mission levels are varied, ranging from environments with sunken ships and sea-ravaged houses to once-magnificent castles now overrun by demons and mutated spiders.

nioh_2016_12-08-16_005
Nioh’s environments are breathtaking.

One of my favorite moments in Nioh came from a sub-mission that tasked me with looking for three children who had wandered too deep into the yokai realm. Upon discovering the “children,” I quickly realized that they weren’t kids at all, but were instead three young demons that preyed on humans and Amrita. As I cut them down, the game treated me to little snippets of dialogue that offered some horrifying insight as to how these children ended up in the situation they were in. The mission ended, I collected my reward, but it was a pretty damn unsettling experience overall.

Nioh absolutely nails it with the feudal Japan setting. Much of the historical aspect has been embellished, of course, but Team Ninja gets the atmosphere just right. It’s hard to play Nioh and not feel totally and utterly immersed.

If there’s one big complaint to be had (aside from the story), it’s that Nioh’s bosses are largely a disappointment. The game’s humanoid bosses and optional sub-mission bosses are a pleasure to duel against, but many of the giant monster fights in the main game often felt uninspired in design and way too easy to beat. I mean, come on, a giant centipede? Really?

Still, Nioh’s few flaws aren’t nearly enough to offset everything else that the game got right. This game feels so polished with its satisfying combat and its insanely deep loot and crafting system, along with the hundreds of hours of content it has on offer. Ultimately, Nioh is the mixture of two really awesome video game things: Souls-inspired gameplay and a rewarding loot system that lets you craft truly unique gear. If either of those two things appeals to you, you’ll enjoy this one.

Score: 4.5/5 – Great


Pros

  • Super smooth and varied combat gameplay.
  • Loot and gear crafting systems are wonderfully complex and rewarding.
  • Level design and atmosphere have a lot of variety and feel immersive.
  • So much content.

Cons

  • Bland protagonist and poor storytelling.
  • Some bosses feel uninspired, and there’s not a lot of enemy types.

Twinfinite is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article How to Get Your Items Back in New Game Plus in Dragon’s Dogma 2
The arisen overlooking the lands in Dragon's Dogma 2
Read Article All Metro Games in Order
gold edition, Metro Exodus
Read Article 20 Biggest Games of All Time, Ranked by Install Size
Related Content
Read Article How to Get Your Items Back in New Game Plus in Dragon’s Dogma 2
The arisen overlooking the lands in Dragon's Dogma 2
Read Article All Metro Games in Order
gold edition, Metro Exodus
Read Article 20 Biggest Games of All Time, Ranked by Install Size
Author
Zhiqing Wan
Zhiqing is the Reviews Editor for Twinfinite, and a History graduate from Singapore. She's been in the games media industry for nine years, trawling through showfloors, conferences, and spending a ridiculous amount of time making in-depth spreadsheets for min-max-y RPGs. When she's not singing the praises of Amazon's Kindle as the greatest technological invention of the past two decades, you can probably find her in a FromSoft rabbit hole.