Nioh director acknowledges similarities to Dark Souls

MANILA, Philippines – Are you a fan of the notoriously difficult Dark Souls series? Well you may want to give Nioh a go once it’s released. The game, developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo, has all the elements of a frustrating, headache-inducing game: tough opponents and even tougher bosses, no pause menus, and frequent deaths.

And if that screams Dark Souls to you, you wouldn’t exactly be wrong. Director Fumihiko Yashuda, speaking during a media session at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2016, acknowledged that Nioh is indeed inspired by the said series. (Read: Filipino game developers showcase titles at Tokyo Game Show 2016)

“I can’t say we don’t know about about Dark Souls. That would be a massive lie. We’ve had some influences from them,” Yasuda said when he was asked about the comparison.

Despite the core similarities in the gameplay, it doesn’t look like it was molded entirely by the Dark Souls series. Obviously, it’s a challenging game that can match Dark Souls. Even the man in charge of the demo died several times to the boss during the presentation.

But the challenge isn’t the only thing that may draw players to the game. Going beyond the core mechanics and the difficulty, Nioh seems to have a few unique things going for it. 

What makes Nioh different

Nioh meshes Japanese history and mythology and creates a magical world filled with horrible demons, ninja zombies, and creatures unknown.  

The game follows William Adam’s journey to becoming the first Western samurai.

He is described as a “blonde-haired blue-eyed” man from Europe and he arrives in Japan during the Sengoku Period, a period known for constant internal wars and power struggles. During his journey he will be fighting against humans and supernatural beings called “yokai” and “oni.” (Read: WATCH: Unboxing the PS4 Slim)

As bizarre as that sounds, history buffs will know that indeed a William Adams did exist in real life and indeed he became the first known Western samurai. Whether he was into slashing his way through hordes of demons and zombies though is another story.

According to Yasuda, William will get to “meet and cooperate with friendlier yokai.” In addition, William’s travels will lead him to the great generals of the Sengoku period. When he does, he can either attack these generals and obtain their weapons and armor, or gain their cooperation instead. 

And since the game is all about being a samurai, you can also expect a different set of weapons and abilities. That means there probably won’t be any fancy greatswords in the game. In Nioh, William will mostly be wielding eastern blades such as katanas and chucking shurikens, bombs, and other smaller weapons and firepower in battle. But if you prefer a heavier approach, we spotted some axes and hammers for your perusal. (Read: What virtual reality racing on the PlayStation 4 feels like)

Combat also feels completely different in Nioh. During combat there are 3 different stances available which you can choose and switch to at any given moment. You can switch to and from high stance, mid stance, and low stance. This gives you a little more variety and complexity in your attacks as opposed to just dodging and swinging your weapon whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The boss fights and their designs seem unique and impressive too. During the demo we got to see one boss, “Yuki-onno”, a demon woman capable of striking and whipping you to your icy demise. She may look dainty, but her attacks are fluid and varied enough to keep you on your toes. If her foot stomps the ground you can expect the earth surrounding her to freeze and draw out sharp icicles. She wields an icy spear that can create crystal projectiles. And she can also use her kimono sleeves as a whip.  

It’s an experience gaming masochists would surely enjoy.

But wait, there’s probably more

These are just some of the elements that make Nioh stand out and there probably will be more in the next coming months.  

Team Ninja has been pretty open about Nioh’s development for a while now. Recently, their open beta test just concluded and they’ve published the results of their beta survey online. And while the scores they received are overall positive, they’ve also released a pretty lengthy and detailed list of the features that they will be improving based on player feedback.

We have no doubt that we can expect a lot more Nioh news in the upcoming months as we draw closer to its release date. The game will launch exclusively on the PlayStation 4 on February 9, 2017.

Will you be picking up this game? – Rappler.com

Nadine has been a passionate gamer since she was a freshman in college. When she isn’t playing video games, watching her favorite YouTubers, or trying to share her gaming misadventures, Nadine is working on her photography and her travel plans. Her biggest gaming wish? To build her own gaming PC and to see the release of Devil May Cry 5.