3/5 ★ – Kalle_Deimos's review of Nioh.

TLDR: Nioh is a very strange game. It's got that Dark Souls DNA in it but does it own thing. For better and for worse. Gameplay: Nioh embraces being it's own thing instead of trying to copy DS too much and thats very clear early on. Combat in Nioh is frantic and fast with an emphasis on pressure, combos and customization. There's actually so much to customize and keep track of that it's quite overwhelming at first. Especially when Nioh constantly supplies you with a steady stream of loot that rivals even the lootiest of looter shooters. The amount of complex systems and meta-knowledge required to get the most out of this game can be intimidating due to it's difficulty. Because of the sheer amount of options given to you, most of them are the same in terms of power. Everything seems virtually viable and really just depends on your preference which is nice but also can tend to feel like nothing truly matters. Especially in terms of equipment since you're given so much of it with random minor effects. Eventually there's gonna be a point where you're goung to hit a wall with some of these bosses and try to find some way to grind, only to find out that you're just going to have to master the combat and get good. It's a very satisfying experience when it works, but when it doesn't work it can be extremely frustrating. What's strange about it all is that because it strays so far away from Dark Souls, Nioh has it's own special brand of bullshit you have to deal with. And yet somehow there's plenty of classic Dark Souls bullshit in there as well. Gank squads, bloated HP, cheap one shots and unbalanced difficulty is all around. The base game actually handles these problems pretty decently in the base game but once you hit the DLC then decency is off the table. But there's enough times where the game hands you the right circumstances to have a lot of fun to say that I did have fun with it and came to appreciate it. Mostly. Even during it's most frustrating parts, once I overcame them I felt a good rush that I don't feel too often. Story: The story is really whatever, mainly because of it's presentation. You meet A LOT of characters that are hard to distinguish since so many of them are military men. I had trouble keeping track of what was really going on, which is a shame because the cutscenes and dialogue are pleasing. So I actually wish we got more out of it rather than most of my goals and directions being told to me through pre-mission debrief screens. Graphics: Looks good. Not amazing but no real instances of bad visuals either. I do wish the visual design was a bit more diversified. Areas and weapons don't tend to have much distinction visually except for a couple of examples here and there. Sound: Serviceable sound and music design. There's not a lot of stand out tracks that I can remember for long but it's fine during actual gameplay. Extra: Nioh has one of the strangest methods of doing side / post game content. There's plenty of side missions which is just recycled maps with different enemy layouts or bosses which is okay padding. But once you beat the game you unlock the abyss and the next difficulty. The abyss is more grinding of the same maps with some twists and the next difficulty is basically a new game plus. But both of those avenues go SUPER DEEP. The Abyss has a ton of floors and there is over 5 difficulties to play which need the previous difficulty to be beaten to even unlock it. You also get higher level gear in these difficulties so you'll be getting level 300+ gear with insane properties and attacking enemies that one shot you because the game is going crazy with trying to give you new challenges. I like Nioh but I can't imagine going through all of that content. Especially when it isn't very substantial or interesting. Favorite Thing: Overcoming a challenge feels very good, even when difficulty was high and there was a ton of jank. Not My Favorite Thing: The DLC difficulty went way too far in my opinion. Incredibly frustrating and very little wiggle room to take it even slightly easy.