Nioh: Feudal Era Dark Souls

[sullynathan]

I wish the game had character creation because the main dude is kinda meh. Looks too much like Geralt. I hope there's at least some unlockable characters, either from beating the game or in DLC.

There are different unlock-able skins I think when you beat the game or different bosses.

is it fun?

The demo was

 

[Invictus]

Watching several lets play of this and cannot wait to get it on Monday, while yeah the combat is 90% of the game it looks very deep and engaging, actually rewarding better players and allowing all sorts of cool adjustments via weight, weapons, familiarity.
This exactly the kind of games I enjoy, challenging but fun and it liberally borrows from Souls but unlike Lords of the Fuckups they put their own spin in the combat, combos and even the whole shortcut unlocking... it strikes a nice balance between Souls and Bloodborne for stamina management but blocking like an idiot gets you killed
The setting is not generic as in medieval fantasy but tradicional japanese and honestly is makes me super nostalgic for Tenchu... would love of From actully did a Tenchu game with Souls mechanics

 

[Hobo Elf]

Found a wet, abandoned 100€ bill drifting alone on the streets so I went and bought Nioh and Digimon Next Order. Will post impressions of both games.

 

[Invictus]

Found a wet, abandoned 100€ bill drifting alone on the streets so I went and bought Nioh and Digimon Next Order. Will post impressions of both games.

The gods of gaming shone down upon you

 

[SumDrunkGuy]

The combat is basically the whole game though. 1% of the game is story, 1% is scenery, 10% is items, 88% is combat.

- Stances heavily impacted both your weapon's moveset and ability to interrupt enemies and/or break their guard. It's like if Bloodborne weapons had three modes for each weapon to switch to.

- Blocking is a thing but not advisable unless it's for stopping quick attacks.

- Ki Pulse rewards strategic use of stances + dodges (once you learn the skills) both to quickly regenerate Ki (stamina) and dispel Yoki fields (anti-stam regen fields)

- All kinds of neat moves you learn.

- Enemies have Ki bars as well and don't mindlessly/endlessly swing like many Dark Souls enemies.

So far Nioh takes the souls combat and makes it something much more fun and strategic. The item system is similar to Diablo but also less tedious in many ways. Getting specific modifiers doesn't require hours of farming for that one item. Also, you can change the style of any weapon and armor to create a look you like.

Thas cool, alls I'm sayins is I expect a little more from my overhyped Dark Souls clones than just a sleek combat system. It's almost as if these mother fuckers think we only like those games for the way they play. It's quite a bit more than that, hello! I blame the stupid critics.

 

[Excidium II]

will this be on PC

 

[Hyperion]

Highly unlikely. Published by Koei Tecmo in Japan, Sony in US / Europe. Sony usually has a pretty tight stranglehold on their games.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I don't know what they did, but the combat feels almost perfect now. It's so much better than it was in the Alpha and Beta. The game is a lot easier than in Alpha and Beta as well, but I feel that this is due to the game being fairer. Ninja Oni are far less bullshitty enemies now, for example. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me, however, is that Low Stance with single Katana is extremely good now. I never stop using it, it's so much fun. The damage it did before was pitifully shit, but now it's a real beast. Cuts through HP and Ki like a wam knife goes through room temperature butter.

 

[Mojobeard]

So far I've enjoyed my big armor, high stance axe, heavy use of ranged weapons, and magic/spirit build.

People say this is a mix of Ninja Gaiden (3d) and Dark Souls, personally it feels more like the Way of the Samurai series (3 and 4 are on Steam, recommend giving them a shot if they're sale). All the Nippon wanking, some clunky animations that give it a bargain bin PS2-game feel, dumb outfits, tone that's all over the place, and fights that either go really well and really slow, or really bad and really fast.

Personally I think the gameplay isn't that polished, it's actually a bit lacking. Most bosses you're just fucked if you try to play it like Dark Souls and just guard/dodge while staying near them. You're better off just hanging back, baiting them to do one of the attacks that leave them vulnerable for a while, then getting one or two hits in, then backing away again. Also fighting multiple enemies at once is a pain. The balance is way off too, the game is at it's hardest during the beginning.

Tip 1: Weight/move breakpoints seem to be 30% and 70%. But since there are so few i-frames, and you'll get hit by some bullshit anyway, 70% for heavier armor and "poise" is just generally better.
Tip 2: Even if you don't use certain weapons, get all their skills that don't say "Command: [X to something]". They're passive bonuses that work on every weapon. For example, getting Ki back from dodging is just amazing. EDIT: I fucked up, that example is a normal skill.
Tip 3: Don't spend money on anything early, you'll need it later.
Tip 4: Get the Deus Vult armor at the beginning and you'll get to use it (or make another gear look like it) after the first mission.

 

[sullynathan]

are there any standout bosses so far in the game? I've seen around 30 bosses, that's a pretty large amount.

 

[PirateScum]

There are different unlock-able skins I think when you beat the game or different bosses.

This is one of them, I hope!

 

[Mojobeard]

are there any standout bosses so far in the game? I've seen around 30 bosses, that's a pretty large amount.

Third boss (or second, if you don't count the tutorial) is the Casual Filter™. None of them really stood out to me though? Maybe the Souls games have numbed me about it though. Many of the bosses sound awesome in paper, but they're executed poorly. Honestly I've enjoyed the big brawls from some of the side missions more.

Worst boss so far, I'll spoiler it just in case:

Spoiler

There's a bigger than usual arena with a centipede boss. Parts of of the arena are on higher ground, and the boss will attempt to follow you there. Chopping the boss from the back makes small parts come off. They become separate enemies that run off, unless you finish them. The boss at some point gathers the live ones back. This is all fine and good.
Now the problem? How this sort of boss should work is that the body blocks the head. Where it's a moving wall. Instead, the boss' head can, and always will, clip through it's own body, usually turning 180 degrees in place. It's a game of Snake where you can chew through your body.
I was having none of that though, and confused its' pathfinding with higher ground, and landed about 40 plunging attacks.

 

[DragoFireheart]

are there any standout bosses so far in the game? I've seen around 30 bosses, that's a pretty large amount.

The 2nd major boss (bat lady) is a miserable cunt.

There's a guy you can duel (optional) in the first region that's very tough.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Nue is kinda gay as well. An otherwise easy fight, except he can easily drop you from 100% to death in one hit with his lightning bolt attack. As long as you can avoid that one attack then you're golden.

 

[Matador]

are there any standout bosses so far in the game? I've seen around 30 bosses, that's a pretty large amount.

2nd boss, a witch, is very good boss. She reminded me about a Devil May Cry boss, with a RPG gimmick to force you to use equipment and/or items if you want to stand a chance against her.

The game is good, so far the levels are uninspired, but the combat is very good. The encounters require skill, being methodical and patient. Good fun.

Easier than alpha, keep in mind. They removed some enemies in the levels.

 

[Jick Magger]

The game feels a bit constrained creatively by its setting in comparison to Dark Souls, but so far I'm very much enjoying it. Level designs are generic as fuck, but the combat is good enough to keep everything afloat.

Worst boss so far, I'll spoiler it just in case:

Spoiler

There's a bigger than usual arena with a centipede boss. Parts of of the arena are on higher ground, and the boss will attempt to follow you there. Chopping the boss from the back makes small parts come off. They become separate enemies that run off, unless you finish them. The boss at some point gathers the live ones back. This is all fine and good.
Now the problem? How this sort of boss should work is that the body blocks the head. Where it's a moving wall. Instead, the boss' head can, and always will, clip through it's own body, usually turning 180 degrees in place. It's a game of Snake where you can chew through your body.
I was having none of that though, and confused its' pathfinding with higher ground, and landed about 40 plunging attacks.

Spoiler

Yeah, the centipede is probably the worst-designed boss in the game so far, and kind've indicative of how rough around the edges the gameplay can be. Other big issues being that there is basically no way to stop it from moving towards you beyond blocking, and once that is done it will immediately rear up to use of its ranged attacks, fucking up the lock-on and potentially leaving you wide open to either getting poisoned, paralyzed (where it can easily follow up with a melee attack that'll take a huge chunk off your health), or just being stomped on. The way the arena's designed seems to openly encourage cheesing it just to get it over with.

 

[Hobo Elf]

One of the big problems with the game is that it keeps recycling the same enemies too much. It's gotten to the point where I'm just going through the motions now witch almost every enemy that isn't a boss fight. Rarely the game throws a curve ball, and if it does, it's during a sub-mission. New skills are unlocked too slowly and the amount of different skills each weapon type has is pretty low to begin with. I hate it that most of the 1kat moves they gave are for mid stance, and they're all something parry-related. Not only is parrying shit in this game, it doesn't even work against most enemy types.

 

[cvv]

Watchicing an LP of this and the combat really feels more fun and strategic than DS. Tho people who berated DS3 for making the combat too fast and twitchy won't be happy with Nioh - it's even more "dynamic" and "visceral".

Everything else seems subpar tho. The itemization is particularly terrible, making the same mistake as Witcher 3 - confusing quality and quantity. Someone at Team Ninja obviously believes tons and tons and tons of trash loot is somehow fun. The level design is serviceable but the disconnected general world of regions and instances is way too gamey and not even close to the brilliance of DS1 world. I actually find the story and plot interesting, never was a huge fan of Miyazaki approach to storytelling, but I feel I'm missing way too much of anime references and shit.

Overall it feels like a very competent ripoff of a great game, with very little of Team Ninja's own creative input.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Overall it feels like a very competent ripoff of a great game, with very little of Team Ninja's own creative input.

I feel like it's the opposite. The Team Ninja influences are good, but a lot of the Souls-esque ideas feel arbitrary. The stat system itself in particular is very arbitrary. Weapon damage increase soft-caps at 20~ with all the stats. Going beyond that is a waste and you'll be getting +1 increases for the most part, and weapon damage will skyrocket faster than what your stat increases will do to make a difference. In fact all the stats soft cap at 20 with only Stamina being worth taking beyond 20 so you can wear heavy armor without being burdened. Pretty much every character build is the same when you look at the internet: 20 in the main weapon stat, maybe bring others to 10 for some damage scaling if you want, 20 spirit, 20 onmyo/dex and the rest in Stamina. You're not going to be able to do anything much differently than that unless you want heavy diminishing returns with nothing much to show for it. It feels like Team Ninja was trying to copy Souls' stat system without understanding how and why it works.
The best part of the stat system is that each weapon type has its scaling tied to a different main stat, which I think is a great idea on Team Ninja's part. Theoretically it means that each character should be different (some have more health, more Ki, etc.) but due to how early the stats cap off, that doesn't end up being the case.

 

[MapMan]

I beat the second boss and I have mixed feelings. I didn't know pretty much anything about the game other than that a lot of souls fans praised it. I started with the chain and sickle thing. Now after second boss I'm torn. I think the only good moveset for the weapon is in high stance. Tried using low and mid but they're useless. Most of the skills for that weapon category are useless as well. I invested a lot of points into skill and dex, only to find out that ninja skills are useless as well. The poison/toxin (or whatever it was) buildup stuff that you get is useless. Even if you happen to poison a boss, the damage is not worth it. Maybe I'm retarded but I didn't find a lot of ways to approach the second (the bat lady) boss. Basically I played it until I learned all her movesets and baited and dodged everything so I killed her without getting hit once. At that point though, nothing else matters, I might as well poke her to death with fists or by using any weapon with any stance since I'm not getting hit and she opens herself up for an attack a lot. Given that throughout most of the game you fight the same thrash mobs and only bosses are meaningful it's not really a good indication. And that horrible weaboo setting...

 

[Hobo Elf]

Ninjutsu isn't useless, but you'll want to get gear with the stat "Unlimited Ninjutsu %". You can cap it off so that using Ninjutsu wont deplete any charges at all, and then you can spam away. The status bombs aren't very good, though.

 

[duanth123]

One of the big problems with the game is that it keeps recycling the same enemies too much. It's gotten to the point where I'm just going through the motions now witch almost every enemy that isn't a boss fight. Rarely the game throws a curve ball, and if it does, it's during a sub-mission. New skills are unlocked too slowly and the amount of different skills each weapon type has is pretty low to begin with. I hate it that most of the 1kat moves they gave are for mid stance, and they're all something parry-related. Not only is parrying shit in this game, it doesn't even work against most enemy types.

How are the twilight missions? Any decent challenge there?

 

[Matador]

The itemization is particularly terrible, making the same mistake as Witcher 3 - confusing quality and quantity. Someone at Team Ninja obviously believes tons and tons and tons of trash loot is somehow fun.

This is the worst thing about the game, and harms also the perception about the level design. For example, you find an alternative or secret route to find the unexciting pack of random loot.

I remember the satisfaction and fun of finding unique rings, weapons,armor or items in Dark Souls 1,after merley surviving the punishing encounters. This is the kind of game I like.

 

[Hobo Elf]

One of the big problems with the game is that it keeps recycling the same enemies too much. It's gotten to the point where I'm just going through the motions now witch almost every enemy that isn't a boss fight. Rarely the game throws a curve ball, and if it does, it's during a sub-mission. New skills are unlocked too slowly and the amount of different skills each weapon type has is pretty low to begin with. I hate it that most of the 1kat moves they gave are for mid stance, and they're all something parry-related. Not only is parrying shit in this game, it doesn't even work against most enemy types.

How are the twilight missions? Any decent challenge there?

I did one twilight mission in the alpha. Was the fishing village but with Oni and wheel monks everywhere. Haven't done any in the full release. They are level locked and unless I grind I can't do them, and by the time I could do them, the twilight mission selection gets refreshed with new ones that are +15~20 levels above me again, and I can't figure out how to find the twilight missions for the previous missions. Seems like you have to do them while they are available or they're gone for good?

Edit: apparently the twilight missions are on a daily rotation so if you get screwed over then too bad, gotta wait. Anyway, I'm ready to shelf the game. Umi-Bozu is such a bullshit fight.

Edit edit: Make sure to light all the candles in Umi-Bozu's level. Will help a shitton against him. I'm gonna go do that right now, I only had one.

Edit edit edit: Umi-Bozu is so easy with all 3 bonfires lit. Make sure you do that first before attempting him.

 

[Mojobeard]

The boss difficulty jumps up and down. They clearly realized how tanky you can get in this game, and tried to counter balance that with varying degrees of success. Just wait for the ice level's boss. It's preceded and followed by pushovers that go down on the first try, but I died to that bitch (she deserves nasty names) maybe five times. It tried to be, but just wasn't, a cool boss with precision timing. Instead it's just a dps race basically.

So far my plan of only using axe's heavy attack on high stance, dodging away and repeat, has worked well though. Maybe pull or decapitate an enemy with the rifle twice a level. Gave up on magic almost entirely because of it, just too much hassle.

I'll add a new complaint too: the japanese screaming, about what their honorabru lordo did wrong, on every mission corpse wears very thin.