NI-OH :SAMURAI SOULS - Prepare To Die ? Yes,but more Importantly Prepare to KILL and KILL the NINJA WAY !

SAMURAI SOULS

Having completed Ninja Gaiden sigma and Dark Souls recently,thought this game wouldn't test me as either did but it quite easily surpasses them in the challenge it presents you with.

You don't need the amount of patience, perseverance and understanding one needs in souls games.
 or
the focus, mastery of highly varied enemy patterns/weapons and the ability to quickly chain timed attacks in Ninja Gaiden.

Well, You need them both and always in unison.

And more so in the first half of the game with a steep inverse difficulty as well as learning curve.The game does get surprisingly so less brutal to the point where you start to feel over powered with more Artillery at your disposal.

Hoped Ni-oh to combine the rpg elements and setting of the souls games with the fast fluid and much deeper revolutionary combat of ninja gaiden.
And I wasn't disappointed.

SHRINE

I admit to being guilty of often trying to experiment and implement the safest, most basic way to beat such games, and this game didn't let me and that's the beauty of Nioh :

You either do it the ninja way or you die trying again and again.

Never had been this unsure in any game which was simply down to the sheer variety of unique weapon classes with their own moves, abilities and each being useful in different situations. Also the complex leveling and skill system with weapons scaling with multiple basic stats and how early the diminishing returns for individual stats set in, where it turns out viable to spread out amrita(in-game currency) more evenly than a focussed build, eventually gear mattering much more than amrita level.

END GAME BUILD

Ultimately went for the kusarigama and how good that proved to get in quick hits to stun from close range or throw the chain from afar to get an early headstart.

But to be fair, it just comes down to personal preference as every weapon has its own perks making none a bad choice.

KUSARIGAMA RANGED ATTACK

Combat is not only about channeling your own ki to throw in well times combos but your opponent's (ki) as well which is further deepened by the ki regeneration mechanism (ki pulse) and the three on the go switchable stances made available to us.
These make every encounter truly a learning experience and the combat system absolutely flawless being satisfying,strategic and skillful at the same time which alone is extremely rare.

SUCCESSFUL KI PULSE GIVING AN EDGE IN COMBAT.

 Add to that ranged combat actually being effective,  where you can even rely on them either with stealth or head on.

There's lesser emphasis to play safe and risk more, where the game rewards you accordingly for it but never gives up its brutality to punish you to a certain death for your mistakes which will be plenty and seemingly fair unless you get yourself crowded by multiple enemies.

MANAGING YOUR OWN AS WELL AS OPPONENT'S KI.

The feeling of constantly being on your toes and at risk with the chance of either being demolished or instead being the aggressor is what nioh offers uniquely and fascinatingly even to the game's ultra epic and rewarding boss fights barring some which are well, not Ninja Like and seem so unfair to begin with but only till you get the hang of them.Although timely use of Living weapon does trivialize most of the late game boss fights which otherwise would not be so forgiving.

LIVING WEAPON

Where nioh isn't upto its masterpiece mark :

is its world, each separate level is sharply interwoven with well timed unlockable shortcuts.
But a navigable map to each mission is surely a great system to replay the boss fights but not worth the sacrifice compromising the immersion of a whole world.

CENTRAL MAP

Neither is its story that is presented with the use of Japanese folklore but is neither motivating nor interesting enough to absorb one in but the combat does that job so it didn't hurt the experience much.

Understandably, the game sees it best to remove instead of improving any kind of platforming which wasn't up to the mark in its previous games, Although highly risky to fit in the setting and maybe not needed, if done right could have taken the game to an even higher peak.

Also the tedious loot/inventory management is too much for its own good, going through every armor, weapon, consumable and it's many duplicates with their own special effects and buffs hinders keeping up with the pace of the lengthy campaign which did start to feel like one.

TEDIOUS LOOT AND UPGRADE SYSTEM

Not the absolute best of both worlds but enough to mechanically be a better game and undeniably a fun and immensely engaging game cementing it's own identity.

ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT YET SATISFYING EARLY GAME BATTLE : HINO EMMA

A BIT FRUSTRATING TO BEGIN WITH BUT UMI BOZU REMAINS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BATTLES IN THE GAME.

THE MOST ENGAGING BATTLE IN THE GAME.

 
   Youtube playlist for my Boss battles in the game and the best thing about the game by far :

                         NIOH BOSS RUSH

 So I won't answer or maybe I can't  if Nioh betters souls, as I said a better base game if not an experience as pure or as immersive as the Souls games.

What it does certainly is :

Picks up the Souls equation and apply their own ninja formula to it, thus expanding and redefining a few of its parameters but not without imbalances
resulting in an even more complex but still powerful relationship delivering a Samurai experience like no other video game has come close to.