NIOH Review
ICE, Gamers of the Round Table
Team Ninja and director Fumihiko Yasuda, who has worked on other team ninja games in the past such as Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, has brought us an all-new IP with the title of NIOH developed exclusively for the PlayStation 4. Does it live up to the challenge it promised or does it fall down in history?
Story: Set in the Sengoku Period in Japan, you play as the protagonist named William. William comes from the west; his purpose in Japan is to pursue an enemy by the name of Edward Kelley. When you arrive in Japan you find how easy it is to make enemies, unfortunately in this case, it is Tokugawa and his assistant Hattori. While you progress through the game you realize that Edward Kelley is making your journey more difficult using dark arts.
Gameplay: The gameplay is almost exactly like the Dark Souls series, but with some variety. Through the journey of NIOH, you use an arsenal of samurai weapons and skills, but this game is no walk in the park; it is extremely difficult. The smaller enemies you can approach and strike three times (usually) to kill them, but the bigger enemies require skill: timing, managing your stamina, and using the battle area to your advantage is required in order to defeat the bigger demons. As you progress through the game you will acquire better weapons, armor, and unlock better skills with experience points you gain through victory. You will come across a variety of weapons including katanas, bows and wooden hammers.
Conclusion: NIOH is a game that took me by surprise. Although the game was incredibly frustrating, it was rewarding every time I defeated a boss; I felt like I really accomplished something. I could not help but love this game from the time era, to the culture and the weapons of the Samurai, something that has always fascinated me. NIOH was something very new to me as a gamer, and I could not put it down. With great action and a compelling story, this game is definitely worth picking up if you are fans of the Dark Souls series, or are looking for a challenge.
NIOH 8/10
