Recommended 140.8 hrs on record (26.9 hrs at review time)

Nioh runs absolutely fine so far on my relatively middle-of-the-road system (i7-3770 3.40ghz, GTX 970, 8gb RAM). I haven't run into any issues at all. I simply started up the launcher and picked my graphics options. Smooth as butter.



The game looks great, by the way. I haven't played enough to comment too much about the story or any advanced gameplay features [see edit below], but so far everything feels tight and responsive. A little more arcade-y than the Souls series, but it works in the game's favor. It's similar enough to Souls games to scratch the itch but still unique enough to stand on its own. It's leaps and bounds ahead of Lords of the Fallen.



[Nioh now supports mouse+keyboard. Disregard the following paragraph.]

Unfortunately, it is true the game doesn't support mouse+keyboard. I'd really want to play it with a controller regardless, but it does kinda suck that there is no other option. I suppose that could be a deal-breaker for some people.



I'll likely update this review as I play more, but please don't be scared away from Nioh because of others who for some reason couldn't figure out the launcher menu. If you meet the system requirements (and you're not averse to using a controller for whatever reason), give it a shot.



EDIT: So I'm further along now. After starting several different characters, beating the first region, and doing a few sub-missions, I feel confident in saying that Nioh is a fun game. I've had a blast.



It's a lot more fast-paced than Souls games, and there is a much more complex stamina management system that takes some getting used to. It feels almost like a cross between Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden, which makes sense given that it was developed by Team Ninja. Once you get the hang of it, the combat is fast, fluid, and satisfying. The different weapons are all interesting and unique, and the stance system is fun to play around with. The stat system is a bit opaque, though, and I'm still not certain of some of the nuances and breakpoints. It could be a little more intuitive, but it hasn't been a real problem.



The story so far seems... adequate. The cutscenes are nice. The voice-acting isn't bad. The narrative does a decent enough job of holding the action together. It lacks that sense of mystery and foreboding that the Souls games instill in the player, though. If you love Japanese mythology, Nioh's lore will probably do a lot for you.



Performance-wise, I haven't run into any issues at all. The game has been smooth the whole time I've played it. I'm running on the highest settings at my native resolution. No problems whatsoever. And like I said before, the game looks great.



Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. I've had a good time playing Nioh, and I'll be playing a lot more of it in the coming weeks. If you're a fan of the Souls games or Bloodborne, or if you're just looking for a challenging action game, I would encourage you to pick it up.

Posted 7 November, 2017. Last edited 30 November, 2017.