Just like Dark Souls the levels do often wind back on themselves and have unexpected shortcuts, but they’re not connected into one giant open world. And despite all the game’s many absurdities there’s also a strange sense of pseudo-realism to the combat.Īlthough Nioh does plenty to distinguish its combat system from Dark Souls the other main point of comparison is the levels and boss battles. The plot is pure nonsense but the Japanese historical figures and supernatural monsters, even the bad guy Edward Kelley, all have a basis in history and mythology.

Although at that point we assume it was a more straightforward adaption of the life and times of English sailor William Adams (we strongly recommend giving his Wikipedia page a look as it’s truly fascinating).Īt some point the game’s script turned Adams into an Irishman and added a supernatural element about Japan being overrun by demons, and yet there’s still a veneer of authenticity to the 17th century setting. It started life as a multimedia project in 2004, but before that it was an unfinished film script for legendary film director Akira Kurosawa.

We know for a fact that Nioh (the name is a reference to two Buddhist manifestations, if you’re wondering why they didn’t translate it for the West) did not start out as a Dark Souls clone because the game’s origins extend back long before even Demon’s Souls.

What is in nioh complete edition