Koei Tecmo has announced additional details for their upcoming action game, Nioh, after showing off the PlayStation 4 exclusive this weekend at the PlayStation Experience. While the action role-playing game will be developed by Team Ninja, it is also being overseen by Koei founder Kou Shibusawa and Gust president Hisashi Koinuma. That’s a lot of talent working on one project, so it’s clear that Koei Tecmo has big plans for Nioh.
Today’s new details give additional information on the game, with one of the most interesting tidbits being that the protagonist is named William, who is a “blonde-haired swordsman” that is a veteran of combat. The demons that William will battle throughout war-torn Japan are called Yokai, but they aren’t the only enemy that roams the land. Other samurai, some even sporting supernatural powers, will also clash blades with the player.
Koei Tecmo also seems to confirm that fans’ comparisons to the Dark Souls series are accurate. The Japanese publisher describes the game as having “intense, multi-target engagements offering a level of difficulty that will truly test even the most hardened samurai’s skills, patience, and strategy.”
That description, and the footage embedded above, pretty much confirms that the game has taken some inspiration from From Software’s hit series. This isn’t a huge surprise, though, as Koei founder Kou Shibusawa has offered up his praise of From Software in the past, and has talked openly about enjoying Bloodborne.
Sadly, that was all the information that Koei Tecmo announced today. No release window was given, but hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to be able to slice up Yokai. That said, the publisher did confirm that more information will be arriving in the upcoming months, so it looks like the build-up is only just beginning.
Until then, we’ll continue to keep watching Nioh‘s jaw dropping trailer on repeat.
