6) Nioh
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Release Date: February 9th
Hack. Slash. Dodge. Die. Welcome to Nioh, alternatively titled: Ninja Gaiden Meets Dark Souls: 10 Years in the Making.
Nioh has endured a tumultuous ride since it was first announced in the early 2000s, enduring several delays and even bigger tweaks. The title began life as a stodgy RPG before switching to frenetic action and has finally been molded in the image of the Dark Souls games, somewhere between the two. The result is an ode to Souls with a dash of Ninja Gaiden for good measure.
I sunk five or six hours into the generous Alpha and Beta demos in 2016 and came away suitably impressed. For one thing, Nioh is tough as nails with a deep yet rewarding combat system. The time-honoured phrase “five minutes to learn, a lifetime to master” is apt here, as you can pick up Nioh right away, but besting its challenges could take hours.
Still, before you know it, you’re navigating the world with greater ease, opening up a map of clever shortcuts and devilish enemies. Nioh stars a flowy-haired soldier named… William (yeah, we’re not sure about the name, either) who arrives in Japan armed with a juicy scimitar and bad guys to kill.
Time will tell whether Nioh’s visuals can match the gameplay (the Alpha and Beta demos took place at night and weren’t big on environmental variety), but with a February 9th release date fast approaching, there’s not long to wait.