NIOH ALPHA DEMO PREVIEW

Be aware of the fact that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and when it comes to Nioh, it is a pretty evident fact that Ninja Gaiden developer, Team Ninja is quite smitten by From Software's Souls franchise. From the dark and oppressive environments to the methodical combat to the outrageously punishing difficulty, Nioh proudly wears its inspirations on its armored sleeve.

It is not entirely a mere imitation of Dark Souls, rather it is a very challenging as well as a competent RPG played by Geralt of Rivia's cousin during his days in the Warring States Period of Japan. Jokes aside, those who have cut their teeth on any From Software titles will feel right at home as they step off the rocky shores in Nioh's opening area. The ruined village is littered with corpses of fallen players and ghoulish swordsmen. As you step up for attack, your 'Ki' meter, which is essentially your stamina, will be drained with each attack, block or evade. Depleting this meter will leave you at the mercy of the vile swordmen or Yokai beasts. 

The games tight sword-based combat system is honed to a Katana's edge. Proper stances ensure victory as you'll have to find a balance of both offensive and defensive stances to make it far into Nioh. Stances help to add an extra layer of diversity too. Any weapon can be held in a low, medium, or high stance, changing the speed, power, and range of each strike. For example, the high pose will enable a sluggish but brutal overhead blow. Ninja magic and secondary weapons like caltrops, shuriken, and the bow can also be employed for a more diverse approach to combat. Other primary weapons include spears, axes and hammers; each with their unique set of moves and variations.

You collect 'Amrita' like Souls as you kill enemies. It is the currency through which the character's stats are leveled up at certain checkpoints scattered throughout the world called Shrines. Also, points are unlocked and can be used to unlock advanced combo moves and variations. These will allow you to restock your supply of healing elixirs and assign various Guardian Spirits. Represented by different animals, these entities each bring a different bonus to your character when assigned. For instance, one grants you a special melee ability as well as various stat buffs such as improved stamina, agility and other useful bonuses to give you an upper hand. You'll want to return back to these shrines as well because if you die and are unable to recover your Guardian Spirit, you'll lose any Amrita you had previously acquired for good.

Notable for a console game, Nioh allows players to select between frame rate & resolution. The movie mode bumps up the resolution and caps frame rate while action mode uncaps framerate and reduces the resolution. When switching to action mode, the particle effects go away and the textures seem washed out & muddy.  Going forward, I found the increased frame rate more appropriate for the game and especially during Boss Battles as 60fps delivers the better experience. Besides, as the game approaches completion, there is plenty of visual polishing to be done.

Nioh's sudden rise in popularity demonstrates that Team Ninja has certainly struck the right chord with the gamers. The end result is refreshing and has a lot of potential to carve its own niche.