'Nioh' Tips and Tricks to Survive the Journey

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, February 11, 2017

"Nioh" by Team Ninja is an action role-playing game that takes its inspiration from other punishingly difficult games — among which "Dark Souls" and "Ninja Gaiden" first come to mind. True to its lineage, "Nioh" takes all of their characteristics to emerge as a game that's brutal, fast-paced, complex and strategic all at the same time. Learn how to at least stay alive to see the next chapters the game has to offer.

Take advantage of the pace at which "Nioh" introduces the gameplay mechanics. A lot of the game's features will take some time to unlock, even the gamers at Polygon took eight hours to get to the story missions. This slow progression may have been deliberate, as the game packs in a lot of features that will have to be mastered by a player for them to even have a chance of making it through a chapter.

The game allows a player to choose from five close-combat weapons, and the recommendation is to select one and master it. This makes the best use of the limited ability points available with "Nioh's" leveling system. There is an item that allows a character to redistribute the points, so players should feel free to experiment with it.

"Nioh" uses a three-stance combat system, and each stance comes with its own strengths and disadvantages, depending on the weapon. What's more, enemies also use stances. It's important to learn which stances will work best with a character's build, while also taking into account the enemy's stance. A player needs to do this at a frenetic pace while also managing the different demands on Ki (stamina) for each stance. This is a key part of survival in "Nioh" and one of the most enjoyable aspects of its combat.

The game also has a "Ki Pulse" mechanic — by hitting the R1 button at just the right time after an attack, the character recovers a large chunk of Ki or stamina spent for that move. Mastering this feature is vital to sustaining a fight to its end. Not only that, it's also used to clear the environment hazards that Yokai and certain bosses leave on the ground.

These tips barely scratch the surface but they lay the foundation for a player to explore the more strategic features of the game — builds, prestige points, items, upgrades, crafting and buffs just to cover some. Polygon has a brief rundown of these features.

Watch the gameplay video of "Nioh" below to see these tips in action.