This game is good. Dear lord, this game is very good.

Nioh is more than just another Dark Souls clone. This excellent action-RPG mixes elements from other beloved game franchises such as Onimusha and Ninja Gaiden to provide us with an excellent title than is already a fine candidate for a Game of The Year award.

First of all, when it comes to its difficulty, Nioh is actually quite fair. Granted, it is very very challenging, but you’ll almost never feel cheated. Every single enemy attack can be foreseen. You will constantly learn about enemy movement patterns and their weaknesses. In no time, a foe that used to give you hell will become an ungly punchbag for your sword. Case and point, the first boss, a bloke named Derrick. Yes, a game set in Japan has a boss named Derrick. Fantastic. Don’t worry, this isn’t any major spoiler, as this happens way into the beginning of the game, before anything interesting happens, but it’s always fun to point out that you will fight a bloody Derrick in a game about samurai and yokai.

When it comes to the game’s difficulty, it is also very helpful that it literally takes no more than four seconds for you to respawn after being killed by an enemy. Given how many times you’ll die, especially during boss battles, this is a very nice addition. You’ll never have to wait for too long in order to get right back in action. Looking at you, Bloodborne.

One interesting feature present in the game is the possibility of choosing between an “Action” graphical configuration (which prioritizes performance, giving the game a somewhat constant framerate of 60fps) or “Movie” graphical configuration (which prioritizes visuals, reducing framerates but increasing textures).

Granted, the “Action” configuration reduces the overall quality of textures and makes the game look not that impressive for a PS4 title, but given the game’s focus on speed and precise controls, it’s great that devs decided to give players options on how they prefer to experience Nioh. This is excellent if you own a normal PS4, by the way.

Game still looks good in either way, regardless. And no pop-ups or graphical glitches!

It doesn’t mean that Nioh is downright perfect, though. And no, not a single complaint about the game’s difficulty will be issued, don’t worry. I mean, sometimes the game will troll you with some cheap deaths, but the game as a whole is extremely fair in its difficulty.

While the controls are excellent, there will be time in which the camera won’t help you during battles, hiding your character from your point of view or zooming into you way more than it should. This will result in some cheap deaths.

The other main complaint is about the game’s co-op functionality. While it is very kind of Team Ninja to have added co-op into the game, you can only play levels with friends after you’ve already beat them in the first place. It is understandable in the sense that the game wants players to pay attention in its story, but it is quite annoying nonetheless, especially given the little amount of information given about this feature at launch.

All issues aside, Nioh is truly excellent. It features excellent gameplay, a somewhat interesting story, a nice glossary about Japanese culture, an actually fair level of challenge, an immense amount of content and tons of hours of fun.

It might intimidate some newbies due to its challenging nature but Nioh is an excellent addition to any PS4 owner’s library, not only Dark Souls and Bloodborne enthusiasts.

Here’s an extra picture for you!