Nioh

International boxart, depicting protagonist William and his Guardian Spirit, Saoirse

### Developer

Team Ninja
Kou Shibusawa

### Publisher

Koei Tecmo (Japanese PS4/PS5 release; PC release)
Sony Interactive Entertainment (international PS4/PS5 release)

### Director

Fumihiko Yasuda
Yosuke Hayashi

### Writer

Kazunori Taguchi
Masahiko Kochi

### Platforms

PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
PC

### Release

**PlayStation 4**:
February 8, 2017

**PC**:
June 2, 2017

**PlayStation 5**:
February 5, 2021

### Mode(s)

Single-player, multiplayer

***Nioh*** is a 2017 action role-playing video game developed by Team Ninja with support by Kou Shibusawa; it was published in Japan by Team Ninja's parent company Koei Tecmo and by Sony Interactive Entertainment internationally for the PlayStation 4. A PC port titled *Nioh: Complete Edition* was published by Koei Tecmo in late 2017, and a PlayStation 5 remaster titled *Nioh Remastered: Complete Edition* was released in 2021 as part of *The Nioh Collection*.

Set in a fantastical version of the Sengoku period in the year 1600, *Nioh* follows the journey of Irish explorer William, who pursues a fictionalized version of occultist Edward Kelley to Japan during Tokugawa Ieyasu's efforts to unify the island nation. A mysterious emergence of *yōkai* across the land complicates the situation. An action-role playing title with heavy emphasis on a hack-and-slash combat system, *Nioh*'s gameplay revolves around stamina or "Ki" management and different sword stances that are strong or weak against different enemies. The game is broken into several levels in which William has to complete different missions, which include clearing infested areas of enemies such as hostile soldiers and yokai.

*Nioh* originally began as an entry in a multimedia project based on an unfinished script of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, with development focused on the PlayStation 3. The game went through a troubled production since its conception in 2004, with several iterations made and scrapped until the game began a new development cycle for the PlayStation 4 in 2014, with gameplay influenced by From Software's *Souls* games. Koei Tecmo partnered with Sony to publish the game internationally, and the title was properly re-introduced in 2015 as a PlayStation 4 console exclusive. Team Ninja released several Alpha and beta demos of *Nioh*, to build public interest and gather feedback; the title was then pushed from its initial 2016 release to early 2017 to further polish the game based on the demos' feedback.

*Nioh* was critically acclaimed. Particular praise was directed towards its complex combat system, Japanese aesthetics, intricate level design and extensive amount of content. Criticism focused on the story, while the difficulty level drew mixed-to-positive responses. Several critics favorably compared it to titles produced by FromSoftware, and saw the title as a return to form for Team Ninja. *Nioh* won several end-year accolades and was a commercial success, selling over 3 million copies by 2020. Team Ninja supported *Nioh* through updates and expansion packs. A follow-up, *Nioh 2*, was released in 2020.

## Gameplay

*Nioh* is an action role-playing video game with heavy emphasis on hack-and-slash combat and loot-based gameplay loop. The game is presented from a third-person perspective and has player control William, an Irish sailor-turned-samurai. As William, players are tasked to complete missions that can be selected through a menu. Missions are self-contained, consisting of combat scenarios and alternate routes which can be taken by William.

## Release

*Nioh* was first announced by original publisher Koei in October 2004 under the title *Oni*, and was originally slated for a 2006 release. At the time, the game was supposed to release with a movie produced by Akira Kurosawa's son Hisao, and the project's entire budget was estimated to be worth 3 billion yen. By 2005, Koei decided to cancel the film, with the now titled *Ni-Oh* being a standalone project. *Ni-Oh* was properly announced at Sony Computer Entertainment's E3 2005 as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. After missing its 2006 release window, *Ni-Oh* was absent from Koei's catalogue until the project's continued existence was confirmed in 2009.

The game was properly re-announced at Tokyo Game Show 2015, where it was retitled *Nioh* and confirmed to be a PlayStation 4 console exclusive. During PlayStation Experience in December 2015, Koei Tecmo and Sony announced that the title would release internationally alongside its Japanese release in 2016. The game was delayed from its October 2016 release to early February 2017, to adjust systems based on player feedback and prioritize localization. In November 2016, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it would publish the international version of *Nioh*, while Koei Tecmo would remain the game's publisher in Japan.

In October 2017, Koei Tecmo announced that *Nioh* will release to PC under the repackage *Nioh: Complete Edition*. The port was released in November 2017.

In an interview in September 2022, *Nioh* director and producer Yasuda was asked whether the *Nioh* titles could ever release on Xbox platforms, to which he replied there was "not really too much of a possibility" but declined to comment further, which VGC interviewer Andy Robinson assumed was due to Sony's involvement in the franchise's development.

## Reception

### Reviews

* Metacritic: 88/100
* OpenCritic: 88/100; 97% recommendation rate
* Destructoid: 9/10
* Easy Allies: 9/10
* Edge: 9/10
* EGM: 9/10
* Eurogamer: Recommended
* Game Informer: 9/10
* Game Revolution: 9/10
* GameSpot: 9/10
* GamesRadar: 4/5
* Guardian: 4/5
* IGN: 9.6/10
* PlayStation LifeStyle: 7.5/10
* PlayStation Universe: 9.5/10
* Polygon: 8/10
* Push Square: 8/10

*Nioh* received critical acclaim. On Metacritic, the game holds a score of 88/100 based on 100 reviews, classified as "generally favorable reviews" according to the site. OpenCritic rated *Nioh* at 88/100 with a 97% recommendation rate, based on 131 reviews.

IGN's Chloi Rad offered high praise to *Nioh* in a glowing review, describing it as a "shining example of what action RPGs can be", a sentiment shared by Game Informer's Daniel Tack and . Destructoid's Chris Carter felt *Nioh* simultaneously acted as a proper successor to Team Ninja's earlier *Ninja Gaiden* titles while serving as a sufficient alternative to FromSoftware's Soulslike titles.

### Sales

By October 2022, combined sales of *Nioh* and *Nioh 2* reached 7 million copies across PlayStation and PC platforms.

### Accolades

* The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards 2017
	+ Action and Adventure Game - nominated
* Golden Joystick Awards 2017
	+ PlayStation Game of the Year - nominated
* The Game Awards 2017
	+ Best Action Game - nominated
* Famitsu Awards
* Rookie Award - won
* IGN Game of the Year 2017
	+ Best PlayStation 4 Game - nominated
	+ Best RPG - nominated
* Gamespot Best of Games 2017
	+ Editor's Spotlight Awards

## Legacy

A follow-up serving as narrative prequel, *Nioh 2*, was announced in June 2018, once again developed by Team Ninja and co-published by Koei Tecmo and Sony. It was released in March 2020 to positive reviews.

The success of *Nioh* influenced future titles developed by Team Ninja, including *Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin* (2022) and *Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty* (2023).

## References

1. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/29/kurosawa-comes-to-ps3
2. ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tgs-2005-koei-canceling-ni-oh-movie/1100-6133476/
3. ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nioh-e3-2005-preshow-impressions/1100-6125044/
4. ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-nioh-evolved-from-a-jrpg-to-an-action-game/1100-6443682/
5. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/09/15/tgs-2015-ps4-exclusive-nioh-showcased
6. ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-12-06/koei-tecmo-to-release-nioh-ps4-game-in-the-west/.96151
7. ↑ https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/when-dark-souls-met-ninja-gaiden-team-ninja-talks-nioh/
8. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2016/11/03/action-rpg-nioh-to-be-published-by-sie-ps4-pro-enhancements-detailed/
9. ↑ https://www.polygon.com/2017/10/2/16397748/nioh-steam-pc-version-complete-edition-koei-tecmo
10. ↑ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/interviews/interview-team-ninja-on-wo-long-ninja-gaidens-future-and-more/
11. ↑ Team Ninja Twitter account.
12. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/12/e3-2018-nioh-2-revealed-at-sony-press-conference
13. ↑ https://www.psu.com/news/nioh-2-published-by-sony-ps4-console-exclusive/
14. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/nioh-2-gets-march-2020-release-date-on-ps4
15. ↑ https://gamerant.com/stranger-paradise-final-fantasy-origin-looks-like-nioh-dark-souls/
16. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/wo-long-fallen-dynasty-interview-team-ninja-soulslike-feudal-china