Nioh Reviews

John Cal McCormick

Push Square

October 30, 2019

8/10

Republished on Wednesday 30th October 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.

Rango the Mercenary

Game Skinny

November 30, 2017

9/10

Taking the time to review a strong contender for 2017's Game of the Year. Nioh is Team Ninja's greatest masterpiece since Ninja Gaiden.

Lauren Morton

PC Gamer

November 10, 2017

78/100

An iffy port and inconsistent level design trouble an otherwise deep and challenging samurai action RPG.

Adam Smith

Rock Paper Shotgun

November 7, 2017

Unscored

Nioh is like Dark Souls in so far as the halts to progress and forced repetition of fights function. You move forward, you fall, you learn, you try again. Experience works almost identically, tied to a form of currency that must be cashed in before death, adding a delicious risk/reward factor. The masses of loot initially seem like the biggest difference between this and a From Software game, and could kid you into thinking Nioh is a game about raising stats above all else, but it's not. That's a small part of it. Really, it's a game about raising your...

Sean Cahill

Gaming Nexus

March 10, 2017

9/10

A stunning take on feudal Japan awaits players with a fresh style of leveling, a unique battle system, and a challenge that will make even the most hardened players question what they're doing taking on this game.

Luke Mitchell

Checkpoint Gaming

February 18, 2017

Unscored

Nioh is the latest game in the “so tough yet so rewarding” genre of action RPGs to be released. The genre saw a big push with releases like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, which this game is modelled closely off of when it comes to progression, style and difficulty level. However, Nioh does enough different with its interesting  storytelling and complex, faster paced combat, along with a brighter colour palette and varied environments, that it just might be my favourite challenge of this type...

Richard Seagrave

GameSpew

February 17, 2017

10/10

In no uncertain terms then, Nioh is something special. It’s one of those rare games that surpasses expectations, taking the best elements from a variety of genre-defining titles whilst sprinkling in a handful of its own ideas to create something that feels both familiar yet excitingly fresh. The fluid combat works in tandem with the game’s RPG elements to envelop you into its violent world; a world in which you’ll die time and time again yet always return for more; your pride hanging in the balance until you emerge triumphant. With Nioh, Team Ninja has graced Sony’s PlayStation 4 console...

Kai Tatsumoto

WCCFtech

February 17, 2017

9.5/10

High fantasy has been a common theme for role-playing games of recent years. Knights, medieval European architecture and weaponry, and even dragons have established the backbone for too long. The Dark Souls series most famously took these tropes, even from its beginnings with the Kings Field series, to build a genre all its own of hard-as-nails action RPGs that punish the player for failing to exercise caution. Even clones of the series such as Salt and Sanctuary or Lords of the Fallen have returned to the same European settings that we’ve been subject to for too long. Team Ninja’s samurai...

A.J. Maciejewski

Video Chums

February 10, 2017

7.9/10

Team Ninja definitely wear their influences on their sleeves in this latest tough-as-nails action RPG. Although it borrows heavily from a familiar franchise, does Nioh offer enough fresh gameplay to solidify its place in gaming history?

GameCentral

Metro GameCentral

February 8, 2017

9/10

A perfect accompaniment to the SoulsBorne series, with plenty of unique ideas of its own and some of the best combat of the generation.

Tom Morgan-Freelander

Stuff

February 8, 2017

It’s simple, really: Nioh is hard. Painfully, swear-inducingly hard. By the time Sony’s coverage embargo lifted, I was still struggling my way through the opening few levels.

Dave Irwin

TheSixthAxis

February 7, 2017

9/10

Do not dismiss Nioh as just another knockoff; it’s so much more than that. By taking some inspiration from others, Team Ninja do prove with a rich combat system and solid foundation that they have the ability to surprise and innovate. The vast majority of the game is a pleasure to play, despite the fact that death is around every corner.  There’s a lot I’ve not even touched upon in this review, simply because it’s better experienced than told. For Koei Tecmo at least, all the effort was well worth it.

Lucas Sullivan

GamesRadar

February 6, 2017

Though it doesn't outshine Dark Souls, Nioh's distinctly Japanese setting, thoughtful level design, and demanding difficulty lead to some supremely satisfying payoffs.

Zack Reese

RPGSite

February 6, 2017

9/10

This may be one of the best games that I have had the pleasure of playing in years.

David Craddock

ShackNews

February 6, 2017

Unscored

Instead of creating your own character and customizing every pixel down to the shape of your eyebrows, you play as a character—William, who's based on a real samurai of the same name, minus all the supernatural elements. And get this: William talks. Cutscenes are sparsely used to move things along, but I was able to skip them without missing any gameplay beats, yet engaging enough that players interested in a more traditional narrative will enjoy them.

Dalton Cooper

Game Rant

February 6, 2017

10/10

Nioh may borrow Onimusha's art style, Dark Souls' challenging combat, and Diablo's loot-farming, but it combines these elements in a way that makes it feel like a unique experience. Everything comes together to create a wholly engrossing action-RPG that's hard to put down, with Nioh standing as an impressive return to form for Team Ninja after spending a decade in development hell. In short, Nioh is Team Ninja's best game in years, and should leave fans plenty excited for the next Ninja Gaiden.

Chris Carter

Destructoid

February 2, 2017

9/10

With its emphasis on challenging combat and light storytelling elements that are at times bordering on parody (in a good way), Nioh feels like a true successor to the Ninja Gaiden series and fills a nice void that Souls left behind. Did Team Ninja ever leave? Whatever the case might be, it’s back.

Michal Grygorcewicz

GRYOnline.pl

February 2, 2017

9/10

The Japanese have created a great game that skillfully combines elements well known from other productions, resulting in something very different from the titles it was based on.

Chloi Rad

IGN

February 2, 2017

9.6/10

Nioh could well take over 100 hours if you set out to master its many side missions on top of its tough campaign, but it’s a challenge well worth taking. The way it builds on its most obvious inspirations with a highly refined combat system and an unexpectedly charming, yet gritty style all its own allows it to boldly carve out its own identity, standing as a shining example of what action RPGs can be.

Mike Guarino

Attack of the Fanboy

February 2, 2017

Team Ninja took their time to ensure that Nioh was as good as it could possibly be, and that time wasn't wasted. The finished product is a fantastic action RPG that may borrow a lot from the Souls series, but nevertheless adds plenty of great twists to the formula to allow it to stand proudly on its own.