Nioh
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Nioh (Japanese: 仁王, "benevolent king") is an Action RPG/Hack and Slash game developed by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 4. It was released worldwide in February 2017, and was published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Sony Interactive Entertainment internationally. Gameplay revolves around navigating levels and defeating monsters that have infested an area. Nioh takes place in the early 1600s during a fictionalized version of the Sengoku period, when Japan was in the midst of civil war prior to the ascension of the Tokugawa shogunate. A sailor named William, in pursuit of an enemy, arrives in Japan and is enlisted by Hattori Masanari, servant to Tokugawa Ieyasu, in defeating Yokai that are flourishing in the chaos of war.
Beginning development in 2004 as a multimedia project based on an unfinished Akira Kurosawa script, it went through multiple revisions over the following eight years as general producer Kou Shibusawa was dissatisfied with the result. Team Ninja was given the project, and the subsequent development lasted four years. The story was based on the life of historic Western samurai William Adams, although it was embellished with supernatural elements. First announced in the year it began development, information became sporadic until 2015, when it was reintroduced as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. Alpha and beta demos were released during 2016, to both gauge public reaction to the title and make adjustments based on feedback. Initially scheduled for a 2016 release, the adjustments pushed the release into the following year. Upon release, Nioh received critical acclaim, with most critics comparing it fondly to the Souls series of games.
- Distant Prologue: Sort of. The game's opening starts off in 1598, two years before the main plot begins.
- Crossover Cosmology: Downplayed. But in addition to Buddhism and Japanese Mythology, there are also elements of Celtic Mythology and Western European mysticism in relation to alchemy.
- Government Conspiracy: A secretive cabal led by Edward Kelley and Sir John Dee has not only been using Amrita to win England's battles against the Spanish, but has also sets its sights on Japan ostensibly for Queen and Country. With Kelley trying to further stoke the flames of war there.
- Historical Domain Character: Many of the human characters in the game, including Hattori Hanzo, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the actual William Adams.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: While William did indeed become one Japan's few Western samurai and an advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu in real life, he definitely wasn't locked up in the Tower of London nor fought demons.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Although the real Edward Kelley and John Dee practiced alchemy, in-game he and his master have mystic powers. Averted however with Oda Nobunaga, who despite his reputation is portrayed in a nobler, more solemn light.
- Jidai Geki: Much of the game is set at the tail end of the Sengoku period, during Tokugawa's rise to power.
- Mook: Of the human, undead and Yokai varieties. All of which can easily kill you.
- The Musketeer: It's possible for William to have a build emphasizing both swordsmanship and marksmanship, be it with bows or guns.
- Nintendo Hard: The game, even at its Alpha state, quickly gained notoriety for being incredibly hard, easily being on par with if not surpassing the likes of Dark Souls and Team Ninja's own Ninja Gaiden.
- And Now for Something Completely Different: The prologue is noticeably different from the rest of the game, given how it starts off at the Tower of London in England rather than in Japan.
- Shown Their Work: Even with the fantastical elements and creative licenses in the game, it's clear that Team Ninja had done a lot of research.
- The Historical Domain Characters' personalities are nigh identical to their real life counterparts, including antagonists Edward Kelley and Sir John Dee.
- The outfits and armor worn by guards in the Tower of London are based on the actual Tudor-era uniforms of the Yeoman Warders.
- Saoirse, William's Guardian Spirit is based on the mermaid-like Celtic Merrow; notably she even speaks entirely in Irish Gaelic.
- Unobtainium: Amrita, which is equated to the Philosopher's Stone among the Europeans. It's also why the likes of Edward Kelley are so interested with Japan, as it has enough Amrita to allow them to defeat England's enemies and Take Over the World.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: It's mentioned that England had been using pirates and privateers to scour the known world for Amrita. By 1598 though, William is shown imprisoned at the Tower of London and slated for execution due to Kelley wanting to dispose of potential loose ends and deeming them unnecessary.