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Re: Games Discussion Thread
Stuffie wanted to know a bit more about Nioh so here we go!
I'm gonna skip over the categories of graphics and sound, they get the job done and that's about the amount I care.
As for gameplay:
The game is set in Japan so as one might expect, even though I was a little disappointed, it is stage based instead of open world. Each stage can be re-played any number of times and range in size from a large bath-house to a feudal castle. Paths through stages do have some choices but are ultimately linear.
Stats work in much the same way as they do in DS, each stat has a primary function as well as affecting damage on a certain weapon. Your choices of melee weapons are Sword, Spear, Dual Swords, Chain & Sickle, and Axe/hammer (ugs). For ranged weapons : Bow, Rifle, and Hand cannon. Each weapon feels unique in it's uses, but some are definitely overpowered in terms of damage output.
Along with the traditional stats, there is spirit. Akin to attunement in DS this stat affects the strength of your guardian spirit and is even required to unlock passive boosts that they give. You'll collect quite a few Guardian spirits throughout your playthrough all with unique passive buffs, unique summons via another useable item, and varying buffs during the 'elemental weapon' (basically super mode, but not that super). I didn't invest that heavily in spirit and end up using very few of them, mostly the ones that up drop rates so I can't comment on how different each really feels.
A significant difference from DS is the way equipment is handled by Nioh. 2 swords with the same name will very rarely have the same passive buffs on each (things such as stamina cost reduction, adding another stat to the weapons scaling, to very finite buffs like mid-attack up 7%), and it is through gear upgrading and passive buff re-rolling that progression during NG+ relies upon. You CAN forge your own items, but need the appropriate smithing texts to do so and their drop rates are abysmal, often requiring an excess of 30 boss kills to net you with one. Personally I hate RNG so I rather loathe this system but you might not find it as tedious as I.
Leveling is handled the exact same as DS, gather 'amrita' till you reach the cost of a point. You drop your accumulated amrita when you die (which you will, ALOT) along with your GS and have to retrieve them before you die again or the amrita is lost and the GS returns with an empty elemental weapon meter.
I think that covers the main points well enough so the last aspect of gameplay I'll talk about is... COMBAT!!!
Combat in Nioh is somewhat similar to DS, very few Iframes, moves cost ki (stamina), often one is locked into an action once they press the button, when enemies hit it HURTS. The biggest deviations come in the form of 1 stance 2 ki-pulses and 3 skills. You have three stances High, Middle, and low each typically good for Damage or stamina drain, blocking or countering, quick hits or dodging respectively. I should mention that VERY seldom with blocking eat all of your ki, so no fear of blocking big hits leaving you helpless.
During actual combat there's a gimmick called ki-pulse that with a correctly timed button press allows one to gather their spent ki. This often leads to you losing a stun-lock but also keeps you from eating hits because you ran out of ki and can't block or dodge. The timing of the ki-pulse is a little weird, not short enough that you can hit the button immediately not long enough that you can back off and then hit the button.
Skills are acquired throughout the game as you use hair to net you skill points or get them passively by increasing your stats. They range from very handy passive buffs (something like 12% extra damage when attacking an opponent from behind) to completely new moves say catching an enemies attack with your spear and throwing them to the ground for a free stab.
Stay tuned as I've got a couple gameplay videos I can upload tmo or the next day.
Stuffie wanted to know a bit more about Nioh so here we go!
I'm gonna skip over the categories of graphics and sound, they get the job done and that's about the amount I care.
As for gameplay:
The game is set in Japan so as one might expect, even though I was a little disappointed, it is stage based instead of open world. Each stage can be re-played any number of times and range in size from a large bath-house to a feudal castle. Paths through stages do have some choices but are ultimately linear.
Stats work in much the same way as they do in DS, each stat has a primary function as well as affecting damage on a certain weapon. Your choices of melee weapons are Sword, Spear, Dual Swords, Chain & Sickle, and Axe/hammer (ugs). For ranged weapons : Bow, Rifle, and Hand cannon. Each weapon feels unique in it's uses, but some are definitely overpowered in terms of damage output.
Along with the traditional stats, there is spirit. Akin to attunement in DS this stat affects the strength of your guardian spirit and is even required to unlock passive boosts that they give. You'll collect quite a few Guardian spirits throughout your playthrough all with unique passive buffs, unique summons via another useable item, and varying buffs during the 'elemental weapon' (basically super mode, but not that super). I didn't invest that heavily in spirit and end up using very few of them, mostly the ones that up drop rates so I can't comment on how different each really feels.
A significant difference from DS is the way equipment is handled by Nioh. 2 swords with the same name will very rarely have the same passive buffs on each (things such as stamina cost reduction, adding another stat to the weapons scaling, to very finite buffs like mid-attack up 7%), and it is through gear upgrading and passive buff re-rolling that progression during NG+ relies upon. You CAN forge your own items, but need the appropriate smithing texts to do so and their drop rates are abysmal, often requiring an excess of 30 boss kills to net you with one. Personally I hate RNG so I rather loathe this system but you might not find it as tedious as I.
Leveling is handled the exact same as DS, gather 'amrita' till you reach the cost of a point. You drop your accumulated amrita when you die (which you will, ALOT) along with your GS and have to retrieve them before you die again or the amrita is lost and the GS returns with an empty elemental weapon meter.
I think that covers the main points well enough so the last aspect of gameplay I'll talk about is... COMBAT!!!
Combat in Nioh is somewhat similar to DS, very few Iframes, moves cost ki (stamina), often one is locked into an action once they press the button, when enemies hit it HURTS. The biggest deviations come in the form of 1 stance 2 ki-pulses and 3 skills. You have three stances High, Middle, and low each typically good for Damage or stamina drain, blocking or countering, quick hits or dodging respectively. I should mention that VERY seldom with blocking eat all of your ki, so no fear of blocking big hits leaving you helpless.
During actual combat there's a gimmick called ki-pulse that with a correctly timed button press allows one to gather their spent ki. This often leads to you losing a stun-lock but also keeps you from eating hits because you ran out of ki and can't block or dodge. The timing of the ki-pulse is a little weird, not short enough that you can hit the button immediately not long enough that you can back off and then hit the button.
Skills are acquired throughout the game as you use hair to net you skill points or get them passively by increasing your stats. They range from very handy passive buffs (something like 12% extra damage when attacking an opponent from behind) to completely new moves say catching an enemies attack with your spear and throwing them to the ground for a free stab.
Stay tuned as I've got a couple gameplay videos I can upload tmo or the next day.
