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Nioh

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For the Buddhist manifestations, see Nio. Not to be confused with the chemical formulas Ni(OH)2 or NiO(OH).
Nioh
File:Ni-Oh Tecmo Koei promotional title art.jpg
Developer(s)Team Ninja
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Fumihiko Yasuda
Yosuke Hayashi
Producer(s)Kou Shibusawa
Hisashi Koinuma
Composer(s)Yugo Kanno
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Nioh (Japanese: 仁王, Hepburn: Niō, lit. "benevolent king") is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 4. It will release worldwide in February 2017: it will be published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Sony Interactive Entertainment internationally. Gameplay, which has been compared to Souls series, 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 Hanzō, servant to Tokugawa Ieyasu, in defeating yokai that are flourishing in the wake the warring daimyo factions.

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 producer Kou Shibusawa was dissatisfied with the result. Team Ninja were 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 PS4 exclusive with Dark Souls-inspired gameplay. Alpha and beta demos were released during 2016, to both gauge public reaction to the title and make adjustments based on feedback. Initially scheculed for a 2016 release, these adjustments pushed the release into the following year.

Gameplay

File:Nioh PlayStation 4 gameplay screenshot.png
Pre-release gameplay screenshot of Nioh, taken from the alpha demo. Nioh takes heavy inspiration from FromSoftware's Souls series, Capcom's Onimusha series, and Team Ninja's own Ninja Gaiden.

Nioh is an action role-playing game set in Japan during the 1600s, with players taking the role of a Western samurai named William.[1] The player guides William on missions through enclosed environments fighting both human enemies and supernatural beings called yokai: missions are self-contained, and selected from a menu rather than reached by navigating an open world. Shrines scattered through levels act as checkpoints, allowing players to save progress, replenish health and raise William's experience level through accrued experience points: doing this respawns all normal enemies within an area. Skill points acquired in combat can also be assigned at shrines.[2][3]

Combat is based around hack and slash combat, with William being able to attack enemies and block their attacks in turn. William can run, dodge and sprint, with these and combat actions draining his Ki stamina bar. When his Ki has been depleted, William is left vulnerable to attack. If timed right, William is able to replenish lost Ki with an action called "Ki pulse".[2][3] In combat, William can change between three Stances with most weapons, with each stance having different effects; High Stance causes higher damage while lowering defense, Low Stance allows for quick attacks and better defense, while Middle Stance balances elements of the other two Stances. Defeated enemies drop loot, which includes money and weapons.[3] In addition to normal enemies, William can also summon Revenants, hostile ghosts based on other fallen players, to battle and gain experience and money.[2] A cooperative multiplayer allows for other players to be summoned to help in battles.[3]

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Nioh is set in the early 1600s within a fictionalised dark fantasy version of the Sengoku period, a time when the clans of Japan were at war prior to the unification under Tokugawa Ieyasu and the beginning of the Edo period. Amidst the fighting and high death toll, yokai have appeared and begun wreaking havoc across the land: major yokai threats that appear in the game include Hinoenma, Jorōgumo, and a Yuki-onna born from the spirit of the wife of Oda Nobunaga following the Honnō-ji incident.[1][4]

The game's main protagonist is William, a blonde-haired Westerner who arrives in Japan in pursuit of an enemy. While there, he crosses paths with Tokugawa Ieyasu (Masachika Ichimura) and his ninja servant Hattori Hanzō, forming an alliance against both William's enemy and the yokai infesting Japan.[5] William crosses paths with numerous historical figures from the period: these include damiyo Kuroda Yoshitaka and his chief strategist Kuroda Nagamasa; Ieyasu's main rival Ishida Mitsunari and his allies Shima Sakon and Ōtani Yoshitsugu; and Tachibana Ginchiyo, head of the Tachibana clan, and her husband Muneshige.[4][6][7] Original characters include Okatsu (Emi Takei), a female ninja in Hanzō's clan who holds a dislike for William; and Kerry, a mysterious foreigner.[5][8]

Development

Early promotional artwork for Nioh. While the majority of its original elements were dropped, the setting and blonde-haired protagonist remained constant throughout the game's development.[9][10]

Nioh was developed by Team Ninja, a division of the game's publisher Koei Tecmo who had previously developed the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series.[11] It is co-directed by Fumihiko Yasuda and Yosuke Hayashi, and co-produced by Kou Shibusawa and Hisashi Koinuma.[12][13][14] The opening movie was directed by Shinji Higuchi, whose work included Shin Godzilla. The cinematic director for the game in general was Makoto Kamiya, who had previously supervised special effects for Death Note: Light Up the New World and the film version of I Am a Hero. The music was composed by Yugo Kanno, whose previous work included the Bayside Shakedown television film series.[5] The concept for the game was created by Shibusawa, who throughout development held a passionate vision for the project, which in turn affecting its development.[12]

Development on the title began in 2004, when it was designed as a Japanese role-playing game.[12][15] It was being developed internally by Koei, four years prior to its 2008 merger with Tecmo.[16][17] The role-playing version was scrapped by Shibusawa as it did not have enough fun elements within it.[14] Development was then transferred to Omega Force, a division of Koei Tecmo, and shifted in genre to a fast-paced action game similar to their Dynasty Warriors series. This too was scrapped, again due to Shibusawa being dissatisfied with the project's direction.[15] Team Ninja were first brought in in 2010 to help develop the action gameplay. It was at this stage that the title became an action role-playing game.[10] The alpha version was completed in August 2012.[18] Development was fully transferred to Team Ninja between 2012 and 2013. Up to this stage, only the basic concepts had been finalized, but when Team Ninja began full development three years prior to release the project solidified into being a full action title.[12][15] Team Ninja's staff handled the gameplay aspects, while earlier staff from the original Koei team handled the scenario.[14] In total, the project was in development for between twelve and thirteen years.[12][15]

The original version of Nioh was based on Oni, an unfinished script by Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa.[16] According to Yasuda, this initial version "just crashed", and the team had to start all over again. The only elements to survive into the final version were the setting, the protagonist being a blonde-haired foreigner, and the basic scenario concept: the narrative was otherwise changed into an original story based around the life of William Adams, a European who became a samurai serving Ieyasu, and the events of the Sengoku period.[9][12][17] While the original Kurosawa script was dropped in favor of an original story, artistic elements and battle movements were inspired by other Kurosawa pictures such as Yojimbo and Seven Samurai.[9] The Sengoku period was chosen as the game's setting due to it being a fertile period in Japanese history for an action title. Shibusawa was also fascinated by the exploits of William Adams, and the story came to be based on the major events in his life, although fantastic elements such as yokai were added.[12][17] The character of William was initially conceived as a Western pirate who became a samurai, then shifted into his current form.[19] A major influence on the story was James Clavell's 1975 novel Shōgun, which focused on a fictional English samurai, John Blackthorne, who was also based on the real-life Adams.[20] The overall theme of the game was the cycle of life and death, which was represented by both William and the enemy yokai. The game's singular focus on death contrasted sharply with Team Ninja's earlier works, which had also incorporated mild erotic elements.[11] The game's enemies were all based on yokai from Japanese folklore, although their designs underwent slight alterations from their original forms.[20] A recurring element for the yokai bosses was how they were designed: first they decided the initial form and impression, then the developers added an element which would catch players of guard: for instance, if a yokai appeared beautiful, they would become ugly at some point during the battle.[19]

When Team Ninja were first involved with the project, they performed lots of trial and error testing to find a gameplay stile best suited to the game's tone.[21] When the project was given to Team Ninja, Shibusawa told them to "to complete the mission of creating Nioh". The decision to give the project to Team Ninja was heavily influenced by the success of Dark Souls and other similar titles, dubbed "Masocore" due to their difficult yet rewarding action gameplay.[15][17][22] Many at Team Ninja were fans of the Souls series, and credited their surge in popularity with saving Nioh from possible cancellation and allowing development to progress.[15][17] Other influences included the Souls spin-off Bloodborne, and other series including Ninja Gaiden, Onimusha and Diablo.[23][20] The main aim for the developers was to emulate the tough gameplay of both the Souls series and their earlier work on Ninja Gaiden while also making it accessible, fair and rewarding for players.[15][17] While the combat was extensively influenced by Souls games, Team Ninja's use of loot was more heavily influenced by the Diablo series, as they wanted combat to revolve around player skill rather than gear acquired through combat.[20] The gameplay incorporated elements of samurai combat from popular culture.[9] Historical accuracy when it came to weapons, armor and fighting styles dominated the gameplay design, which resulted in shields not being added as they were not used in combat by samurai.[20] Each boss, from yokai to human enemies, had their own appearances and tactics.[19]

Release

Nioh was first announced by original developer Koei in 2004 under its working title "Oni". In addition to the game, which was slated for a 2006 release, a feature film directed by Kurosawa's son Hisao Kurosawa would be produced alongside and inspire the game: the entire project's budget was estimated as being three billion yen.[16] The movie tie-in was eventually cancelled in 2005 due to unspecified production problems, with the game becoming a standalone project.[24] Nioh was first shown off in a trailer at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, where it was announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive.[25] At the time, the title was romanized as "Ni-Oh".[26] Initially slated for a 2006 release,[27] Nioh missed its announced release date, and no update on the game was issued until 2009, when Koei Tecmo stated that the title was still in development. Similar updates would be issued over the following six years.[12] The game, now retitled slightly as Nioh, was reintroduced at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, with a scheduled launch in Japan in 2016.[28] It was later announced for an international release at the PlayStation Experience event in December of that year, also in 2016.[26] A manga based on the character and setting, called Nioh: The Golden Samurai (仁王～金色の侍～, Niō: Kin'iro no Samurai), was written by Yosuke Katayama and began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Magazine starting in May 2016.[29]

Initially planned for October 2016, the game was delayed to make final adjustments based on player feedback from demos. The localization was a high priority for Koei Tecmo due to the worldwide release date.[22] The game was announced for a worldwide release in February 2017.[30][31] While Koei Tecmo published the game in Japan, Sony Interactive Entertainment handled publishing duties in mainland Asia, North America and Europe. This was to distribute the game to as wide an audience as possible.[26][32] It will release on February 7 in North America, February 8 in Europe, and February 9 in Japan. Two editions were created: the standard edition featuring the full game, and a Digital Deluxe Edition featuring an additional weapon pack, PS4 theme and season pass. Pre-order bonuses were additional costumes, based respectively on Japanese temple guardian statues and the samurai Sanada Yukimura.[31] The game was also among those that supported the PlayStation 4 Pro model, with graphical enhancements enabling a smooth framerate.[33]

Demos

A demo version of the game, dubbed the "alpha demo", was released on PlayStation Network (PSN) on April 26, 2016. The demo was available until May 5, and completing the demo unlocked access to a free DLC pack dubbed "Mark of the Conqueror". This demo was released so Team Ninja could received feedback from a future online survey to improve the game's mechanics.[34] The demo was downloaded by 850,000 people worldwide, and feedback was positive overall aside from recurring complaints about its lack of tutorials, high difficulty and awkward control scheme.[35] Based on this, the team made a number of changes and tweaks to the gameplay.[13] A second "beta" demo released from August 23 to September 6. It featured new stages, additional weapons and revamped gameplay based on the feedback from the alpha demo.[7] Like the alpha demo, downloading the beta demo gave free access to DLC content, this time a pack dubbed "Mark of the Warrior" alongside the original "Mark of the Conqueror" pack. They again undertook a survey of players, and made numerous adjustments and additions to the game based on this feedback.[36] The game's delay from 2016 to 2017 was caused by these adjustments.[22]

References

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  2. ^ a b c Matulef, Jeffrey (26 August 2016). "Nioh is a Dark Souls imitator with soul". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Wallace, Kimberley (17 September 2016). "Nioh - Nioh May Be Like Dark Souls, But It's Fun In Its Own Right". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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  5. ^ a b c 「仁王」に俳優の市村正親さんと武井 咲さんの起用が決定。OPムービーはシン・ゴジラで話題の樋口真嗣監督が手掛ける. 4Gamer.net. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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  14. ^ a b c 【TGS2015】最初はRPGだったが、途中で"NINJA GAIDEN"になってしまった…シブサワ×鯉沼×早矢仕という最強の布陣で贈る『仁王』とは. Inside Games. 17 September 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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  20. ^ a b c d e Craft, Scott (27 June 2016). "'Nioh' Director Says Team Ninja Inspired By 'Shogun', 'Onimusha' And 'Dark Souls'". Digital Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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  24. ^ "TGS 2005: Koei canceling Ni-Oh movie". GameSpot. 16 September 2005. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Calvert, Justin (16 May 2005). "NioH E3 2005 Preshow Impressions". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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  29. ^ ダーク戦国アクションRPG『仁王』のα体験版が4月26日(火)より期間限定配信！ コミカライズ版の連載も決定！. PlayStation Blog Japan. 4 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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