Nioh: Complete Edition Review (mahananaka)
My feelings on Nioh are complex. I have tried 3 times before to get into this game and each failed. I kept trying because I saw others who've said "you learn to love Nioh". On my 4th attempt I finally completed the main game and at the time of writing this have finished the first of 3 DLCs. But I never learned to love this game.
I do not recommend this game, there are so many better options. I enjoy very hard games but this game is the wrong type of hard. It has a feeling like the game is cheating. Giving the enemies the same tools as you, but then cranking their Ki (stamina), damage, and health to the point where they have what feels like six times yours. Everything deals quick combos that can kill you before you realize you failed to dodge the first hit. The combat system is nearly genius, but clunky as hell.
I have in a game way harder than this spent 40 hours progressing a boss to beat it, and had fun. I beat Nioh's DLC bosses over the course of an hour each, yet feel no satisfaction, I'm just glad the experience is over with. I don't feel like I've mastered a boss, but instead found the path of least resistance to get the boss to zero HP.
When I think about all the enemies in the game, it seems to have lots of variety. Yet when you play because there are so many enemies per mission, you will rarely see something new. You will see the same enemies over and over again, learning their move sets so thoroughly that they aren't a challenge. Yet, their health is so high you just feel it simpler to run past them all. The loot they drop isn't worth it because next mission better gear will drop.
The game's loot system, which feels like the aspect which is suppose to single it out from other hard action games, is just not well implemented. Often it felt like why interact with disassembling, crafting, reforging, soul matching etc. When better gear will drop within a mission or two. I often found that I just quickly looked for higher ilvl pieces, then offered all my unwanted stuff to get more amrita to level up.
I can see why people like this game, but it just doesn't click with me. Maybe Nioh 2 will be better, I've seen much more positive discourse for that game.