izigame.me

This game is, sort of, like Dark Souls if it had an advanced combat system based on the complexity of Ninja Gaiden because, well, that's exactly what it is. If you have never played Ninja Gaiden before but are a fan of Dark Souls then let me explain what that means.
Imagine Dark Souls except let's start by increasing the speed by 2 times because this is Ninja Gaiden. Okay, now, you know how Dark Souls has different weapon types and each weapon has a Light Attack and a Heavy Attack combo string and these vary based on One-Handed vs Two-Handed grip? Okay, let's get rid of the One-Handed vs Two-Handed thing and replace it with "Stance Switching" which gives each weapon THREE (sometimes FOUR) different move sets (Low, Middle, High, and Sheathed). Low stance is a fast-paced move set with weak power and high evasive abilities. Middle stance is a medium-paced move set with medium power and multiple defensive tools. High stance is a slow-paced move set with high power and not many defensive or evasive options. Sheathed leaves you unguarded but you may have access to new abilities/combos depending on your weapon (like Iai Quickdraw with Sword).
Okay, now let's throw in combo-finishers so that transitioning from a Light Attack to a Heavy Attacks mid-combo will initiate a combo finisher that differs depending upon the number of Light Attacks that were input and is unique to each stance. Let's also add directional input commands as well so, pressing something like left-stick forward plus dodge will be an attack which differs for each weapon/stance. On that same train of thought, let's add commands that can be triggered while guarding which vary per each weapon/stance. Okay, let's also add the ability to switch stances mid-combo which will initiate a special attack that varies for each weapon. We will be using the Stamina bar from Dark Souls in this game as well (called "Ki") to limit our actions BUT we are going to reward skilled players by adding the ability to recover lost stamina mid-combo by timing a certain input correctly. We are also going to reward aggressive play by making it so that the player can stagger an enemy and initiate an ultimate finisher by reducing their Ki to zero. And... that should do it for the combat? Oh wait, I forgot to mention that each combo finisher, ultimate, and special move can be customized by the player for each weapon/stance. Also there are Magic and Ninja abilities as well which are their own beast.
"Wow, that sounds pretty complicated. And you said this game was faster than Dark Souls as well?" Yes and yes. This game's combat is more complex, faster, combo-focused, and rewards aggressive play whereas Dark Souls is the opposite. Dark Souls is simple, slow, poke-focused, and rewards defensive play. But... that's what makes this game SO fun! This game is unashamedly about the combat whereas Dark Souls is more about the atmosphere and exploration. If you want to play a challenging, intricate, and stylish action game with fun combos then this is the game for you. I hope this clears up any confusion about whether Nioh is like Dark Souls. It's not. It is like a spiritual successor to Ninja Gaiden with Action RPG elements and... that's a good thing!