Nioh Beta Demo Up

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Been looking forward to this for months (and weirdly timed due to the announcement of the Dark Souls III DLC). For those who don't know, Nioh is a game by Koei-Tecmo that is essentially Dark Souls but set in the Warring States Era of Japan full of samurai and freaky Japanese monsters. An alpha was released back in April that allowed players to check out two stages and get a free DLC for the retail release.

The demo will stay up for two weeks starting today and will not only retread the Alpha stages, but also new areas. This is also a new chance for the DLC should you get all the way to the end, including a new DLC not previously offered. You have to be signed into PSN and KT wants more feedback.

Currently to the third shrine (that's the Bonfire, using Souls lingo) and so far it's even better than before. There are a lot of big changes such as:

-A full tutorial going through the basics of combat.
-Durability is GONE, relieving one of the biggest frustrations with the Alpha build. However, Whetstones are still around and those increase a mechanic called Familiarity
-Familiarity is a bonus in all weapons that increases their potency the more you use them. This was admittedly in the Alpha, but it was only used for better chances of getting items when selling old equipment at shrines.
-An expanded skill tree allowing for more unique moves for weapons, magic, and ninjutsu
-New weapons, which include dual swords (VERY fast, but lack power and are pretty mediocre from a defensive standpoint, at least from what I've played), and guns.
-Two quick item tabs instead of just one from the Alpha

 

[Kaimax]

-Durability is GONE, relieving one of the biggest frustrations with the Alpha build. However, Whetstones are still around and those increase a mechanic called Familiarity

Lol, so they removed it.

Currently downloading the Beta, gonna go full ninja from the start, those exploding shurikens really packs a punch in Alpha.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

-Durability is GONE, relieving one of the biggest frustrations with the Alpha build. However, Whetstones are still around and those increase a mechanic called Familiarity

Lol, so they removed it.

Currently downloading the Beta, gonna go full ninja from the start, those exploding shurikens really packs a punch in Alpha.

Some new things they added are bombs (including ones the size of a soccer ball), and some passive effects for the Ninja tree.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Well, just beat the second level and HOLY CRAP THAT BOSS WAS HARD. Seriously, that maneater spanked my ass a couple dozen times before I got a strategy based around hit and run tactics and whittled her down. She might need a nerf or two (such as not regaining health with her grab attack) Some other observations

-New ranged weapon in the handcannon which is essentially the rifle on steroids. HUGE damage, but very slow and you can't carry a lot of ammo
-The low stance no longer has dodge Ki Pulse, which has been transferred over to the high stance, which admittedly helps high stance in utility
-In between missions you can head to the blacksmith to reroll weapons abilities and amp up weapons to prolong their usefulness.
-There are new mini-levels where you got through essentially a short gauntlet for loot.
-A new Guardian Spirit, the Fune-Ushi which increases poison resist. It's gained after the second level.
-After completing the two levels you can replay them in Twilight Mode which radically alters the levels. Enemy placement is completely different, with new, tougher enemies (such as most of the samurai in the first stage being replaced by yokai)
-One enemy type (a bald man playing a biwa) seems to revive nearby revenants from sword mounds. When they're killed they don't respawn.
-Another enemy type are walls that you can convince to let you pass by performing gestures.
-Extra elixirs are sent to your stash.
-There are hot springs that can heal you

All in all, there have been a lot of improvements but I think there needs to be some more balance as I was just beating my head on a wall. Still looking forward to the full release.

 

[anthony87]

Got to the first boss on the ship with my character at level 12, got pissed off after dying a few times and I'll take another crack at it in the morning.

Can't really complain about any of the changes compared to the alpha. I was a little worried because the enemies seemed so much easier but if that first boss is any indication then there should still be plenty of brick walls for me to mash my head against.

 

[Fox12]

On the one hand I absolutely loathe the idea of giving Koei-Tecmo any of my money. On the other hand this looks really, really badass. An Eastern Dark Souls? Anything inspired by Dark Souls? Yes please. I'll have to checkout the demo.

 

[sXeth]

First Impressions.

It takes way too much of its inspiration from Dark Souls in the form of opaque mechanics. I summoned a SunBro-person in without even realizing how until the next shrine called it a visitor and I was able to suss out what I'd done. The Guardian Spirit thing is still a mystery, I have no idea if its an invisible buff, or a summoned thing, or its what I'm triggering with the Ki Pulse after attacking.

Speaking of Ki Pulse, too much going on and very poorly visualized (the sparkles are fairly evident, but the state at which you can trigger isn't visually distinct). Besides not knowing what it does, despite going through the tutorial, other then purifying evil clouds (which I also don't know what they even do), throwing a quick-time event into every attack with a barely noticeable visual cue is just a cluttered mess in already intense combat.

General polish kind of irked me too. I only did the starting level (after the training), but a lot of low contrast stuff that impair a sense of depth perception and makes it annoying to find the path to proceed a lot of the time. Animations seemed to lack any weight or sense of impact in combat. Sound design nonexistent. Sword mounds block your ability to use laddders/doors/loot entirely, with no toggle I can figure out.

 

[Maximum Bert]

other then purifying evil clouds (which I also don't know what they even do)

If its the same as before then they stop you from regaining any Ki while you are standing in them which is obviously bad news especially in boss fights.

Thanks for the heads up OP and I am glad they have removed the durability system that was easily my worst gripe with the game after finishing the demo last time. Will give it a go later and see what they have done with the rest of it.

 

[RaikuFA]

Wow, this game was just terrible. How come I can be attacked while on the ground yet I can't do the same to downed enemies?

Also stamina drains WAY too fast and that whole ki bullshit needs to go. And fuck those ogre enemies.

 

[Skatalite]

Wow, this game was just terrible. How come I can be attacked while on the ground yet I can't do the same to downed enemies?

I haven't played the beta yet, but you definitely could in the alpha and I doubt they removed it.

 

[Kaimax]

-Another enemy type are walls that you can convince to let you pass by performing gestures.

Lol I killed them, do they do (give) anything besides letting you pass?

Wow, this game was just terrible. How come I can be attacked while on the ground yet I can't do the same to downed enemies?

Also stamina drains WAY too fast and that whole ki bullshit needs to go. And fuck those ogre enemies.

You can hit enemies when they're down, Use the High stance, spears and hammers is the most preferable weapon for this. But Most of the time you just whiff and waste Ki though.
Also when their stamina is depleted you can do a massive damage attack by holding Triangle, when the lock on circle is red.

Ki pulse is the one thing that helps, learn to time it properly, don't button mash. Also don't do the Ki Pulse early.

Get the slow magic talisman from the onmyo skill tree, to fight against any Demons.

I've already done the 1st and the side mission level. Currently doing the 2nd mission, kinda stuck in the caves with crazy amount of demons walking around. Like playing Monster Hunter and Demon souls, you need to manage your hits and don't button mash, keep your distance and fight smartly

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

-Another enemy type are walls that you can convince to let you pass by performing gestures.

Lol I killed them, do they do (give) anything besides letting you pass?

Nothing really since they drop their loot regardless if they're killed or not (still, one less enemy to deal with). I'm not sure if the gestures are random because sometimes I had to fight them the other times they let me pass. Some other enemy types I saw are golden-shelled kappa (kill these things for a TON of Amrita) and tanuki (who hang out in treasure chests and then mimic you). One thing I've also come to utilize in my excursions is to stockpile spirit stones and use them before bosses to amp up my Guardian Spirit gauge.

 

[Kaimax]

Also I forgot to point out about the Cutscene after the first stage.
DID HANZO HATTORI TELL TIME WITH A CAT?

Looks like Nioh is gonna have some campy humor...

BTW, The 2nd boss, the "Hino-Enma", is hard, AGILE hard. Since this is the first agile humanoid boss in the demos, I don't exactly know how to approach it.

Got killed by paralysis...

EDIT, also bonus info
After killing Hino-enma, play the game in Twilight Mode, and go to the gauntlet Side mission again to fight Tachibana Muneshige

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Also I forgot to point out about the Cutscene after the first stage.
DID HANZO HATTORI TELL TIME WITH A CAT?

Looks like Nioh is gonna have some campy humor...

BTW, The 2nd boss, the "Hino-Enma", is hard, AGILE hard. Since this is the first agile humanoid boss in the demos, I don't exactly know how to approach it.

Got killed by paralysis...

EDIT, also bonus info
After killing Hino-enma, play the game in Twilight Mode, and go to the gauntlet Side mission again to fight Tachibana Muneshige

The cat thing is based on an old myth about how cats' eyes supposedly changed color depending on the time of day.

As for Hino-Enma, the strategy I used was doing hit and fade strikes. I'd go into low stance, bait her attacks, do a square-triangle combo to knock off some stamina, and then dodge away, maybe switching to mid stance to regain stamina better. Also, a great way to lower her stamina is by using fire shuriken when she's floating. They knock off a surprising amount of stamina.

 

[Kaimax]

As for Hino-Enma, the strategy I used was doing hit and fade strikes. I'd go into low stance, bait her attacks, do a square-triangle combo to knock off some stamina, and then dodge away, maybe switching to mid stance to regain stamina better. Also, a great way to lower her stamina is by using fire shuriken when she's floating. They knock off a surprising amount of stamina.

Just beat her today, I went HAM with my Fire Shurikens (6) and Slow talisman (4), but that was After I grinded so I didn't get OHKO easily.

Also fu-ck Muneshige Tachibana, He made me want to try Iai Skills. Beat him eventually after so many deaths (Fuckin high stance superarmor overhead attack) and that Raiken Annoyance...farmed his stuff for a bit. lol

Twilight Levels was like NOPE on so many levels, finding graves of lvl 40 Players..guess I need to grind a bit more.

-snip-

-"If anyone played other weapons builds I'd be happy to hear if it's different."
Did a pure ninja build at first with Dual Katanas as my Main, regreted that as it doesn't dish out good enough damage. Ditched that and made an All-Rounder powerhouse (High Stance) Katana/Spear User. Katana as the "balanced" weapon, while Spear is for enemies that I want to stay away from close distance combat.

-"I haven't used magic which might explain how hard it was for me in the bosses (I'd also be happy to hear how good it is and how the fuck I use it)."
It's certainly Very Helpful to have. IMO especially the Slow Talisman, that slows the movement of an enemy. be careful of the casting time though. Haven't cared about any other Talisman though, so I don't know the worth of the other talismans.

-it doesn't help I only had 4 elixirs (BTW how do you raise their numbers?).
You can get them naturally, or Offering equipments and get them randomly. I don't really exactly know how to raise the default number as I never tried to actually find how to raise it, but as of writing this, I replenish 6 elixirs at shrines, currently at lvl 30.

-The vampire was worse as a hit by paralyzing attack is tantamount to a coin toss whether I lose 70% of my health or instant death
Use the Unparalyzing Needles via shortcut, it will be instantly used. Or dodge early after she telegraphs it with her scream. If you are losing 70% of health with just one attack against her, you need to level up or Farm equipments from Graves by fighting Player Revenants. When I beat her, I was already wearing Muneshige's Tachibana Armor set and weapon.

Wait till you duel Muneshige Tachibana, you'll be screaming HAX, but ironically you can do most of the stuff he does, so it was actually a fair fight.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Twilight Levels was like NOPE on so many levels, finding graves of lvl 40 Players..guess I need to grind a bit more.

I didn't find the Twilight missions to be that bad. The enemies are tougher, but luckily the bosses aren't that much more difficult as the only new thing they do is summon the occasional, low-level mook to harass you. Muneshige on the other hand, HOLY CRAP THAT WAS OVERKILL. I eventually just resorted to running around, chucking explosive shuriken and bombs at him and using my sword. Plus I started the fight using Living Weapon mode to get in some extra damage.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

First Impressions.

It takes way too much of its inspiration from Dark Souls in the form of opaque mechanics. I summoned a SunBro-person in without even realizing how until the next shrine called it a visitor and I was able to suss out what I'd done. The Guardian Spirit thing is still a mystery, I have no idea if its an invisible buff, or a summoned thing, or its what I'm triggering with the Ki Pulse after attacking.

Speaking of Ki Pulse, too much going on and very poorly visualized (the sparkles are fairly evident, but the state at which you can trigger isn't visually distinct). Besides not knowing what it does, despite going through the tutorial, other then purifying evil clouds (which I also don't know what they even do), throwing a quick-time event into every attack with a barely noticeable visual cue is just a cluttered mess in already intense combat.

General polish kind of irked me too. I only did the starting level (after the training), but a lot of low contrast stuff that impair a sense of depth perception and makes it annoying to find the path to proceed a lot of the time. Animations seemed to lack any weight or sense of impact in combat. Sound design nonexistent. Sword mounds block your ability to use laddders/doors/loot entirely, with no toggle I can figure out.

Wow, this game was just terrible.

Also stamina drains WAY too fast and that whole ki bullshit needs to go. And fuck those ogre enemies.

It's pretty amazing how much your impressions are the same as mine. I didn't try the alpha, played this for the first time yesterday, but I was not impressed.

Bar DS2, I've beaten all other "Souls" games (including Bloodborne, in that) and whilst I have found them to have parts that can be cheap, nothing in all of those 4 games I've played was ever a cheap as just playing up to the first boss in this beta, it was terrible. As it's been stated above, I just didn't understand the Ki Pulse thing and having it in there whilst you're in the heat of battle is just stupid. And yeah, the stamina drain is crazy, especially how you'll get totally locked when it's full drained. Some of the first boss' attacks totally drained my stamina in one hit and then, just continuing his combo, he killed me in another. Granted I was rushing, I was streaming and wanted to move things along so I didn't take time to grind like I would have in a Souls game but most of my gripes come from the base gameplay and the way it works. I'd have to sink like 30 levels into stamina for it not to drain at such an insane rate!

And yes, fuck those ogre enemies, seriously, fuck them.

 

[Benpasko]

It's pretty amazing how much your impressions are the same as mine. I didn't try the alpha, played this for the first time yesterday, but I was not impressed.

Bar DS2, I've beaten all other "Souls" games (including Bloodborne, in that) and whilst I have found them to have parts that can be cheap, nothing in all of those 4 games I've played was ever a cheap as just playing up to the first boss in this beta, it was terrible. As it's been stated above, I just didn't understand the Ki Pulse thing and having it in there whilst you're in the heat of battle is just stupid. And yeah, the stamina drain is crazy, especially how you'll get totally locked when it's full drained. Some of the first boss' attacks totally drained my stamina in one hit and then, just continuing his combo, he killed me in another. Granted I was rushing, I was streaming and wanted to move things along so I didn't take time to grind like I would have in a Souls game but most of my gripes come from the base gameplay and the way it works. I'd have to sink like 30 levels into stamina for it not to drain at such an insane rate!

And yes, fuck those ogre enemies, seriously, fuck them.

Those ogres aren't too tough, just git gud. And Ki Pulse restores stamina, your gripes come purely from not knowing what's up. I haven't played this beta, but I cleared the Alpha including the optional boss, and this game is gonna be way better than Dark Souls. Rather than just iframe dodging being a fix for literally every situation, this game puts you on the ropes and forces you to fight for your life. It only feels unfair because you don't know what your character can do.

Of course, you haven't cleared the best Souls game anyway, so your taste is probably way different from mine.

 

[Maximum Bert]

It's pretty amazing how much your impressions are the same as mine. I didn't try the alpha, played this for the first time yesterday, but I was not impressed.

Bar DS2, I've beaten all other "Souls" games (including Bloodborne, in that) and whilst I have found them to have parts that can be cheap, nothing in all of those 4 games I've played was ever a cheap as just playing up to the first boss in this beta, it was terrible. As it's been stated above, I just didn't understand the Ki Pulse thing and having it in there whilst you're in the heat of battle is just stupid. And yeah, the stamina drain is crazy, especially how you'll get totally locked when it's full drained. Some of the first boss' attacks totally drained my stamina in one hit and then, just continuing his combo, he killed me in another. Granted I was rushing, I was streaming and wanted to move things along so I didn't take time to grind like I would have in a Souls game but most of my gripes come from the base gameplay and the way it works. I'd have to sink like 30 levels into stamina for it not to drain at such an insane rate!

And yes, fuck those ogre enemies, seriously, fuck them.

Not going to tell you you are wrong I mean everyone likes different games but I can tell you that you dont need to invest anything in stamina to beat the first boss I literally had all my stats in dexterity (for ninja skills which are useless against him but pretty damn good against ordinary mooks) and I beat him first try without getting hit. Granted I did play the alpha whereupon he stomped me like 30 times before I knew what was up. But yeah hes very beatable without levelling anything just make sure you learn the attacks (first phase hit and dodge back second phase hit and dodge toward and dodge thrown balls sideways). I just used katana mid stance waited for an opening did 2 quick cuts and moved away to take him down.

For stamina check you are not overloaded you ideally want your weight to be in green but definitely not more than yellow. Also you really want to dodge the big enemies attacks as much as possible instead of blocking them as unless you have ridiculous stamina and strength they will drain you fast if you just block thats if they dont just throw you and stamp on your head.

For Ki pulse I look at my stamina meter after you use an attack a white bar goes up when it reaches the top of your stamina press R1 and you regain that amount if you press to early you gain less if you press to late you lose all the stamina that attack took which will drain you really really fast. I did not understand it at all in the alpha (there was no tutorial on it) but it is essential to playing the game if you for some reason cannot grasp it you will not enjoy your time with the game at all.

If you think the Oni are bad wait until you see some of the other enemies personally I hate the small skeleton warrior enemies the most I can never seem to read them.

Ive got a bit further in the demo just about to face the vampire boss she totally destroyed me first time around but second time I lightened my armour and can now dodge the paralyse projectile and think I can take her soon as her pattern seem pretty easy (grabs annoying tho). Definitely liking the beta more than the alpha no durability has improved the game immensely and it seems they have reduced the bosses HP by quite a bit which is also great as now when I hit them it looks like I am doing damage rather than it taking a few hits to see anything.

Would like fewer but more meaningful item drops personally and I am sad at the weakening of fire shuriken although tbf they were godlike in the alpha but now I feel they are a bit to weak now smokebombs on the other hand they are incredible worth investing in them no matter what your build imo.

Oh and I would like a shrine near every boss DS also had this problem but I just want to get back in when I die and not have to autopilot 3-5 mooks to get another chance but as long as its not a huge run (which it hasnt been yet) then its not a big complaint.

Also like the change to the level system (much less amrita each time even if you seem to gain less as well). I would like a way to respec tho. Definitely looking forward to the whole game would love it if there was an super easy mode (for lols) where you played as Ayane or Ryu Hayabusa and just destroyed everyone lol not because I feel the game is to hard (think its about right now. In the alpha I thought the bosses were a touch to much) but because I feel it would be amusing.