And yes, there is a slight disconnect between the frantic movement and the constant micromanagement of equipment at first, but these systems complement each other quite well. The player immediately faces a menacing atmosphere and unforgiving soldiers who randomly drop heaps of (mostly historically accurate) equipment upon death. Finding better gear is certainly a good option to have – danger is everywhere, enemies are quick to react, and William might even stop mid-fight to catch his breath, since attacking, blocking and dodging deplete Ki (stamina). However, players with a good sense of timing can perform a quick “Ki pulse” during combat to recover some of that lost stamina.

There is room for stylish self-expression here: Nioh has a wide variety of weapons, each of them offering a noticeably different playstyle. Katanas, dual swords and axes require different pacing, whereas more exotic weapons like the kusarigama, the spear or the odachi demand careful calculation of distance and attack timing. The three stances (high, medium, low) add another layer of complexity when choosing between an aggressive or defensive playstyle, with weapon skills allowing you to chain multiple stances in a combo.

Melee weapons are complemented by ranged weapons (bows, rifles and hand cannons). Interestingly, they deal a staggering amount of damage with headshots, but ammunition is scarce. Each weapon has their corresponding mystic arts, providing unique buffs, and there is also a proficiency system which improves efficiency of a weapon by use.

Leveling up offers the chance to improve stats and new unlockable abilities on the Samurai, Ninja and Onmyo skill trees. William can also use various consumables and magic talismans to temporarily boost his abilities or purge “yōkai realm” spots where Ki depletes rapidly, and demons become more dangerous.