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I'll just outright say it, Nioh is a fucking slog of a game

So I've probably put 50+ hours between two different characters (got really distracted with other things, so just decided to reroll at one point). As of right now i'm on the 4th region and I'm having to grind out levels in the sub-missions, otherwise, you tend to be 4 or so more behind the "Suggested level"

I.... I just don't understand how this game gets such a fucking pass for the fact that it's latter half is some ol' outright bullshit

- You will fight THE SAME enemies over and over and over again
- But once you're done fight those enemies over and over again, you'll eventually encounter a boss that will lead to an awkward as hell difficulty spike
- Some said bosses have such HILARIOUS auto-tracking that a speed build/L-Armor build becomes folly
- The Diablo loot system WILL eventually become tedious and it ultimately devalues EVERYTHING. You should not have to so much goddamn time in menus- and yes, this is even after utilizing the game's built QoL sorting/Item management flags
- The fucking reused levels.... like, I was willing to give this a pass because the core gameplay loop truly is god-like at points. Eventually tho, enough is enough. You've been thru the same graveyard, same rainy mountain pass, same village, same etc., OVER AND OVER again. It's so insultingly indulgent and rather the developers take the L and accept what they DO have is awesome, no, they have to completely spoil it in order to pad the game-length
NIOH DOES NOT NEED TO BE AS LONG AS IT IS.
What could have been a awesome, tight, 15 hour romp, becomes the epitome of excess.
- Then you have the plot, which yeah, one can follow it, but why should you give a shit. William just fixes everyone else's problems and MAYBE will get back to the entire point of even going to Japan. It's really sad to because the production values are good, the character models are gorgeous, the voice acting is pretty good, the dialog is solid. Yet, because you have seemingly a fairly limited narrative, the pacing/motivation get's completely lost because the developers insisted in stretching it across hours upon hours of busy-work.

Understand, I fucking adored this game the first 15 hours in. I still Loved 10 more hours in. Then exhaustion yet another 15 hours in. Now.... I borderline hate the game as it's such a wasted opportunity

I won't even go into Souls comparisons because I DO think Nioh is very much enough of it's own thing. The problem is said thing, is well... ultimately hollow on the other end
 

GHG

Member
Yes the enemies can get repetitive and the level assets are reused multiple times in the same regions sometimes, but slog it is not.

The gameplay is just so satisfying.
 
It is too bloated for its own good. Quality should always be prioritised over quantity, always. Hence why Bloodborne is the better game.

I still really like it though.
 

mindsale

Member
I couldn't agree more.

So much loving craftsmanship in the weapons and then there're a handful of levels and enemy varieties.

Would've been better as New Game Plus instead of reskins and palette swaps and Diablo loot grinds.
 
Yes the enemies can get repetitive and the level assets are reused multiple times in the same regions sometimes, but slog it is not.

The gameplay is just so satisfying.

So even after all those acknowledged problems... after dozens over hours of the same thing, over and over again, the combat is just THAT good to make it all worth it?

nah bruh...
 
I loved Nioh, but its biggest flaw for me was just how much it overstayed its welcome. Its honestly quite a bit too long, and just drags at the end with little climax.

EDIT: Oh, and honestly its a pretty unappealing game visually.
 
It's a bloated game to be sure, although I found the gameplay to be so satisfying that I played right though and even got the platinum trophy. I just love replaying levels with different weapon and armor set ups. Still haven't tackled the DLC yet.

But yeah, it definitely didn't need to be as long as it is or at the very least, a lot of the missions are unnecessary.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
So if you enjoyed it for 15 hours and didn't care about the plot...why not just play for 15 hours and be done with it
 
So if you enjoyed it for 15 hours and didn't care about the plot...why not just play for 15 hours and be done with it

?

I did enjoy the plot... until it sort of just.. went away, only to show back up every now and then.
I put as much time as I did into it because I kept hoping something would be waiting over the hill... and that ultimately didn't happen. I really tried.
 
So if you enjoyed it for 15 hours and didn't care about the plot...why not just play for 15 hours and be done with it

People wanna finish things. Not hard to get. You keep playing and hope it'll get better, or end, but it just... keeps... going.

Would've been better if it was half as long and without the loot aspect, because it's boring and shitty.
 
You can't hope to reach the suggested level by the way. I thought I could too but it's separate from your level.

And I disagree with the 15hours stuff. For me NG+ really taught me how to play the game, how to make a good build... Honestly there are a lot of way to play and a lot of good challenge to try out your build.
I recently began the NG++ playthrought with a ninja build and it's ton of fun, I'll try a riffle build next.

What I mean is there is a lot of depth in this game but you can't hope to see it all with just 15hours.
 
I enjoyed the combat so much that I was able to overlook most issues.

Except auto-tracking on bosses/enemies. It became increasingly clear as I played the game that it's not at all difficult so much as its filled with BS like auto-tracking that artificially adds difficulty.
 

eXistor

Member
I agree. Good core, but overall it never grabbed me for longer than 20-ish hours before repetition became too much for me.
 
Just skip all the side missions, helps for sure on the repetition. They definately could have put that effort into a little meatier main stages.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
People wanna finish things. Not hard to get. You keep playing and hope it'll get better, or end, but it just... keeps... going.

Would've been better if it was half as long and without the loot aspect, because it's boring and shitty.

It's very hard to get. At least for me. I don't do things that I actively dislike or that actively drag down things I like. I stopped with Nioh maybe halfway through. I felt I got everything out of the mechanics and was satisfied. Admitting that you need to finish things as some kind of psychological driver seems like the first step in solving the problem!
 
I thought the loot system was completely trashed by the player revenants. Everyone uses the same few sets of armor so you eventually just fall in line with them.

I agree with essentially everything you're saying, despite enjoying the game.
 

Gitaroo

Member
Agree with op, repetition, ugly koei terms arts and shit ass story are the 3 things I didn't like about the game, but still love it overall.
 
It's very hard to get. At least for me. I don't do things that I actively dislike or that actively drag down things I like. I stopped with Nioh maybe halfway through. I felt I got everything out of the mechanics and was satisfied. Admitting that you need to finish things as some kind of psychological driver seems like the first step in solving the problem!

I completely agree!

That's why I've decided to just take the L and walk away
 
Way too long for its own good. Also the loot system was unnecessary

I enjoyed it for a time but you're right, it becomes such a slog. Shame, really
 

Schlomo

Member
- But once you're done fight those enemies over and over again, you'll eventually encounter a boss that will lead to an awkward as hell difficulty spike
- Some said bosses have such HILARIOUS auto-tracking that a speed build/L-Armor build becomes folly.

That's just wrong. I beat the majority of bosses on my first try (light armor), and I think they're much more manageable/fair than most Souls bosses.

Level repetition also didn't bother me at all. They're always rearranged enough to keep it interesting.
 

DukeBobby

Member
It's the only game this year that I've given up on.

The combat is undoubtedly great, but the level design, enemy design and boss fights don't do it justice. The drab art style and ridiculous amount of loot the game throws at you were quite off-putting as well.

I hope it's a Dark Souls situation, where I return to it one day and fall in love with it, but I honestly can't see that happening.
 
I stopped doing the side missions very early on into the game. Being underleveled never became a big problem since your equipment seemed to matter much more than your stats. Even only playing through the main missions I definitely noticed that enemy variety was severely lacking. I can't imagine how much of a drag it would have been trying to 100% the game. Still thought the combat was excellent the whole way through, but they really could have done with a few more enemy types, or some more interesting combat scenarios (too many battles played out basically the same).
 

xuchu

Member
Eh, each to their own I guess. Absolutely loved it. The stance system, core combat and movement fundamentals are so strong that most people overlook the enemy, level variety and story problems. I agree with enemy and sub mission level variety complaints but I think it has some of most well-designed boss fights in ARPGs. In terms of length, maybe 4 regions would have enough instead of 6. But There's no need to do all the sub missions, just do main missions and the game isn't very long then. Don't worry about being underlevelled as the difficulty is far more dictated by your gear than anything else.

I keep seeing complaints about the diablo loot system but I kinda like it. It's what keeps me and others coming back in way of the strong and way of the demon to grind and refine builds.

That being said, I had the most fun with Nioh doing a level 1 run as it really forces you to master ki flux system and dissect boss patterns.
 

shounenka

Member
100 hours in; bout to fight the final boss. Cleared all side missions on the way.

Definitely an example of a game that overstays its welcome. Some of the content is just straight-up superfluous.

There is a game-breaking spell that makes literally every encounter (including bosses) beatable in one try.

The only variety to be found in the game is the items and experimentation in weapon styles.

And yet, as it has been pointed out, the combat is so enjoyable and smooth that it compelled me to put 100 hours in the game nonetheless.

Will not be getting the DLC though. Dark Souls this is not.
 

Theswweet

Member
I really enjoyed Nioh, enough to get the platinum, but yeah the enemy and level variety could've used some work. I just hope Nioh 2 (oh the puns I could make...) fixes a lot of the problems of the first.
 

ianpm31

Member
The combat is so good and better than any souls game but it does have a lot of recycled content. That's obviously for budget reasons but it's not really a bad thing to me because I like the game a lot so I appreciate team ninja extending the game as much as possible. I feel like after ng+ many souls games lose steam but nioh the game always switches up enemy placements and that is a huuuge plus for me
 
When I heard the game was 50+ hours I was like nope, never touching this. Same with Persona.

Japanese devs are stuck in the past. The average age of gamers is much higher now. We're not kids wanting to spend our birthday money on one game to last until christmas.
 

Theswweet

Member
When I heard the game was 50+ hours I was like nope, never touching this. Same with Persona.

Japanese devs are stuck in the past. The average age of gamers is much higher now. We're not kids wanting to spend our birthday money on one game to last us the whole year.

There is nothing wrong with a game lasting a long time, assuming that it is paced well. Nothing.
 
That's just wrong. I beat the majority of bosses on my first try (light armor), and I think they're much more manageable/fair than most Souls bosses.

Level repetition also didn't bother me at all. They're always rearranged enough to keep it interesting.

Don't tell someone they're outright wrong on something that's entirely subjective

I found Souls bosses to be easier in my experience because they had more manageable tells and exploits. Nioh bosses felt like they were legit designed to piss the player off with their "challenge"

It's the only game this year that I've given up on.

The combat is undoubtedly great, but the level design, enemy design and boss fights don't do it justice. The drab art style and ridiculous amount of loot the game throws at you were quite off-putting as well.

I hope it's a Dark Souls situation, where I return to it one day and fall in love with it, but I honestly can't see that happening.

Yup, also the only game this year that I can think of that I've just flat out given up on
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
When I heard the game was 50+ hours I was like nope, never touching this. Same with Persona.

Japanese devs are stuck in the past. The average age of gamers is much higher now. We're not kids wanting to spend our birthday money on one game to last until christmas.

Uh what. Games like destiny proves that wrong. Games as service is a thing for a reason.
 

deoee

Member
I stopped playing it because I couldn't stand the loot. It was the worst part of the whole game and reminded me of Hellgate London
 

Nameless

Member
16 hours in and loving it so far. I get the complaints, but if you love mid tier-ish Japanese games, recycled and repurposed assets aren't anything that should ruin your experience at this point. The combat is really really special though, offering staggering amounts of depth and room for players to craft and master their own playstyles. I'm glad dozens of hours are of ahead of me, plenty of opportunity to learn, respec, and experiment.
 

OSHAN

Member
I had similar feelings, op. I remember getting to the 3rd area and thinking I'm ready for this game to wrap but I was only at the halfway point. The next 10 hours were a slog, but then something happened . . .the gameplay, or my game to be more specific, elevated to a new level, and it all became sublime.

I ended up not wanting it to end, and did every mission and side quest, which is a little unusual for me. I started new game plus and I probably would have kept at it but my friend wanted to borrow it. I moved on to Horizon, which took me seemingly forever to finish, even though I spent nearly half the time with it.
 
Uh what. Games like destiny proves that wrong. Games as service is a thing for a reason.

Yes, I've played League of Legends for over 2000 hours, I know.

But that game is a constant in my life. There's only room for one of those (Destiny was that game for others).

I'm talking single player games. I wouldn't be able to finish Persona before another game came along to steal my attention.
 
Yes, I've played League of Legends for over 2000 hours, I know.

But that game is a constant in my life. There's only room for one of those (Destiny was that game for others).

I'm talking single player games. I wouldn't be able to finish Persona before another game came along to steal my attention.

Yup

Titanfall 2 and SFV are my constants
 

AHA-Lambda

Member
I admit I've not played Nioh yet, but it seems that this sentiment has been appearing more and more of late, I've seen quite a number on gaf now who have given up on it some time in to it.
 
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