Ryan McCaffrey
Guest
One of the charms of the Warring States Soulslike series Nioh is its plethora of playstyles. So far in the series, we've seen weapons including swords that ooze Samurai Style, ninja-like sickle and chains, and even unusual choices like tonfa. Each weapon also has high, medium and low stances that players switch between in order to best face an enemy, all working together to create the sort of action that the series is known for. Add a variety of skills on top and you get a wide range of RPG builds that act as one of the draws for the series.
Nioh 3, the long-awaited return to the series, features a more advanced combat system composed of Samurai Style, whose combat is similar to what we expect from a Nioh game, as well as Ninja Style, which lets players fight with swift movements. Players can switch between the two with a single button, and doing so causes your weapons, armor and even usable skills to change, giving you the feeling of using two builds at the same time. It quite literally doubles the game's charm as both an action title and an RPG.
Ninja Style even changes how your character looks as you ninja run and more. During character creation, you create looks for both Samurai and Ninja Styles.
Ninja Style even changes how your character looks as you ninja run and more.
While we've fought as a samurai until now in the Nioh series, it has been possible to use a ninja-like combat style. So why fully split gameplay into these two styles in the newest title? When we ask Nioh 3 General Producer Fumihiko Yasuda about why they added Ninja Style, he explains, "We wanted to create a new kind of action that would act as a major centerpiece, making players feel that the game has taken a step forward."
He continues, "Team Ninja also has the experience of creating the Ninja Gaiden series. In other words, we have just about as much experience and knowhow when it comes to creating ninja action as we do with Nioh's samurai action. Ninja are very popular overseas, and we thought that this would excite those players as well. Nioh's Japanese world and setting is also something we value, which made ninja seem like the best possible answer. That's why we've added this style."
As a kind of new action meant to feel like a step forward, Ninja Style really does play and look quite different from Samurai Style. Samurai Style consists of the kind of steady, block-focused combat we've come to expect from the Nioh series. When in it, you can change between weapon stances as you always have, and you can use Ki Pulse after attacking, a stamina recovery technique the series is known for.
Pressing a button after attacking while in Ninja Style will allow you to use Mist, creating a clone as you move.
On the other hand, Ninja Style involves quick, evasion-focused combat. Weapon stances don't exist in this style, but ninjutsu are available to use in their place. Ki Pulse also becomes replaced with a new action, Mist.
Mist creates a clone after attacking as you move quickly, allowing you to get behind an enemy (where your attacks deal more damage). Though this Mist action does allow for a swift and stylish form of combat, some people do seem disappointed that it takes away their ability to use Ki Pulse as they always could. Using it becomes second nature to an experienced Nioh player, likely in part because it also links to dispelling special zones created by enemies known as yokai realms.
Why make it so that Ki Pulse is only available in Samurai Style? According to producer Kohei Shibata, this was done to clearly distinguish between the feeling of being a samurai versus a ninja through these styles. Ki Pulse is known as Zanshin in Japanese, a term related to kendo and swordsmanship that refers to a state of mind that prevents one from being open to an attack after striking. Shibata says that the way this manifests in-game, where you carefully manage your ki as you fight, is its way of incorporating a samurai's style of fighting that draws on both stillness and motion.
A black aura will sometimes appear on the ground while fighting an enemy. This is a yokai realm, an area that will reduce your Ki recovery speed.
"Giving Ninja Style Ki Pulse as well resulted in an issue where the tempo of its combat resembled Samurai Style,” says Shibata. “For ninja, we wanted players to use Mist, an action that makes use of the style's mobility, when they would normally use Ki Pulse. The stance system also comes from sword kata, or forms, and it seemed wrong to apply that to ninja. That's why the same button activates both Mist and Ki Pulse. We wanted to create distinct styles of movement and combat, and that's why we made the decision to not give ninja Ki Pulse."
"There is a skill that allows you to dispel yokai realms by using Mist in Ninja Style."
Shibata adds, "There is a skill that allows you to dispel yokai realms by using Mist in Ninja Style." So while players won't be able to dispel them at first with Ninja Style, it will become possible as you progress.
We also ask Yasuda why the decision was made to limit Ki Pulse to Samurai Style. He replies, "Though Ki Pulse is a trademark mechanic in the Nioh series, we couldn't simply reuse it. We needed something ninja-like that would stand out. Part of why Ninja Style has the Mist action is because Samurai Style has Ki Pulse. The style didn't have Mist at first, but it was created in order to give it a play style just as distinctive as Ki Pulse."
While the original name for Ki Pulse comes from a kendo term, Mist, or Kasumi in Japanese, is meant to bring to mind the speed and cloning abilities of a ninja. "I promise we didn't take it from Dead or Alive's Kasumi," Yasuda said with a laugh, referring to the name of a ninja character from the series.
But while Dead or Alive references would be a bit too much to expect in Nioh 3, Ninja Gaiden 4 is in development. Could we see some elements from that series in the game? We ask Yasuda if we'll be able to use Ninja Gaiden-like techniques such as Izuna Drop. He responds promisingly, saying that "We'll look into creating the sort of action that fans of both series will enjoy." That said, it could be possible that such techniques or abilities are different from what we've seen in Ninja Gaiden.
"There have already been Ninja Gaiden references in the Nioh series, such as in DLC,” says Yasuda. “This time we've gone so far as to add Ninja Style, and I think that players will be excited to see some of its elements given that Ninja Gaiden 4 is on the horizon.”
We expect these to be more like Easter eggs, so there's no telling if we'll be getting any major news announcements in the future about Ninja Gaiden elements in the game. They may even be put into the final game as surprises, so we're looking forward to checking the final game with a fine-tooth comb.
Look out for more exclusive Nioh 3 coverage during this month's IGN First, including our exclusive boss battle featuring the Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen!
Yuichi Shigeta is a freelance writer for IGN Japan. This article was translated by Ko Ransom.