Review for NiOh: Complete Edition. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 07/11/2017
the brand Nioh, no matter what people say, it has been able to become a reference point for many players. Born and conceived as an extremely niche product, punitive and ruthless in its brutal souls-like dynamics, the baby of Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja has been able to expand its sphere in an increasingly showy way. This success was particularly evident with the arrival of the second chapter, which arrived on the market with a very specific mission: to honor the past to conquer the future. And it did, Nioh 2, has been able to fully improve its predecessor, without ever abandoning (perhaps too much) its guidelines, ending up being a real “more of the same” but still more than successful.
For this but also for many other reasons, the arrival of the entire saga on the still virgin shores of PlayStation 5 immediately aroused great interest. The ability to play (or replay) both adventures with the new possibilities given by the hardware of the flagship of Sony she was probably very greedy, even for the less accustomed to the genre, intrigued by a product that promises hundreds and hundreds of hours of fun and, why not, swearing.
Carrying on the tradition, however, Team Ninja has not distorted in any way the "basic" formula of the games, bringing to the screens a "simple" remastered which, as the word itself says, simply improves without distorting what a product is. with a very strong personal charge.
Dual… Sword!
Let's face it: whenever you approach a title designed for PS4 and then adapted to PS5 the first thing that comes to mind is "how will it exploit DualSense?". And, of course, with Nioh and Nioh 2 in the next gen version this truth has absolutely not changed, quite the contrary.
From the very first minutes spent in the company of William or good old Mad Sweeney (yes, we recreated it in Nioh 2) we had further confirmation of how much Sony's new pad has virtually infinite potential. Playing both chapters of the brand with the help of the new pad returns a completely different sensation, thanks to the enormous potential of the now more than renowned haptic feedback.
The new way of managing the vibration returns in the hands of the players a way of experiencing the art of combat, the strongest point of production, from a completely different perspective. Each stroke is amplified here and reproduced in a different way, thanks to the “sensory” sensations that are transmitted through the aid of a new controller. Of course, we are not talking about anything revolutionary, but we can guarantee you that every moment spent chasing the yokai it now tastes distinctly different. Also adaptive triggers they do their job well, even if they are more limited and less "invasive". Their real use comes out mainly when using ranged weapons, and in particular bows. The triggers somehow reduplicate the typical feeling of an arrow nocked and subsequently fired, offering players a feeling of closeness like their own alter ego that is much higher than in the past.
A conservative, but pleasant review
From a gameplay point of view, therefore, leaving out the obvious innovations due to the use of the new pad and the difference in fluidity of the game itself, which obviously alters in some way the general usability of the game, the general news are all in all marginal. Team Ninja has continued its ideology of innovation without revolution even in the PS5 version of its two flagship products, bringing to the screens a solid and well-finished product but without any significant structural novelty. Forget, therefore, Ray tracing, and various new artifices: Nioh and Nioh 2, in the PS5 version, have a decidedly different level of stability and fluidity compared to the past, but everything basically ends here. The work of Team Ninja, in the remastered version, offers the player, as usual, multiple versions three different graphic settings to enjoy the game experience, all with their strengths and weaknesses.
The first choice, from our point of view, falls on the 4K mode, which seems without too many words the most balanced of the three. By selecting this setting, the game will run in 4K, with a noticeable increase in texture and decidedly good technical definition, all without sacrificing the frame rate, which remains firmly (or almost) below the 60fps threshold, especially taking into consideration the second chapter of the saga.
Very similar speech regarding the Standard mode, which is also and above all designed for non-owners of a 4K panel. Through this mode, in fact, the player can enjoy the efforts of William and Yokai's hunter at a resolution locked on Full HD, with a granite frame rate that obviously has 60fps as a standard.
This clearly pushes the game in a different direction, which prefers varied effects to the detriment of the resolution and cleanliness of the image, much lower and, to be honest, not exactly exciting. If you are wondering which one to choose between the two options, we tell you that the latter is definitely and, if you were in possession of a 4K panel, you should not even waste time reflecting on the choice.
The third and last option is instead designed ad hoc for the most demanding. We are talking about the option that allows you to push the frame rate to 120fps, thus keeping the game a real visual and above all playful triumph. Exchanging blows with enemies, at such an update speed, is a pleasure beyond any explanation, net of the resolution with which it is accompanied, which stops "only" on 1080p.
Whatever your choice, however, it is fair to point out that Team Ninja did not do anything wrong (or almost) from the realization point of view. The two games are very stable beyond the presets chosen, which will surely make the happiness of all those who loved the original titles or of those who, perhaps, approach the brand for the very first time.
But just thinking about old-time players, it is right to underline two things. The first is dedicated to the amount of news that, as you may have already understood, does not justify the purchase of these versions in the least, especially if you have amply stripped them on PS4. The second point is linked to this, namely the lack of an advantageous or free upgrade for all owners of old copies of the game.
Team Ninja has not yet expressed itself in this regard, but the direction taken would seem to leave no room for great hopes. It is undoubtedly understandable at a marketing level but that, in the long run, may not benefit the Japanese company.
The Nioh saga arrives on PS5 with a remastered version of the two chapters originally released on PS4, which can be purchased individually or both, thanks to the Nioh Collection. The new graphics pushes the two titles towards a decidedly higher quality standard, albeit without technological miracles of any kind. The real novelty is represented by the 120fps preset, a feature that is certainly very interesting but still a little elitist, but which will certainly delight the most demanding players. The choice not to make substantial changes to the two works, arrived including DLC, can also be understood, but it strongly clashes with that of not allowing the upgrade to old-time players, who from our point of view would do better, even at light of that, to stay away from this package. If you have not enjoyed the magic of Nioh and Nioh 2 on PS4, however, you do not have many excuses: it is a playful experience to be lived at any cost, while preparing well but psychologically. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of struggle, blood and pain await you… but it will be worth it!
► NiOh: Complete Edition is a scrolling RPG-Beat 'em up game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo Sony Interactive Entertainment for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 07/11/2017
