The 5th anniversary of the release of the “Nioh” series. Although it is a new title, “Sengoku Death Game” has recorded a total of 6 million hits in the series. The appearances of Emi Takei and Haru also attracted attention [What day is it today?

Japanese-style dark fantasy that fights samurai and youkai

February 9, 2017 (Heisei 29) is the day when the first ” Nioh ” for PlayStation 4 was released. In other words, today is the 5th anniversary of the release of the “Nioh” series.

The “Nioh” series is an action RPG released by Koei Tecmo Games. Only two works have appeared so far, but the cumulative number of shipments worldwide has exceeded 6 million as of September 2021. Although it is a historical product set in the Warring States period and the Azuchi-Momoyama period, it is a work that is gaining popularity not only in Japan but also around the world. It is also called “Sengoku dying game”, and the crunchy difficulty is one of the major features of this work.

The first work had a long way of about 12 years from its official announcement to its release, so it was a bit of a narrative among game fans. If you’re an avid fan who’s been watching the trends for a long time, I’m sure there are people who have been quite crazy when it goes on sale.

As mentioned above, the “Nioh” series is a “death game”, but the unique point is that it also has a “hack and slash element (trehan element)” that collects powerful equipment at the same time. The first lap is basically enjoyed as a high-difficult action game, but from the second lap, it shifts to “Hakusurage”. Players can change the armor and weapons they get and build and enjoy a more sophisticated build than when playing the first lap.

If the ideal build for each weapon is completed and you can match your opponent, you will feel tremendous exhilaration. It’s been customary for DLC to add new weapon types so far, and I’m happy that it’s designed to be playable for a long time, such as being able to challenge even higher difficulty modes.

As an action element, what creates a bargain unique to the series is a system called “Zanshin” that realizes unique stamina management and “stance” that changes the variation of attacks. It is no exaggeration to say that thanks to these two elements, a tense battle with Sengoku warlords and youkai can be fought. It matches very well with the Japanese-style world view, and above all, it’s really fun to operate. One of the highlights is that you can summon the alter ego of another player who died on the spot to fight, or you can fight together in multiplayer, and the online elements are enriched.

　The story that mixes historical facts and creations well is also excellent, and the scene where the main character & original character and the Sengoku warlord are involved is a must-see work. I think there were many players who were groaned every time, “Is that so?” The main character of the first work is a real person, William Adams, also known as Anshin Miura, and it is a very astringent choice. Although the second work was an original character, it had a blood relationship with a super famous military commander, so I remember that the author and others were really worried about the development of the story.In the two works so far, the fact that famous actors performed the main characters enthusiastically was also a hot topic. Masachika Ichimura and Saki Takei appeared in the first “Nioh”, and Naoto Takenaka and Haru appeared in ” Nioh 2 ” to liven up the story. In particular, Naoto Takenaka played the role of Fujiyoshiro, so I remembered the taiga drama ” Hideyoshi ” and had double fun. Mr. Takenaka played even when Fujiyoshiro was still young, and this is already a taiga drama feeling, and I am very satisfied with the drama lover. I remember he was grinning from beginning to end.