Today Team Ninja has announced that an alpha demo for their upcoming action role-playing title Nioh, will be released later this month.
In accordance to a recent press announcement on the PlayStation Blog, the alpha will be available to all PlayStation 4 Network users between the period of April 26th and May 5th. In addition to this, the developer has also noted that players who manage to "clear a stage" within the upcoming alpha, will also be provided a free download to The Mark of the Conqueror DLC when the full release comes out.
While there are no exact details into what the story entails, Nioh is said to take place in a Japanese civil war era, and is to incorporate elements of Samurai culture, and Japanese folklore.
The gameplay for Nioh is best described as a bizarre mix of FromSoftwares Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden. As you see in both the recent trailer (above) and previous gameplay footage, the title appears to adopt similar role playing elements and pacing in what is found in Dark Souls, with stylized Ninja Gaiden combat mechanics and finishing moves.
Announced back in 2004, Nioh was originally slated for a PlayStation 3 release under the initial title, Oni. Based on an unfinished script from the late Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, the title was meant to coincide with a feature film release under the same title. This film was supposedly meant to highlight the directorial debut of Akira Kurosawa's son, Hisao Kurosawa. As of late, no news regarding the films production has yet emerged. Kou Shibusawa wrote on the matter thanking everyone for their patience on the title, and while asking for feedback said the release of the demo was in appreciation of the fans.
“Now, finally, Nioh — a game created with the entire power of Koei Tecmo — will be released in 2016. In appreciation to all the fans who have waited so long, and in order to have gamers everywhere try Nioh as soon as possible, we will release the Alpha Demo this month. We hope you enjoy overcoming the challenges in this masocore take on samurai action — Nioh.”
–Kou Shibusawa, General Producer
Nioh is slated for a full release later in 2016 as a PlayStation 4 exclusive.
What do you think of the Nioh? Do you feel Nioh is basically Dark Souls with Samurai? Are you excited for the upcoming alpha release? Let us know in the comments below!
