I was concerned about the direction the game was headed when I heard it was open world (or field as they would say), but actually for a game like nioh where you collect loot constantly it makes exploring very worthwhile. This is Nioh: Elden Ring edition really, that's how it feels. It feels like Nioh but in an open world.

I have a few things I wish I could change, like how I wish there were more returning yokai from the previous games, I wish Tonfa wasn't ninja mode exclusive because it was one of my favorite weapons and I loved the full moveset. I'm also sad that because of the environment graphics upgrade we probably won't see any of the old locations used as a mission again. I would have liked to run around some of the old levels with my new abilities just for the sake of having the extra content.

Despite all that I think they somehow did what I believed was impossible, they found a way to make the Nioh combat feel fresh while still feeling like Nioh, and Ninja mode is largely the reason why. It feels like a new layer of complexity when I expected it to be more of a dumbing down, and in the end I can say there's not a lot more satisfying than weaving ninja stance into combat like a 4th stance that plays like ninja gaiden.

I think the highest praise I could say about this game is that after just finishing it now at 77 hours the first thing I want to do now is play it again and try something new. Mihi placet.