Controls and Camera are Less Unwieldy
This was one of my big complaints when the Nioh alpha launched earlier this year. Thankfully, Team Ninja has taken fan feedback to heart, and they’ve refined the controls and camera movement. You no longer feel like the camera’s about to go off the rails whenever William sprints a little too quickly, and the game certainly makes you feel like you’re in complete control of your character.
As a result, the combat in the Nioh beta demo definitely feels a lot less clunky, and it’s certainly more fluid now – appropriate for a combat-oriented game where you’re supposed to be swift, and able to weave in and out of enemy range.
Hard Lock Instead of Soft Lock
The new beta demo has also introduced a hard target lock system in replacement of the soft lock that we saw back in the alpha. This will be mostly subject to personal preference, but the hard target lock allows players to strafe around enemies, and also ensures that your attacks will move in the direction of your target. The soft lock, on the other hand, did make it easier for players to maneuver in and out of combat, but it also meant that it was extremely easy for you to leave your back completely open to foes.
The hard target lock makes Nioh feel much more similar to the Souls games in that it gives players more control when choosing how to react to an enemy AI. Of course, remember to remove your target lock whenever you need to get out of tight spaces, or it’ll seriously mess your camera up.
No More Weapon Durability Meter
While the alpha did provide a good drop rate for weapons and repair items, it was a hassle to have to constantly sift through your equipment menu to look for unbroken weapons every few minutes. In the beta, Team Ninja has completely done away with the weapon durability system, meaning that players can now stick to their favorite weapons with no consequence, and no interruption to the flow of gameplay.
In a sense, this does make the game easier because you’ll now be able to grind in familiar areas with no obstacles. However, this is far preferable to having to potentially grind for repair items all the time just to make sure your weapon’s in tip-top shape.
Inclusion of a Training Dojo
Nioh’s core gameplay mechanics can be a little hard to grasp – especially the different stances and Ki Pulse. To really hammer in the importance of mastering these elements, the beta includes a new training dojo which serves as a sort of tutorial stage for players that want to familiarize themselves with the controls. Sure, all mechanics can be eventually picked up over the course of many hours of gameplay, but the dojo will give newcomers a much smoother start to their samurai journey.
Mastering the three different stances is pretty important to getting good with the combat elements, so I highly recommend checking out the dojo before jumping straight into the meat of the beta
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