Deal | Samurai soulslike cheaper than ever – now under $5 on Steam for the first time
At the heart of Nioh is William Adams, a character loosely inspired by the real-life figure often described as the first Western samurai. The story is set in war-torn 17th-century Japan during the Sengoku period. William is on the trail of a mysterious alchemist whose experiments with dark forces threaten to plunge the country into chaos. Along the way, he becomes entangled in political conflicts surrounding the succession of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the same time, Japan finds itself besieged by terrifying demons known as Yokai.
Nioh builds on the foundations of classic Soulslike gameplay while adding depth and complexity through a highly technical combat system. Central to this is Ki management – the careful control of stamina – combined with three distinct fighting stances: high, mid and low. Each stance influences attack speed, reach and defense, allowing for a high degree of strategic flexibility. A key mechanic is the Ki Pulse, which enables players to instantly recover stamina with well-timed parries, adding a layer of precision to every encounter. The game also features a wide range of weapons, including katanas, spears, axes and dual swords, as well as powerful Ninjutsu techniques and Onmyo magic.
Nioh received largely positive feedback from both critics and players. German gaming magazine GamePro awarded the game a solid score of 86 out of 100, praising its demanding combat system, dark and immersive world, and strong replay value. However, the review also noted several drawbacks, including a relatively weak story, reused side missions and inconsistent quality among boss fights.
On Metacritic, Nioh holds a Metascore of 84, while its user score sits slightly lower at 7.1. The response on Steam is similarly positive, with around 79% of more than 36,000 user reviews rating the game favorably.
90% off on Steam for the first time
Nioh, developed by Koei Tecmo Games, was released in November 2017 and usually sells for around $50 on Steam. It is currently available at a 90% discount, bringing the price down to just under $5 until December 18. According to SteamDB, this marks the lowest price the game has ever reached. Unfortunately, handheld players are out of luck this time: the game is currently listed as “Unsupported” on the Steam Deck (available on Amazon for around $445).
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
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