Year: 2017

Finding the Hidden Shrine in the Darkness in Nioh

After surviving the never-ending rain, I opened a doorway that allows us to approach the entire area from the other side. Going straight through it I run into an enemy I don’t like. It’s fast, powerful, and attacks with its tongue. It’s not too hard to take down, but if you let it get the jump on you, you are done. After taking it down I move to a tree that you can use to get to the top of a building. Upon reaching the top I get ambushed by a ninja and take him down, using all my skills to not fall off. A few good hits allow me to knock him off which was pretty amazing.

Grab the chest at the top, go back down and around back. I find a chest with an “East Gate Key” in it along with some armor. Taking the key I find a door to use it on, this isn’t the door that was going to kill me which is good. Directly ahead is a shrine, but before I get to it I need to take out some of the big enemies around. They’re big hulking stone statues that do a lot of damage. The key here is to just attack when you have an opening as this does a lot of damage. After taking down two of them I take a break at the shrine and discover that they don’t respawn which is nice.

Clearing out the Weaklings to Meet the Big Guy

Focusing on the rest of the enemies in the area I move in to take down the rest of the giant stone enemies. Getting to the end gets me another chest with some new gear. From here I move out to take down some of the lumbering mini-bosses moving around. This is kind of a trudge but I need to do so I can move onto the big boss waiting behind the murder door. Although once they’re all gone, I stupidly go for the boss so I can lose everything I just worked for. Man, this boss is such a gut punch and so different from everything else. I just was not ready.

Killer Golden Lighting Tiger

Pushing through that door is a bigger stride than you might think, compared to everything else. This is a giant lighting tiger that looks like gold and moves like the wind. This thing is fast and ferocious, does not stay still for long, and will level your health bar in one or two hits. Add all this to the fact that he can summon lightning from the sky and you’ve got one hell of an opponent.

For this fight, you have to keep moving there are no other options here. He can summon lighting from anywhere including its mouth. You have to keep your distance and dodge when needed. However, as long as you keep moving you should be able to dodge most attacks. The struggle comes when he changes patterns on the fly and catches you off guard. One of the very few openings I have managed to see through is when he rolls at you. The goal here is to have him run into a wall and fall over, this gives you seconds to go get some hits in.

Sometimes you just gotta grind to Succeed

Problem is that after I try to take him down a couple of different times, changing equipment and trying new tactics. Nothing sticks, I’m just going to have to grind for a bit before I attempt to fight him again. But that’s for next time.

Jumping Feet First into the Rain in NIOH

After defeating Hino-Enma, we start today by jumping into a whole new area. After a brief cutscene, we’re thrown right into the action. I start by praying at the shrine to kind of get my bearings. From here I move forward to take on some new enemies. The cool part about having some trouble with the last boss allowed me to be a bit over-leveled for this part. So the baddies aren’t much of a problem. A couple of good strikes and well-placed arrows take them down no problem.

From here it’s all about the exploration of this whole new area. Avoiding the water, climbing some trees, and just learning the entire area in general. Heck, I even manage to take down a mini-boss that gave me so much trouble not too long ago. That’s what happens in Nioh, you struggle but its all worth it within due time. Mainly because you can take down any challenge the game throws at you since you’ve learned how to conquer it in the past.

Getting Wet and Dealing with Ambushes

Trudging through the mud and rain reveals the real enemy of this level. Ambushes and a lot of them, since its dark throughout this entire area enemies, can hide anywhere. This means that the glowing item you want is most likely surrounded by ninjas hiding not too far away. The problem is that they won’t attack until you try to pick up the item. This gets you stuck in the animation and gives them time to do some serious damage.

Thankfully I am pretty overpowered and they don’t do much damage. These ninjas are using two blades which offer a speedy attack. But not much damage thanks to the armor my character is currently wearing. A little back and forth, but they go down easily enough. Going into the house they were guarding gives me a nice chest to plunder.

A Spirit Cat Shows Us the Way

Our friendly spirit cat shows up to tell us a bit more about the area we’re currently trying to get through. It was a wonderful place that went to ruin rather fast. We run into an area with three big mini-bosses, one of them being a cyclops. Those things still scare me enough to not want to deal with them.

Moving forward all sneaky like I bust open some crates, make my way around a few enemies, and just get a better lay of the land. I manage to find a new helmet to wear, which feels good since it still has horns. From here I attempt to take down a few of the mini-bosses in my way. It’s not too bad, the real problem is that they’ll come back each time I die or reach a shrine.

Opening a Nice Shortcut

After reaching a door that upon opening manages to scare the hell out of me I decide to go open a shrine shortcut. I mean that’s a hell of a thing for a door to say upon opening it. Blunt, straightforward, and to the point; no bullshit. I move forward hugging the wall and come to a door that’s right beside the shrine I started at. I open that sucker and decide that I’m close enough to take down the mini-boss right next to it. Quickly dispatching him, I pray at the shrine and call this an episode.

Let’s go kill a golden lighting tiger!

NIOHs Blood Thirsty Bat Demon

After taking out the small fries, we’re starting with a bang today in Nioh we try to take down the second big boss of the game, a bat demon named Hino-Enma. She’s fast, does a ton of damage, and can paralyze you with her bat wings. But I think we can take her down. The trick to this battle I discovered is to keep your distance, this gives you a chance to dodge her long-range attacks. Which will paralyze you in your tracks and she’ll come in with her feet or umbrella to do a ton of damage.

This boss is all about waiting for an opening and exploiting it. She has several attacks where she will stay still for just long enough for you to get some hits in. Unfortunately, on the first try, I attempt to block her attacks head-on and I die instantly. In the second attempt I take things a little slower with similar results. I fail to dodge roll in time and get my throat ripped out. But hey third times the charm right?

Third Times the Charm to Defeat Hino-Enma or so I’ve Heard

After being taken down two times in a row without much to show for it, I’m ready to take her down. I take the fight very slow and calculated. Only attacking when I have an opening, blocking to the best of my ability, and maintaining my stamina. I heal when needed, in turning burning through all my elixirs. What helped me out was using my weapon to take out all her stamina. This gave me more than a few openings to take her health down.

Patience was the name of the game her and once I realized that I was able to take her down. Missing a grab that killed me earlier I go in full force, taking out all her stamina. This brings her to the floor and I give the final blow. Taking a breather to pick up the gear she dropped I just bask in the victory for a bit.

Story Time with Nioh

Now I’m going to be completely honest when I say that I have no idea what’s going on in the story with Nioh. We get a cutscene where we talk with someone who was held captive by the boss. After grabbing his hand he transforms into a big giant bull that’s our new spirit. He is better than the current guardian I’m using so I do change to him when I get the chance to.

We move to a sweet cutscene that plays out like a watercolor painting in motion. In it, we learn that the two countries have a battle looming between them. Next, we get a cutscene where everyone drinks to the victory we just had. Everyone’s drunk and showing off their guardians. We get to see the cat again as he dances a bit. Needing a bit of fresh air we move outside to run into a new character.

Wrapping Up

We’re essentially given our next mission by this mysterious lady that leaves almost immediately after she shows up. Kinda cryptic but the map screen has got our backs in helping us where to go. Next up is a never-ending rain-filled place, its gonna be full of fun surprises!

Now it’s time to move onto some never-ending rain.

We Charge Face First Back into Nioh After a Little Hiatus

After toppling bosses, we come back into Nioh after a little break to finish my playthrough of Lumo wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Sure it took me an enemy or two for me to grasp the controls again but it was like riding a bike. It felt like going from Dark Souls to Dark Souls 2 you just don’t forget how to play some things just cause it’s a little more in-depth. Nioh boasts a lot in its gameplay and has many systems for you to master but you’ll never forget the basics. This makes coming back to it nice and easy.

Anyway, let’s get into today’s episode and get this show on the road. We first take out some enemies and work our way down a luminescence mushroom hallway. It’s very pretty, then you reach the mini-boss. Now we’ve taken down a few of these from the first level of Nioh. So this one was no problem, I manage to take him down fairly easily. Just gotta manage my energy and attack when it makes sense. Taking a break seems to have made me more patient, to say the least.

Moving from the Cliffside to the Ground Below

Moving from the mini-boss we crawl through some more corridors and eventually come out to a little cliffside chasm. I make some shots with my bow only to realize that it’s not worth it and take down an enemy with weapons. Even being on the edge of falling won’t stop me from taking risks. I find a cave that takes me down to the floor of the space and hopefully won’t die.

Unfortunately, as soon as I touch the floor another mini-boss comes out of nowhere. A little shocked I manage to pull more enemies towards me making everything harder. But I persevere with some fancy footwork and take down everyone in my path. A bit of exploring I find a little cafe with a weird smaller enemy that runs fast and has a ton of health. Attacking it with all my might felt fruitless as it got the jump on me and managed to slink away. I did not have enough stamina to keep up and it disappeared.

Unlocking a New Shrine

After losing that enemy I attempt to take down another mini-boss in my way. This one does not go as planned and I meet my end very rapidly. Recovering my items from my dead self I take out the mini-boss on the ledge that was deterring me. From here I jump down another ledge, noticing the shrine I ignore the mini-boss and charge. Thankfully I manage to make it to the shrine before the mini-boss has a chance to attack me. It was kind of shocking to have made it before I was attacked.

Coming straight off the shrine I take down the mini-boss since I just leveled up a bit. From here I drop a nice ladder for a sweet little shortcut. From here it’s taking down more minibosses and checking out some of the nearby caves. I find a treasure chest that has an enemy behind it but I fail to notice before I attempt to open it. I manage to take action and block his attack but It was still dumb of me.

Taking down a Cyclops and Seeing the Boss Room

To end this episode I push a little more forward and take on one of the cyclopes scattered around. It’s big, scary, and does a ton of damage. I retreat to a small cave and take him down bit by bit, you can judge me but I beat him so I’ll take what I can get. I move a little forward and stumble into what is a boss room. But that’s for the next episode.

Let’s jump right into a bloody boss fight!