Known as Yokai, these demons inhabit a number of dangerous locations and lie in wait in the shadows to ambush unsuspecting victims. Players will also face off with other samurai in supernatural sword battles and intense, multi-target engagements offering a level of difficulty that will truly test even the most hardened samurai’s skills, patience, and strategy.

Offering a deep and original storyline that takes place during the Warring States Period of Japanese history alongside strategic sword-fighting action, Nioh will challenge players in a way that makes every mission and accomplishment feel earned and worthwhile.

Blending a compelling narrative loosely based upon the tale of the first western samurai, William Adams, with a myriad of strange supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore (Yokai), players of Nioh will discover a diverse and comprehensive world dripping with lore. Vile and daunting creatures await challengers, who must learn their enemies’ tactics to gain an advantage in battle.

William is not alone against the perilous Yokai, however, as he will be accompanied by a diverse cast of characters who assist him on his travels across Japan. Hanzo Hattori, the head of the ninja clan retained by Ieyasu Tokugawa, serves as William’s guide through the country. Hanzo’s cat is possessed with the long-living spiritual guardian Nekomata, who aids William with his strong knowledge of the supernatural and history of the land. Muneshige and Ginchiyo Tachibana, experienced samurai and leaders of the Tachibana clan, also help William on his quest with their deadly fighting abilities. Both Tachibana leaders possess their own Raiken guardian spirits—creatures which control the element of Thunder—which come together to perform a devastating special attack.

As of today, pre-orders are live across PlayStation Store and your local retailers.

On PlayStation Store, Sony are offering two editions of the game:

Standard Edition

• The full game

Digital Deluxe

• The full game
• Weapon pack with five new weapons
• PS4 Avatar
• Season Pass

Pre-order either edition to receive:

• The Nioh armor to equip in-game, inspired by the ancient statues that stand guard at temples across Japan.
• And a Nioh Dynamic Theme for PS4.

In addition, if you pre-order Nioh or the Digital Deluxe Edition on PlayStation Store or purchase in the first two weeks after launch, you’ll also receive the Crimson Master Armor, another in-game armor but this time based on legendary samurai Yukimura Sanada.

“We created Nioh to be a very challenging game, so we put a lot of thought into the design of its difficulty,” says Game Director Yosuke Hayashi.

“For example, we had an enemy that throws a quick jab at you and causes immense damage, and it was difficult to avoid and defend against. So now these enemies may still attack you with the same level of damage, but we redesigned the movement of the jab itself so that it gives players a split second to dodge or block.”

The rigorous alpha and beta testing that Nioh has undergone has only helped shape the PS4 game for the better. It’s been your all-important feedback which has — rather ironically — removed Team Ninja’s fear that many years of hard work were going to potentially miss the mark.

“Nioh is a new IP, so in a lot of ways we wanted to get users’ feedback and understand whether we were going in the right direction,” explains Hayashi-san.

“For example, some of the feedback we got from our users was that they didn’t want the battles to involve too many enemies, because it would be too challenging. So we looked at more one-on-one encounters where greater skill was required.”

“That we were able to get people to like the game during the alpha and beta testing is something I’m really happy about. So as we get closer to launch, we’re putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to meet those high expectations.”

That sense of anticipation has only grown with Nioh’s recently announced PS4 Pro enhancements, something Hayashi-san is delighted to take advantage of.

“I’ve always felt that games on PlayStation were very visually compelling, but now seeing these games on PS4 Pro, my perception has exceeded that.”

“Gamers don’t compromise on things like frame rate, so we really focused on maximizing the power of those particular aspects and introduced lots of visual options. For example, one is to play the game at a targeted 60 frames per second at1080p — it was great that I was able to realize this through PS4 Pro.”

Of course, when you’re facing a giant, acid spitting, spider-bodied seductress, you may regret the visual fidelity on your screen. And given that you may need many hours to complete Nioh, there’ll be no shortage of gritty, challenging encounters.

“We wanted to create impressionable bosses,” laughs Hayashi-san. “So you’ll discover a few when you play!”

That said, as you’re assuming the role of the skillful Western samurai William Adams (based on a real life historical figure, no less), you have more than your fair share of ways to dispatch the horde of enemies which await. That includes a three-stance combat system, magic, and the ability to wield a myriad of weapons, such as dual katanas.

And if that’s not enough, the smiling Game Director has a few pointers to potentially help reduce the ol’ mind-killer.

“Don’t fear death,” Hayashi-san says. “While Nioh is a challenging game, if you carefully pay attention to the movements of your enemies, you’ll be able to find chances for an opening.”

“And don’t be afraid to seek help from other players online from our great community, as there’s always someone out there who can offer guidance. Nioh is really about self-improvement. And in an era of games where there’s less lasting “death” in action titles, I want you to feel like you’ve genuinely accomplished something once you’ve completed it.”