Installing both titles side by side on the PS5 in the Nioh Collection, I was immediately impressed by how well both games run – but Nioh 1 in particular. I don’t remember how far I got through it before it finally got the better of me and I used its disc as a shiny little frisbee, but it was past half-way. Partly because I played it on the base PS4 and it didn’t run as smoothly nor look as pretty, and partly because something about it felt almost mean-spirited at the time. The original Nioh I remember faring less well in. Despite being a fan of “masocore” titles (as much as I loathe that label), it was to my surprise that gradually got gud and was able to face the tougher challenges it threw at me. I spent scores of hours in it, resolutely refusing to watch people on YouTube beat the bosses with no armour and no damage while I slogged through each encounter for a length of time roughly equal to a full day’s work. Its mix of brutal combat and sprawling exploration had me hooked from the start, and playing on a PS4 Pro I was already enjoying its action at 60 fps, even if it did make me turn the air bluer than my boyhood anime collection.

Nioh 2 was one of my favourite games of 2020, and held on to a spot in my personal top ten until the very end of the year.

Nioh complete edition ps4 review