Nioh

Primarily single-player games are on the decline right now, but Nioh is a strong argument for the merits of this withering form. [Recommended]

Nioh boasts what might be the most galling cast of bosses in the history of action gaming – including a saucy, murderous she-bat, a giant frog with a penchant for cigars, and a skeleton the size of the Eiffel Tower – all united by their unquenchable desire to peel you apart with a single blow and drop your bones into a stew. Those who expect to die early and often in the world of Nioh will find their pleas answered, again and again and again. For the rest of us mere mortals, however, this exquisite work is best admired from afar – it might be pearl-encrusted, but like every other bear trap, it’s made to maim.

One of Nioh’s coolest features is the revenants. These are scattered throughout the levels and are graves of real players and NPCs. When you approach one, it’ll give you the level they were when they died, and what you’re likely to receive if you bring it back from the dead, and then kill it again. You could stumble across a stranger’s grave and fight them as they were when they died; it won’t be you fighting the actual stranger, but it’s a great feature and can get you some decent gear.

Nioh is one of the most memorable and competent action games in a long time. There’s a genuine speed to combat, and the mixture of stances, magic, and other options turns any battle into a violent crescendo of action. It rockets players from challenge to challenge, remaining consistently exciting throughout. Nioh is a focused powerhouse of samurai action and folk whimsy that surpasses games like Dark Souls and brings a truly fast and dynamic pace to action-RPGs.

To call Nioh a copycat would be doing it a disservice. Combat is tight and layered with options, levels are gorgeously rendered and ooze atmosphere, and the story is entertaining enough to keep me interested yet can still be set aside when I'm more interested in perfecting my ki pulses.