STILL PLAYING
Games that continue to hold our attention
I’ve had Yoko Taro on the brain, so I got a physical copy of the final Drakengard.
Onimusha: Warlords
Jess Kinghorn is back in her happy place
The bombastic opening, the stilted voice and motioncapture performances, the fixed camera angles – there’s something oddly comforting about this. Following early Resi’s winning formula, this action game swaps guns for simple swordplay, and the supernatural stylings of the Sengoku-era setting are right up my alley. Remembering to press e to absorb the souls of my enemies feels like a chore, but this dated design decision does add to the retro charm. I’m left wishing other ‘remasters’ were as faithful.
Drakengard 3
Oscar Taylor-Kent has a bloody good time
After Nier Replicant and the FFXIV Nier raid series I’ve had Yoko Taro on the brain, so I got a physical copy of the final Drakengard and am revisiting the extremely bloody hack-and-slash. Of its era, the progressive blood splatter is a classic case of devs embracing novel tech. Too bad the framerate struggles, but with surprisingly clicky (if simple) slash-happy gameplay, it’s fun to fool around with. Still, I can’t help missing the more refined combat of Replicant and Automata. Could this be due a remaster?
Nioh
Sharp sword but blunt skills? Ian Dean keeps at it
As it’s just been added to PS Now, I figured why not give this samurai soulsborne another shot? After bouncing hard off of Team Ninja’s genre entry on release, I now have Bloodborne, The Surge 2, and PS5’s Demon’s Souls under my belt, and armed with that experience Nioh feels less daunting. This is still a tough challenge that requires plenty of patience. Rerunning the same boss until it finally clicks can feel like torture. Yet there’s a deep RPG leaning in here, which makes every run rewarding.