Not gonna lie, my new rule of adding a cover image to each article has stopped me from writing a few times since the site launch. On one hand, it makes everything look a little nicer and gives the home page some visual flare. On the other hand, I don’t write my posts while I play. In fact, I usually don’t even think about my blog while immersed in a game. My posts are typically written during reflection on the experience. This boils down to me never having original screenshots to use. I could use official screenshots or artwork, but I don’t like where that leaves me legally or creatively. It doesn’t feel like it’s mine to use. Thus, 20 days with no new posts.

Despite my silence, I have been playing a whole lot of Nioh from Team Ninja and Techmo Koei. I know I’ve been playing little else for an entire month, because my usual co-op buddy’s PlayStation Plus expired over the weekend. I love the Dark Souls series and have beaten every one of them except Demons’ Souls, but Nioh somehow has a better grip on my kreplits (units of time and attention). There are, of course, aesthetic differences between dark Western fantasy and Japanese folklore, and while I’m digging the uniqueness, I don’t think that’s the secret to my heart.

I think the biggest difference is the way they handle PVP. There is a portion of the Dark Souls community that treats the games’ PVP like a rich fighting game experience. It’s what they show up for time and again, and I’ve just never fallen into that group. Never mind that the net-code makes lag nearly as dangerous as your opponent’s skill; that’s just not the experience for which I buy these games. I’m all about the mysterious and sinister worlds, epic boss fights, and sharing all of that with a friend. And while Dark Souls will let you avoid most PVP by staying hollow or unkindled, you cannot play co-op in those forms.

Nioh instead has no head-to-head PVP at time of writing. Sure you can challenge a fallen player at his or her grave, but that’s just a snapshot of your opponent. The computer controls the revenant’s actions. With the exception of those summoned by the lute-playing Biwa Boku-Boku, the player is never forced to fight revenants. There is no invasion system to hinder you should you choose to summon a friend. I must admit, however, that the multiplayer isn’t perfect.

In the interest of keeping the game challenging, Nioh requires that one of the two co-op players has already beaten any stage you might want to double-team. I understand the reasoning, but I’m not thrilled about it. Should another friend of mine buy the game and want to group up, I’ll have to choose between carrying him through with my over-leveled, endgame William or starting over and playing every mission two more times. That would total clearing each mission four times. I’m enjoying this game immensely, but even I’m not sure about that much replay. Some of us have other things to do.