Team Ninja’s upcoming release Nioh may look like just another hack-and-slash game, but its resource management is as challenging as the enemies the player will face in the game. Only this time, the player’s own energy is the key item being conserved instead of weapons, bullets and medicine. This article explains the game’s Ki system and how it affects the player.
About Ki (Stamina)
Nioh features a Stamina Bar similar to other games. Every action that William (the game’s main character) does subtracts from his energy, or “Ki”. Attacking, dodging, blocking, and even running drains away his Ki.
When William’s stamina drains completely, he will become stunned and vulnerable to attack – a dangerous situation when you have opponents that can deal critical damage with one or two strikes.
Stamina Recovery
William’s stamina will recover naturally when he moves normally (not running) or stays still for a little while. However, there is a way to regain part of the spent energy instantly.
When William performs an attack on an enemy and loses stamina, part of the stamina bar will have a different color and fill up faster. If you hit R1 at the exact moment the differently-colored bar fills up, William executes a “Ki Pulse” that increases the rate by which stamina recovers for a short time. There is a risk to this technique however; pressing R1 at the wrong moment can either fail to refill the spent energy completely, or worse, slow down the rate by which stamina recovers normally.
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