PlayStation 4 exclusive Nioh has finally launched; the Internet's going wild

If you consider yourself a serious gamer, chances are high that you’ve dabbled in Dark Souls, a rite of passage of sorts to those who appreciate the action role-playing game (RPG) genre.

Team Ninja’s Nioh, which launched today, looks set to replace that sacred rite.

The game is set in 1600s Japan and you play the role of William, who is, of all things, a Western Samurai. On the surface, the mechanics do appear to be very Souls-like. You hack and slash your way through an assortment of enemies with varying movesets. As in Dark Souls, you need to monitor your stamina meter, though in this game, the enemy’s stamina meter is also visible.

The art direction is an obvious departure from Dark Souls. The dark, dreary ruins of the Souls series is replaced by fiery Japan.

The game was hyped to high heaven since its announcement and now that it’s out, here’s what the internet has to say…

Nioh is Japan’s response to Dark Souls. There. We said it.

Oh man, I can imagine some moron writing an article like "Nioh is Japan's response to Dark Souls".

— Alex (@alexdnz) February 2, 2017

Some reviewers are already saying that the game is too hard…

Polygon isn’t reviewing Nioh on release because they’re finding it too difficult. You couldn’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/9k0SsiUZPY

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 4, 2017

Obviously, we’re excited…

Nioh

FULL GAME, LIVE NOW!!https://t.co/xsDMqjTa7W pic.twitter.com/v6kA636GIN

— RetroGaijin (@RetroGaijin) February 7, 2017

Me, me, me, me, me!

Yes, Minius, we’re pumped as well…

Getting ready to play Nioh on the Neo! Super pumped! pic.twitter.com/D5p1kaEiKl

— Minius GC (@MiniusGC) February 7, 2017

Face off against ancient demons in war-torn feudal Japan. @TeamNINJAStudio's action-RPG epic Nioh is out now on PS4: https://t.co/bi4kYnLHzr pic.twitter.com/pUyhEzp9E2

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 7, 2017