As much as I was surprised to find myself somewhat taken in by the cast of historically real characters and the historically false supernatural conflicts between them,
Nioh’s gameplay is good enough to render any semblance of context generally unnecessary. That being said, it’s nice that
Dragon of the North gives it to you anyway. This comes with something of a cost, however; if you haven’t finished the main game, this expansion will remain locked off until you do. Given the story’s historical trappings, this might be obvious to the hardcore, but for those who are only now just getting started with
Nioh, it would be best if you held off on reading this review until you’ve completed the game. It’s about to get spoilery, so avert your eyes if you must.
Nioh: Dragon of the North picks up after the events of the core game. William Adams has reclaimed his guardian spirit Saoirse and put an end to Edward Kelley – at the height of his power, no less. The Sengoku Period is drawing to a close, and Japan is beginning to unify under the shogunate established by Tokugawa Ieyasu. And with the most immediate threat on William’s life (Hattori Hanzo) snuffed out, a return to Japan is the first line item on the itinerary. Unfortunately, the political and the supernatural are about to come to yet another bloody crossroads, as Masamune Date (the One-Eyed Dragon himself) is staging a rebellion against the new shogunate. His ambitions involve Amrita and, of course, those damned Yokai.
