Il Japan it has always been a country full of charm and mystery, especially for us Westerners who have always seen it as a distant and exotic place, often almost a world apart due to its customs so different from ours. Video games have certainly helped to create this aura of charm towards the Japanese country which, without any doubt, is the nation that most of all has contributed to the worldwide success of the videogame medium. Just think of the masterpieces that have made history, such as Super Mario, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and many others, but these titles are only the tip of the iceberg of the contribution that Japanese developers have given to the gaming world.
Video games have the merit of being able to make us live normally impossible situations, and if today it is somehow possible to take a plane and visit the Japanese archipelago (in better times than today of course), through some titles we can even visit its past. In fact, there are many video games set in feudal Japan, where the figure of the samurai obviously stands out, especially in the abused one epoca Sengoku, or of the Warring States, a period in which the whole country was at war. There is not only the story, however, in these titles, in fact often the deeds of the famous and skilled warriors blend with the Folklore Japanese, made up of monsters and divinities belonging to tradition. On the other hand, this is also a part of the history of every country, albeit fictitious.
In the sea of titles set in the historical and non-Japanese past, we have chosen 5 of the most representative titles of what is feudal Japan within the videogame world. Here's what they are.
Ghost of Tsushima
Let's start with the most recent title. The Sony exclusive has been incredibly successful thanks to the care that the developers of sucker Punch have place in the making of Tsushima Island. Set in 1274 during the First Mongol Invasion operated by Kublai Khan, the story of the game puts us in the shoes of Jin sakai, one of the few samurai who survived the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Mongolian army. Left without allies, Jin will be forced to abandon the honorable way of the samurai to act in the shadows and seize the enemy behind with more devious tactics. For Jin, this is the only way to have a chance of victory and repel the mighty invader, regardless of what that means abandon the teachings on honor to which he dedicated his life.
The title is an open world adventure which is very reminiscent in its structure of the various Assassin's Creed. Jin will be able to forge alliances with the islanders to gain allies in his fight against the Mongolian army in exchange for favors, which usually result in side quests. Among these there are some very interesting on a narrative level, including some that also explore the myths of ancient Japan. One of the most successful aspects of the game is the splendid setting, which evokes naturalistic views that are truly beautiful to see and admire. You will spend hours just finding the perfect angle in the Photo Mode.
Ghost of Tsushima is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in backward compatibility.
You can buy it here.
Nioh
Moving on to another historical context, we find Nioh, the soulslike series of Koei Tecmo, which currently consists of two chapters. Both titles are set in the Sengoku period, when various feudal lords fought for domination over all of Japan, but in this case it is a Japan where the fantastic element is central. The yokai, that is spirits and monsters of the Japanese tradition, are at the center of the narration and above all of the many deadly clashes that we will have to face in both titles.
In the first chapter of the series we will take on the role of William a former Irish pirate who will arrive in Japan chasing his archenemy, the alchemist Edward Kelley. Arriving in the land of the Rising Sun, William will find himself facing several supernatural enemies and even brave samurai. In Nioh 2 instead the protagonist can be created by the player entirely and this will also be a half yokai, which will allow him to transform into a demonic version of himself much more powerful than normal. Nioh 2 is a prequel to the first chapter placing itself in the middle of the Sengoku era. It goes without saying that the difficulty of both titles is high and it has nothing to envy to the various Souls of From Software.
Nioh and Nioh 2 are available for PS4, PC and a few months ago also in an improved version for PS5.
You can buy Nioh here. While for Nioh 2 you can buy it here.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Speaking of the Sengoku era, let's move on to another title that has many points in common with Nioh: we are obviously talking about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. For the first time From Software abandon the more medieval settings of the Souls to move on to a story set in feudal Japan. Sekiro is always placed in the Sengoku era, even if in an unspecified period. Here too, in addition to dealing with a powerful samurai clan, one has to deal with many creatures of Japanese folklore, in a perfectly reconstructed setting, which, as per From Software's tradition, never explains things openly, but leaves a lot of clues and visual information that players can then interpret in their own way.
Compared to Dark Souls, Sekiro is less cryptic about its history, which makes studying the game's plot even more fascinating. From a gameplay point of view, Sekiro is punitive as few, since there will be no levels or statistics to increase to facilitate the battles, but that's the beauty of it. The title is meant to have a philosophy of improvement not of the character, but of the player who, battle after battle, will learn to internalize the combat system to become one with the protagonist.
Sekiro is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
You can buy it here.
Samurai Warriors
Koei Tecmo has the credit (or the blame) for creating the genre of musou, a genre basically the same for itself for 20 years, except for a few deviations from the formula. If the progenitor is Dynasty Warriors, next to him we find Samurai Warriors, the title also set in the Sengoku era in which it is possible to select dozens and dozens of characters inspired by the most important historical characters of that era. It is therefore fun to use Oda Nobunaga, Masamune Date, Hattori Hanzo and many others to defeat enemy armies.
The arrival of the fifth chapter of the series coming next July for PS4, Switch, PC and Xbox One. This chapter will be a sort of reinterpretation with a revamped graphic style and character design and some gameplay innovations yet to be better understood.
The last chapter released is instead the fourth arrived in 2014, with an improved version released in 2016.
You can buy it here.
Onimusha
Yes we know, the Japanese seem to love l'epoca Sengoku, and indeed also Onimusha is set in that period and places the player in the shoes of the valiant samurai Samanosuke Akechi, fighting against Oda Nobunaga who this time is an evil lord in command of terrible demons and hellish creatures. The first chapter has recently been released in a remastered version, for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, but the saga has had another 3 chapters all released on PlayStation 2.
At the time, the third installment that had a plot was epic so trashy it goes around and becomes epic. During the clash between Samanosuke and Oda Nobunaga a portal opens that ends the two characters and the army of demons in the Paris of 2004. Here Samanosuke will ally with Jacques Blanc, played by famous actor Jean Reno to defeat Nobunaga's evil forces. The title created by Capcom took a lot from Resident Evil, in fact it had a setting with static screens and different environmental puzzles, but it had a much more action-packed gameplay. It could be defined as a game halfway between Resident Evil and Devil May Cry.
We will see if in the future Capcom will resume the series, the recent release of the remastered could be an important signal.
You can buy it here.
For the occasion, the cover image is a fragment of “Boat on the Sumida” of the painter Utagawa Hiroshige. This work is available for viewing and editing thanks to the efforts of the MET
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