In Nioh, players will traverse war-torn Japan as William, a blonde-haired swordsman whose background as a fierce warrior and seasoned knowledge of the blade allows him to survive in the demon-plagued land of the samurai. Known as Yokai, these demons inhabit a number of dangerous locations and lie in wait in the shadows to ambush unsuspecting victims. Players will also face off with other samurai in supernatural sword battles and intense, multi-target engagements offering a level of difficulty that will truly test even the most hardened samurai’s skills, patience, and strategy. Offering a deep and original storyline that takes place during the Warring States Period of Japanese history alongside strategic sword-fighting action, Nioh will challenge players in a way that makes every mission and accomplishment feel earned and worthwhile.

Set in the year 1600, during a fictionalized version of Japan's late Sengoku period, Nioh follows William, an Irish swordsman who travels to Japan in pursuit of an enemy. Amid a land torn by war, supernatural creatures known as yokai have begun to appear and spread chaos. William crosses paths with the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu and his ninja ally Hattori Hanzo, forming an alliance against both the yokai and the Western sorcerer Edward Kelley, whose dark alchemy is driving much of the conflict. As he is trained in the ways of the samurai, William is drawn into the wider struggle to unify Japan while hunting the man who wronged him.