10 Toughest RPGs That Are Incredibly Rewarding

9. Nioh

Following the rampant success of Dark Souls and Bloodbourne across the 2010s, the term ‘Soulsbourne’ was created to house a new subgenre of RPGs. Punishingly difficult in a ‘tough but fair’ way, games of this ilk are designed to challenge a player into improving their performance not through grind and levelling up, but through practice and skill.

Once such game to throw down this gauntlet is Nioh, and action-RPG combining Soulsbourne combat mechanics with hack and slash elements in a lush world absolutely teaming with Japanese folklore. Players control William, an Irishman arriving in Japan in the midst of an invasion by supernatural yōkai, who is trained in the way of the samurai to combat the threat and the English alchemists responsible.

Whilst the game takes its cues from FromSoftware’s genre defining trilogy in a combat sense, the inclusion of hack and slash mechanics, particularly from the enemies, creates a much more kinetic environment compared to the more deliberate and tactical battles of its predecessor. Add to this the Japanese aesthetics woven into the yōkai and level design, including options to alter the frame rate for a more cinematic experience, and you end up with a visually stunning world that could kill you at a moment’s notice.