Diminishing difficulty: ‘Nioh’ update adds the ability to pause the game

By Michael Rougeau March 24, 2017

team ninja nioh update pause game 3079852 screenshot07 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The latest update to the Dark Souls-like Nioh lets players pause the game, which as fans of this challenging game genre know is a big deal.

Nioh released in January to critical accolades, drawing praise from players who enjoy the style made popular by From Software’s Dark Souls series. Nioh shared plenty with those games, including an inability to pause — unlike in most video games opening the menu didn’t stop the action going on around you, creating unique challenges. That changed in the update released on Friday.

Now when players press the “options” button on the PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 controller, Nioh‘s menu will open and the game will pause. You will be able to rifle through your inventory, change equipment and settings, and more without getting constantly ganked by demonic yokai and ninjas while you’re not looking. Or you can just go make a sandwich in the middle of a mission, which many players will no doubt appreciate.

The exception will be during multiplayer gameplay, such as when you’ve summoned another player into your game for co-op.

Polygon posted the full notes for the patch, which brings Nioh up to version 1.06. In addition to the ability to pause the game, the patch added new missions, titles and smithing texts, a variety of new settings including some geared toward colorblind players, a huge number of balance tweaks, and numerous bug fixes and improvements. Overall, it’s a massive patch that should reward both existing and new players.

Although the notes list a bunch of changes to various talismans, it seems developer Team Ninja has yet to alter the “sloth talisman” magic, which is so hilariously effective at slowing down fast-moving bosses that it practically breaks the game. So if you’re planning to pick Nioh up for the first time now — it’s currently 33 percent off on the PlayStation Store — take advantage of that while you still can.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Michael Rougeau

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…

Gaming

21 years after launch, Worms Armageddon update adds 61 new features

worms armageddon update 61 new features

Worms Armageddon, the classic turn-based worm warfare game, received an update that was more than seven years in the making.

The game's developer, Team17, announced Worms Armageddon Patch 3.8 through a trailer that showcases some of the update's contents.

Gaming

Nintendo Switch update adds button remapping and SD card game transfers

where to buy nintendo switch sold out

The Nintendo Switch gives players even more ways to switch things up. Nintendo Switch players can now remap controller buttons and transfer software data between the system memory and an SD card thanks to the latest firmware update.

The new 10.0 firmware patch is now available for the Switch and Switch Lite and works with the built-in Joy-Cons, Switch Pro Controller, and Switch Lite system. The ability to remap controller buttons and analog stick configurations is a long-requested feature from fans. Since it is a system-level option, it will work with all games and is a key accessibility feature.

Gaming

Is Manor Lords multiplayer or co-op?

A medieval market in Manor Lords.

You can easily lose hours designing your village and appeasing your citizens in Manor Lords all by yourself. There are so many different avenues to achieve victory, but the only competition or help you can normally find is in the form of NPCs. Other factions around the map can be helpful or harmful depending on how you play, but what if you wanted to team up with a friend to combine resources, or perhaps compete to see who can crush the other first? Many strategy and city builders thrive on multiplayer components, but does Manor Lords offer those same modes? Make sure you know the answer before making your purchase if that's your intention.
Is there multiplayer or co-op in Manor Lords?
To cut to the chase, the answer is no. Manor Lords is a purely single-player experience through and through. There are no cooperative or competitive modes in the game at all, so there's no way to interact with anyone else either on PC or console. This game was just released out of early access, and there is plenty of content on the way, however, we regret to inform you that multiplayer is not in the plans for the time being.

One developer took to the Steam forums to release an FAQ on the game. One question specifically asked if there is any multiplayer or cooperative gameplay in the game. The response said that "he focus is on a refined single-player experience, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned at the moment."