Today's issue of Weekly Famitsu included a spread on the upcoming PS4 exclusive NiOh by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo.

First of all, we see the stage of Ibukiyama, west of Sekigahara. Often affected by light rain and mist, it used to be inhabited by many spirits. Unfortunately, due to the destruction brought by the war, it's becoming a nest of yokai.

Several characters are also showcased. As usual, most of them have been picked up directly from history, showing just how deep and rich the lore behind NiOh is.

We see more of Edward Kelley, who came from a distant foreign land like the portagonist William. He wears black clothes and he is proficient in alchemy. He makes use of lesser demons and is able to raise dead human bodies. He interferes with the wars of the Sengoku era for some mysterious purpose.

Yasuke is a samurai of African origins wearing a jet black armor on his extraordinarily large body. His identity is mysterious, but he appears to confront William in order to fulfill Kelley's plans. He used to serve Oda Nobunaga, who gave him his Japanese name.

Tenkai Is a monk, onmyodo teacher and practitioner of the Tendai sect of Esoteric Buddhism. He wields great power in the art of guardian spirits. He is very concerned about Kelly's misuse of his powers, and will lend William is aid against him.

Fuku is s disciple of Tenkai, and a female Onmyodo teacher. She is powerful in ssummoning spirits, and she sees through William's ability, which is why she takes him under her wing to teach him her art.

Tenkai and Fuku meet william at the Honnoji Temple, after he has been cursed by the ice of a Yuki Onna. After that, they accompany him to Sekigahara, teaching him various aspects of the art of Onmyodo.

Hōzōin In'ei is a monk belonging to the Kofukuji temple in Nara. Inspired by the shape of the crfescent moon reflected on the water's surface, he developed a cross-shaped spear with a sickle blade on each side. His art is very different from the usual spear fighting style used by other warriors.

Yagyu Sekishusai is  a swordsman who lives only to practice the way of the sword. He mastered the martial school named Skinkage-ryu through severe training including fighting against Tengu. He often challenges travelers for a round by taking away their weapon with bare hands.

As the player advances through the story, he will be able to perform "mentor missions" in the training grounds, to learn techniques from the greatest masters of the time, including Hozoin In'ei the spear master and Yagyu Sekishusai the sword master.

You can check out the screenshots below, keeping in mind that they come from magazine scans, and as such the quality is not as good as that of direct feed screenshots.

NiOh will release in North America on February 7th, published directly by Sony Interactive Entertainment. European gamers will have to wait until February 8th, while Japanese gamers will get the game last, on February 9th.