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The grueling difficulty of Nioh 3 and the intense pressure of bumped-up review embargoes recently culminated in a destroyed Ikea desk for one dedicated guides writer. While the Soulslike genre is notorious for testing player patience, the combination of professional deadlines and punishing game mechanics can push even the most mild-mannered individuals to their breaking point. In a recent editorial, Rock Paper Shotgun guides writer Jeremy Blum detailed how a frustrating encounter with the human form of boss Takeda Shingen resulted in a smashed Xbox wireless controller and a permanent crater in his workstation.
The incident highlights the often-unseen stress of professional game reviewing. Blum, acting as the sole guides writer for the massive Koei Tecmo title, was tasked with chronicling over 100 distinct bosses. The situation escalated when the official review embargo deadline for Nioh 3 was unexpectedly moved up at the last minute. This sudden schedule change forced a rushed, sloppy playstyle - a fatal flaw when navigating a game designed to punish impatience. The mounting pressure of capturing footage, taking meticulous notes, and working overtime transformed what is typically a dream job into a highly stressful grind.
Interestingly, the boss that triggered the outburst was not even the most difficult encounter in the game. The human form of Takeda Shingen simply acted as the breaking point on a particularly trying day. After slamming his 2017-era Xbox controller into the MDF wood of his Ikea desk, Blum stepped away from the screen. Following a brief cooling-off period and an explanation to his bemused wife, he returned to the game and defeated Takeda Shingen with relative ease a few hours later. The controller miraculously survived the impact, though its buttons remain frustratingly sticky.
A Lineage of Technological Frustration
The desk-smashing incident prompted a deeper reflection on the nature of technology-induced anger and familial traits. Despite being advised by therapists to express his repressed anger more often, Blum noted that his rare outbursts mirror a generational pattern of tech-related frustration. The stress of modern gaming deadlines echoes the struggles of the pre-internet era, proving that the friction between humans and machines is a timeless tradition.
This lineage of frustration includes his brother, who famously chucked NES controllers into the family sofa while struggling with unforgiving retro titles like Iron Tank and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The most striking parallel, however, involves their father. Back in the early 1990s, while trying to help with a school report using an early version of Microsoft Excel, their technologically-educated father reached his limit. After consulting a massive physical Excel manual to no avail, he hurled the book to the ground with immense force, snapping its spine in two before begrudgingly taping it back together.
Today, the crater remains in the MDF desk as a physical reminder of the incident. While the miniature schnauzer that fled the room during the outburst has since recovered, the hole serves as a humorous, cautionary monument to the importance of stepping away from the screen when the pressure mounts.
My Take
This anecdote perfectly encapsulates the psychological difference between playing a Soulslike game for leisure versus playing it for work. When a player is free to explore at their own pace, dying 20 times to Takeda Shingen is just part of the learning curve. However, when a publisher bumps up an embargo deadline, every death translates directly to lost working hours and increased real-world stress. The fact that Blum had to document over 100 bosses for Nioh 3 under a compressed timeline is a testament to the grueling nature of modern guides writing. It is a stark reminder to the industry that last-minute embargo shifts do not just inconvenience writers; they actively degrade the playing experience and, occasionally, the office furniture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Takeda Shingen the hardest boss in Nioh 3?
No. According to the report, the human form of Takeda Shingen is not the toughest boss in the game, but rather a challenging encounter that became overwhelmingly frustrating due to real-world time constraints and sloppy play.
How many bosses are featured in Nioh 3?
The guides coverage for the game has chronicled over 100 distinct boss encounters, highlighting the massive scale of the Koei Tecmo title.
Did the Xbox controller survive the impact?
Yes, the 2017 Xbox wireless controller survived the desk-smashing incident perfectly intact, though the user noted that its buttons are now uncomfortably sticky.