The Nioh 2 Last Chance Trial has just finished its glorious run. If you didn’t get the chance to download it in time, the Nioh 2 demo was on PS4 last week, running out on the 1st of March. It was a wondrous taste of how they’ve improved on the game, and unlike numerous developers, actually taken on board fan feedback. There are many improvements on the previous game, and as an avid fan of the last, I can safely say they’ve done a great job.
The biggest improvements I immediately noticed, were the vast new skill trees, and a huge increase in enemy variety. Like many others, in the original Nioh, I found myself getting a little bored of the repetitive enemy move-sets in the repeated enemies. Now, this wasn’t a particularly large problem, it’s often an issue in these types of games, but it was one of the first games more obvious flaws. Just through playing the demo for Nioh 2, however, it can be seen how much the developers have listened to fan gripes about this. We’re treated to a slew of new yokai, with varied and interesting move-sets to boot. There’s a snake lady that paralyses and wraps herself around you, squeezing your frail form to death. There’s a multiple headed abomination that spews fire from every orifice. There’s a poison monk that stops you from healing – causing you to vomit up a storm should you try. These, and many more, are just from the first level of the Last Chance Trail.
The new skill system is much more intuitive than the first game, including many favourite combos and abilities from the past. It’s a nice blend of passive buffs, and active additions to your growing combo arsenal. I didn’t find that this grew at a rate that was too difficult to keep up with, however, and I wasn’t overwhelmed by the sheer amount that I had to learn, perhaps due to my experience with the first game. I do think a newcomer to the series is going to have a massive learning curve, but part of me is glad they haven’t toned it down and lost some of Nioh’s charm in the process.
Character creation is perhaps the new feature that has garnered the most attention from fans, meaning they no longer have to play as a faceless William. Team Ninja have previously said that they wanted a protagonist players could attach themselves to, and as such they made William a touch bland. If you’re going to do that, go full out, and in Nioh 2 they’ve followed that path, and instead made it so you can simply create your own character. It’s a massive slew of options, and feels similar to the Black Desert Online character creator, to me. While I quickly whipped up my character for the demo, given it was out for a limited time, I and doubtless many others will be spending hours getting those sweet tattoos at just the right angle.
Nioh 2 already feels like a much improved version of Nioh, just during the brief time we’ve had with it so far, and Nioh was a great game on its own. They’ve kept what was good in the game, and changed what was lacklustre. I’m hype for the this one guys, and I hope you are too.
Did you play the Nioh 2 Last Chance Trial? Let us know in the comments or over on Facebook & Twitter! Also, don’t forget to catch us live over on Twitch!
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