Nioh 2 Review – A Masterpiece of Slick Demon Slashing

Nioh 2 is the sequel to the exquisite Nioh. Unlike some other sequels however, Team Ninja decided to go with the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, philosophy. They’ve taken nothing away from the original, aside from some balancing changes, and instead added many features, which improve gameplay, replay-ability, and to me remove some of the grind the original began to be plagued with.

Enemy variety has been vastly increased, a new ‘burst counter’ system has been implemented which makes combat more satisfying, and most importantly, you can create your own pink haired, violet eyed samurai. Because realism.

While Nioh 2 is commonly said to be a Souls-Like, I’d say it more resembles a cross between Ninja Gaiden and Diablo. This isn’t to say it’s not hard, or punishing, or rewarding when you beat a boss, but the core game is dissimilar to the Souls series. What makes it most similar, is the flow combat follows. Usually, an enemy attacks, does their combo, and then you exploit the moment where they catch their breath, to get some damage in. Rinse and repeat until the enemy is dead. In most other ways they are very different games. As such, if you’re a fan of Diablo, but not Dark Souls, or you have a thing for suffering through games like Ninja Gaiden, definitely read on.

The story of Nioh 2 takes place both before and during the story of the original Nioh. It’s a wonderfully connecting story that spans a period of several decades, jumping between major historical events that happened, where the protagonist is involved. While at first I was disheartened from the notable absence of good old stalwart William, the other characters began to replace and even improve on my old favourites. There are some true development arcs in Nioh 2, and a much more satisfying villain, though he takes a while to be revealed and hyped up.

I found myself not caring about the protagonist or supporting characters early on in timeline, mostly due to lacklustre introductions and the janky way cut-scenes seem to thrust story onto you in Nioh 2. This seemed to be less of an issue as the game progressed, as it does a good job of drawing upon what’s been set up in past regions. The main characters are well expanded on, and by the end I was well invested in who died and who lived. The one true test of good character development! Side-characters and plots have barely any time onscreen, and sometimes this leaves the player a little clueless at worst, uncaring at best. However, if you take the time to read the history, understand each persons place and importance, than it comes together much more nicely.

Where the story fails, the combat and gameplay of Nioh 2 pick up the slack and then some. I can’t make this more clear – combat in Nioh 2 is glorious. It’s smooth, satisfying, and wonderfully balanced. Each failure and hit you take has a reason, with a way for you to have saved yourself. When you land a burst counter you feel as though you’ve achieved something. There’s nothing better then batting a 10-ton Yokai axe aside, laughing manically as you chunk their health down as a result.

Guardian spirits are still a mainstay of the game, but now exist mostly to give passive bonuses. Each guard spirit in Nioh 2 allows you to use one of three Yokai Shifts – Feral, Brute and Phantom. They also provide unique bonuses to attacks, be they specific elements or simple damage boosts. Yokai shift is the replacement for the much more overpowered living weapon. This has been tuned to take MUCH longer to charge than before, and lasts for a much smaller time than living weapon. Instead of being able to complete vast swathes of a level using just the guardian spirit ability, Yokai shift is instead more of a panic button, or used to punish a boss that’s run out of Ki. For some this will be a negative, but I think it’s much better to have to complete the level using your actual main weapon for a change.

That said – Yokai shift could do with some buffs, as Nioh 2 trundles on, it becomes weaker and weaker relative to your ‘pathetic’ mortal form, in NG+ I was essentially using it to save myself from a combo that would have otherwise killed me, and that’s about it.

The missions of Nioh 2 follow a linear story without deviation, you select a main (or side) mission from the region map, and once you’ve conquered each main mission the next unlocks. Each region comprises a period of time ranging from a few years to a decade, the main missions showcasing the main events your character is part of in this period. Something nice that arises from this system is that if you don’t have much time, you really could just power through the main missions – though they’d be harder since you’ll be under-levelled. Something of note, however, is that levels really don’t matter much in Nioh 2. Sure, they add damage, make you more tanky, strengthen your Ninjutsu, and so on… but a difference of several levels really isn’t going to mean you hit a roadblock of difficulty, it’s skill, baby.

This means that Nioh 2 becomes exponentially easier as you play, besides a few difficulty spikes with bosses. You’re learning how to defeat each enemy, you’re learning your main weapon, and you’re going stronger all the while. As a triple threat combo these combine to mean you feel stronger and more proficient, and you’re able to cut through what you used to find impossible with ease as you grow as a player, as Nioh. Regardless of damage numbers or how tanky enemies become, once you’ve learnt their moveset it’s rare that you take too much damage. This is a double-edged blade. On one hand, you as the player feel like you’re growing stronger, and unlike some other games it’s not just through stats. On the other hand, it means that gameplay between bosses can end up growing a bit stale, especially if you follow one of the meta builds to the letter.

The main change in terms of character builds is the addition of being able to attune soul cores of the Yokai you kill. For each boss or demon enemy slain there’s a chance they’ll drop one of these ‘cores’. You can slot these into your guardian spirit, ‘attuning’ them to your character. Each Yokai type has a unique ability, that you then gain the ability to use, but they also increase your stats by an amount that increases with the soul core level. These soul cores range from being able to decimate an enemy – turning the tide of a boss battle and slapping them about like a soggy sponge, to simply poking them with next to no damage. If I had any complaint about the cores, it would be this. Some are much stronger than others, and therefore in many situations it’s hard to justify using the full breadth of core choices, something I’d of liked to enjoy messing around with much more.

Difficult in Nioh 2 is very different for each player. Some builds are much easier to use, and much stronger than others. Some weapons can be used to cheese most bosses and make them trivial (spears, if anyone is wondering). Multiplayer removes most of the challenge from the game, depending on who you play with. If you have a group of people who all know the game and its complexities well, I can’t imagine have trouble at any part of it. I chose to play through solo because that’s how I enjoy the experience, and there’s nothing wrong with playing any other way. In fact, it could be said it’s comforting that any skill level player can get into and complete Nioh 2, especially with a little help. It is, but at points it can be disheartening to fail for the 10th time on a boss when you’d be able to clear them all first try with a spear and the flourish skill.

Levelling in Nioh 2 remains relatively similar to the original, despite changes to the way you acquire skills. Instead of the grid-based system in Nioh, the sequel uses a ‘skill tree’, with the actual meaning of the phrase applied. This means you have to level certain prerequisite skills before you can get to later abilities, depending on what branch of tree those skills are on. If you’re in to planning and scheming your most efficient levelling routes, this system is great fun. If you don’t enjoy that it can be… a little confusing. Overall I prefer it to the original system, it’s more visually pleasing and I certainly enjoy seeing my tree ‘grow’.

Speaking of which, the visuals of Nioh 2 are utterly stunning. While the graphic engine itself is nothing groundbreaking, the level design, and visual delivery that goes along with such, is top quality. You carefully forge your way through blossom filled fields, wind your path through dark, poison laden caverns and at points attempt to survive a journey across floating spirit-stone-supported platforms. While some levels get a bit dull, the vast majority are diverse in appearance and feel, which along with extensive enemy variety, massively increases replay-ability, and enjoyment through the games substantial length.

The musical score isn’t on the level of the likes of the recent FF7 Remake, but it’s pretty damn good. While most of the game relies on the exquisite sound effects, with grunts and snarls of the various enemies providing beautifully grotesque ambience, the music knows when to ramp up and when to keep quiet. Especially on the later levels it begins to really add to the experience, as a good score should. Cinematic orchestrations kick in at -just- the right time, Team Ninja have done a good one here. Each region even has a different theme, and they do well to keep said theme in theme with the theme of the area the player is currently in, be it one of mystery or revenge.

Now, my guilty guarded secret is that I never finished the original Nioh. I got quite far, perhaps two thirds of the way, but other titles picked up my attention instead, and I moved on without a qualm. Nioh 2 however, captured my attention despite the other releasing titles calling out to me. I could no longer hear their pitiful cries, for I was in a committed relationship with the Nioh 2 platinum. I played and played until I achieved it without even a curious glance at my gaming shelf. This took around 70 hours, and involved completing the main game, then going about halfway through NG+.

Due to the improvements in both gameplay and story, I never felt this got tedious, and even when working my way through each of the weapons to become a master of all, I didn’t see a dull moment. I avoided grinding for specific gear, smithing texts, or skills however. If you’re into that kind of diablo-esque gear farming, it’s all ready for you, however. I’ll certainly be playing the DLC, though my skills may have grown a little rusty by then, and undoubtedly I’ll have my ass whipped.

Playing through the other new difficulty doesn’t interest me, I don’t see much a reward for seeing it through, but something they’ve done right in what I did experience, is changing the enemy types and positions. This seemed to not be as much the case as I got further into the story, but in the early levels it’s a nice change that enhances replay-ability. Once the extra levels of gear and even harder difficulties are available, I’ll probably feel more excited for going back through.

Final Thoughts

Nioh 2 is a decent improvement on the original. It keeps the main formula the same, and I can see why some say it’s kind of just a large DLC pack, but the small changes make the experience more satisfying, more engaging, and overall more enjoyable.

If you’re wanting to learn how to build a character in-depth, check out my article on Nioh 2 stats, and how they work!

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Nioh 2

9

Nioh 2

9.0/10

The Good

• Satisfying combat
• Difficult, but rewarding
• Easily played for weeks on end

The Bad

• Massive learning curve
• Overly complex in parts
• Story is a bit janky at points

Buy Nioh 2