Team Ninja has always been known for its harder games. When they released Nioh, their take on the Souls genre, it was no surprise it became one of the most difficult games in the genre. Instead of just being another Dark Souls clone, Nioh had its own characteristics and mechanics and combined the brutal level of difficulty with those typical Team Ninja spices. If you thought Nioh was difficult, wait until you play Nioh 2.
The prequel
Unlike what the name suggests, Nioh 2 is a prequel of the first game, taking us to 16th century Japan where landlords waged a brutal war. These are events rooted in actual history and if we believe Japanese folklore, the landlords weren’t the only creatures on the fields. It’s said that Yokai (demons) walked amongst the humans to take home victory. It’s here where Nioh 2 takes place.
Your story doesn’t start on the battlefields however, you’re just a hired mercenary of the Mino province who’s hired to hunt down Yokai. Without spoiling too much, the hunt isn’t that easy and it’s only thanks to a merchant named Tokichiro that you’re able to regain control. Tokichiro sold you a Spirit Stone and from that moment on, it’s clear that your hunt will never be successful without those stones. Following Tokichiro and finding new buyers is your top priority from that moment on. Needless to say, not everything goes as planned and you end up on the battlefield a lot sooner than you would have hoped.
Enter the world of Nioh 2
Before you can actually enter the battle you’ll need to create your nameless hero with the character creator. This isn’t just an afterthought, the character creator goes very deep and you can really create the character of your dreams if you’re willing to spend some time with the options. The thing I liked most about this is the fact that no matter what you’ll do, your character will always look great since he/she is more than just a human. You’re the child of the devil, literally, an offspring of human and Yokai, granting you special abilities mere humans can only dream of. Once you’re satisfied with your looks, it’s time to pick your weapon and Guardian Spirit.
Since you’re still partially a human in feudal Japan, you’re forced to pick one out of nine traditional weapons. Ranging from katanas and axes to new weapons such as the gigantic switchglaive or fast dual hatches. Depending on the weapon of your choice, you’ll change your posture from low, mid, and high. In the end, it doesn’t really matter which type of weapon you’ll select. The game is brutally difficult and there’s no magic combination that will make your quest any easier. Picking your favorite weapon is just a matter of personal taste. I advise you to pick the weapon that suits your playstyle most. If you’re an aggressive player, it’s wiser to go for the fast weapons that give you a lot of freedom to move around. More a defensive player? Then you’ll need to wield a bigger weapon, enabling you to attack from a distance. As demonstrated, it doesn’t really matter but be sure to pick the one that matches your style the most.
Besides picking the weapon of your choice, you’ll also have to decide on which Spirit Guide you’ll take with you on your adventure. Depending on the spirit’s class, Brute, Feral, and Phantom, you’re able to shift to your powerful shiftling form, transforming you into a Yokai so you can really unleash hell on your opponents. Just like the weapons, you’re advised to select the Spirit Guardian that fits your style the most.
Prepare to die
Once you selected your weapons and Guardian Spirit of choice, you’re instantly dropped on the battlefield and nothing can really prepare you for the mayhem. Just like its predecessor, Nioh 2 is extremely difficult and the learning curve is steep. Everything you do in combat demands Ki, the more you move and attack, the quicker your Ki meter depletes. Once it’s empty, you’re unable to attack or defend against an incoming attack and believe me if I say the enemies won’t hold back at all. If you’re not paying attention even the smallest of enemies can easily bring you down in Nioh 2. It’s crucial to learn their pattern and adapt to the way they move and attack. Only by timing your actions correctly, you’ll be able to defeat them, the same goes for the bosses although they’ll take a lot of hours to defeat.
Where regular enemies can be defeated by learning their pattern and keeping a close look at your Ki meter, the boss battles or something completely different. They can often take you out with a single attack and it’s not always clear what you need to do. The bosses in Nioh 2 truly are difficult to defeat as you often simply don’t understand what you need to do in order to take them out. This results in endless loops of you entering the boss fight over and over again. Although I do like a challenge in my games, some of those fights felt a little unfair to be honest. It’s clear that the developers went for a more difficult Nioh experience but I feel like they made a couple of fights simply too hard, resulting in more frustration than satisfaction in the end.
Help is on the way
If you want to become better in Nioh 2, you’ll better prepare for some grinding and time in the menus. Team Ninja included a huge skill tree, enabling you to boost your weapon and Spirit Guardian skills. The more skills you’ll learn, the better you’ll eventually become. Thanks to the skill tree, you can really create your own type of playstyle, which is a huge advantage compared to the first Nioh game. It gives you a tremendous amount of freedom to create and adapt your style to the challenges you’re facing. On top of that, you can even trade-in resources to call in the help of an AI player so you’re not alone on the battlefield. Although none of these options will make this game easy to master, it does make it a little easier to conquer. But, never be mistaken, Nioh 2 isn’t a game for the faint of heart.
Conclusion:
Nioh 2 is bigger, better and a lot more difficult. It takes everything that made Nioh such a great game and adds some more crazy challenges on top. It’s not a game for everyone since it’s easy to get frustrated during the boss battles but if you like to grind and become better and better, this one is certainly highly recommended. If you’re into the Souls genre, it’s worth giving this a shot!
8/10
Tested on PlayStation 4 Pro
