Nioh 2: The Complete Edition (PC) review

Reviewed on: PC

Nioh 2, developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo, is an Action RPG with gameplay and difficulty traits that fit the Souls-like genre, set in Asian culture with everything in the package, from Samurai to Yokai.
The title was originally released in 2018 only for PlayStation 4, and now gets its complete version for PCs and PlayStation 5.

No further ado: Nioh 2 is brutal. My lack of experience with games of this genre was not a surprise at my first sudden death in my timid initial attempt; in fact, the twist came with the first scare and how unprepared the character, created with so much care, was when she was crushed by the first monstrous opponent I met.

Setting

The game was woven with care so that the staging of the fantasy setting, completely immersed in Eastern culture, would be convincing and exciting.
The houses, the villages, the lighting, the buildings, the adversaries, the monsters, the spells, the transformations and the details in all the cutscenes show the attention to detail in highlighting the artistic choices built into the adventure’s characterization.

The cutscenes are beautiful and rendered in real time, with the created character being a delight in itself, inserted into all the exciting scenes that happen during these brief interactions that may be presenting a new threat or character.

Gameplay

Starting at the character creation screen, Nioh 2’s gameplay already impresses, being one of the most complete I have ever tried and, despite an incredible number of options, unlike other titles, it does not overwhelm the player, offering pre-programmed suggestions that help guide the adjustments someone who cares more about their character’s looks might want.

Within the game environment, the responsiveness of the controls is incredible, and it needs to be, since the accuracy the game’s combat demands to keep the death counter from skyrocketing is considerable.
The combat styles are diverse: besides offering a dozen different weapons that completely change combat, each weapon can also have several stances, which balance attack speed with attack weight and, to top it off, the skill trees can also change the combat style in various ways.

The game offers a skill customization menu, which allows fine-tuning of combos according to the moves unlocked as you progress.
There are also several spells and ninjutsu to learn and incorporate into combat, making the way each person chooses to face these demons truly unique.

As for challenge, Nioh has no pity on the player, makes it clear that the most violent and cruel monsters must be faced, and does not forgive your mistakes, so the only way to progress is to learn about what you are facing, notice its movements, master your character’s moves and do the best you can with what you have in hand.

Less experienced players will struggle to finish the first mission, and will find themselves going back to earlier areas to try to gain a few levels, but the truth is that without learning the mechanics of the game and of the enemies, the game itself will not allow much progress.

Experience

I have no experience with games of this difficulty genre and, while I worked on the game to write this review, I had to put several hours into the first mission until I learned the lessons the game was trying to teach me, so frustration shook me at some moments, but when I was able to defeat the game’s first big boss, my heart was racing, the well-built music, the tension calibrated to keep you on the edge during combat, the anxiety about the possibility of sudden death finally passes and leaves the player breathless, staring at their own achievement.

The game spares no effort to reward your attempt to get stronger, and will let you chase the best you can if you are stuck in an area redoing it a few times but, once you understand how the playstyle you decided to follow works, the rewards come.

That does not mean the deaths will stop, quite the contrary, but understanding where the mistake is and going back to overcome it has its charm, and makes the player value having advanced in the game.

Nioh 2 is an excellent choice for those who enjoy Action RPGs and are willing to face a high level of difficulty, but for Dark Souls veterans, Nioh has its own unique style, so it is something new to learn on its own, and the charm Team Ninja brings to the gameplay makes the moments when you finally feel strong, an adrenaline shot, the high point of the playthrough.

Played on PC (Ryzen 7 3800X, RX 480) with an Xbox One controller.