Barreling headfirst into my first boss after slashing my way through a hideous creature infested village. Pathetically I inch away the massive horse monster’s health. The health bar seems to jeer me as I take every swing and little to nothing happens. Next a roar, then a swing of his gigantic cleaver and I am plunged into a dark world of death. And yes, I have played the first Dark Souls. I know you sometimes have to come back to bosses. But I can be ignorant at times. Thus set in my realisation of the mountain to come, that is Nioh 2.
Nioh 2 isn’t just like any other Souls game. The developers at Team Ninja like to call it ‘masocore’. A mix between masochism and hardcore. Continuing to build on the challenges set in the first game. This instalment makes it all bigger and badder. While also adding some new intricacies so you as the player can also get a little smarter and bolder.
The Pain Is Only There To Make You Feel Alive
Nioh 2 gears you up with a huge arsenal of weapons to take on your foes. But that’s not all, your custom-built character is half-yokai. Which allows you to transform into a monster slapping fury. It’s rather refreshing to have a button that deals out massive amounts of damage. You just need to know how to use it. Like all souls like games, there’s very little hand-holding.
Each weapon has three stances from you to choose from during battle. From low to high, dealing heavier or faster strikes. Be sure to get your ki pulse in a good rhythm. This will restore your ki much quicker and even purify yokai realm circles. Every weapon has its own skill tree and special techniques to unlock. The more you use it, the quicker you become a master at it and obtain skill points. With eleven different weapons to choose from, not including the ranged sub-weapons. There’s a play style for everyone to choose from.
Nioh 2 sends you across a war-torn Japan during the Sengoku period. You’ll find that each level is masterfully crafted to lead you back and forth to areas you’ve previously explored. By means of opening shortcuts. There’s plenty to see and do, I’m close to 50 hours in and don’t feel like I’m near the end.
In my experience, the game ran buttery smooth at 60fps. One or two patches went live over the course of playtime. But no major bugs experienced on my behalf. The only thing I could really pinpoint was the odd enemy popping in the distance.
In conclusion, Nioh 2 runs and plays beautifully. Nioh 2 evolved on the previous instalment and indeed the souls like genre. For more updates stay tuned to GamEir and check out our Facebook page for everything gaming!
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