Nioh 2 Review — Team Ninja Doesn’t Miss With The Combat

Souls-like. If there’s one genre I’ve earned a Master’s degree in, it’s this one. The funny thing is, I wasn’t even aware of it till Bloodborne. Gave the game a try one day on my PS4, and the rest is history. Ended up putting in thousands of hours in the series, of which I have no regrets.

If you’ve been hunting Souls-likes as much as I have, there’s one name you should be very familiar with, Team Ninja. A developer plagued with some weak design choices for its games, yet remains the master of combat, Team Ninja’s contribution to the genre’s progress is undeniable. And today, I’m here to analyze what’s considered to be its finest work, Nioh 2. Let’s see if that’s indeed the case.

Story And Setting

I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but Nioh 2 is strictly not a game you would play for a story. It’s a game where even if you go in thinking, “I don’t know who I am or what I’m doing here; all I know is that I have to kill,” you’ll still have a blast.

However, don’t let the cryptic, mission-based nature with slight glimpses only deceive you. Nioh 2 has a definite story, and a very good one at that. It’s essentially a fantasy-imbued, Yokai-infested retelling of Japan’s history. This is a tale of Hideyoshi’s journey through the Sengoku period and the corruption of power and control laid bare.

Nioh 2 assumes you’re somewhat familiar with the historical happenings, and thus does a half-baked job of presenting an otherwise brilliant and thought-provoking story that deserves more love.

A Historic But Tragic Tale

Now for my thoughts. Nioh 2 tells a magically tragic tale of betrayal and the loss of your loved ones, while you continue to struggle alone in this merciless world. The main character Hide’s journey is one of solitude yet conviction, an immortal half-Yokai on the quest to make a change, whether it means cutting down those once close to him. 

However, most of the time, you won’t even be able to follow everything logically, as the game’s storytelling leaves a lot to be desired. Nioh 2 assumes you’re somewhat familiar with the historical happenings, and thus does a half-baked job of presenting an otherwise brilliant and thought-provoking story that deserves more love.

Gameplay

Now for the stuff, you’ll play a Souls-like for the combat and general gameplay. Let’s just say that if you’ve played other Team Ninja games at this point, like Nioh 1 or Wo Long, you’ll find yourself right at home. The gameplay is Team Ninja flexing its muscles, letting you know it is still unrivaled in the combat department.

The basic Souls formula aside, Nioh 2 has tons of layers to its combat, and I mean TONS. For starters, you have three different combat stances, each with a particular role. Couple that with a unique Ki Pulse mechanic that restores your ki with a timed press, and there’s no shortage of experimentation. I know I had one hell of a fun time going through it all.

On top of the three stances, you have an insane weapon type variety, each behaving differently in actual combat. Plus, the massive skill tree for each weapon type had me completely engrossed.

With so much replayability and the downright thrill of a challenge, there’s not a moment where you run out of new things to try, it’s simply brilliant.

The Extreme Mechanic Variety Is As Enjoyable As It’s Overwhelming

After the melee weapons, you have ranged weapons like bows and guns to experiment with as you please. Next up, let’s talk magic. You’re given access to Ninjutsu and Onmyoudo, two magic-based combat options that both act as damage-dealing sources and buffs/debuffs. Still not satisfied? Fear not.

Since it’s a game about Yokai and you’re a half-Yokai, there was bound to be some of this stuff. Nioh 2 adds an enemy drop called Soul Core, which essentially lets you perform foes’ skills yourself. I just stuck to the fiery tornado and burned my enemies alive.

Let’s talk defenses. In addition to the standard dodge maneuver, you have a dedicated block button, and a special Burst Counter to prevent red attacks, inflicting massive Ki damage in the process. Last but certainly not least is your Ace in the Hole, the Yokai transformation called a Yokai Shift. For a short duration, you can wreak as much havoc as you want. 

Do you see why I say that it’s a tad overwhelming now? There’s so much to remember that it takes a considerable time to learn. Weapons are loot-based, so sorting through them all was a pain for me. When a red attack came out of nowhere, I had three different commands to push, and my brain just fried for a moment. 

However, make no mistake once you surmount this learning curve, Nioh 2’s combat is probably one of the best systems out there in the genre. With so much replayability and the downright thrill of a challenge, there’s not a moment where you run out of new things to try, it’s simply brilliant.

The Enemies Sure Remind You To Get Good

With this much depth in the combat and versatility of mechanics, like the overpowered Yokai stuff, I thought Nioh 2 would be a breeze to get through. I now realize how naive I was to think that. Nioh 2 is a hard game, very hard, but it’s the sort of fair challenge I respect and enjoy.

I have nothing but praise for Nioh 2’s combat system, but that doesn’t mean it’s flaw-free. One such flaw is the somewhat repetition in enemy and level design.

ith the unpredictable attack patterns of your foes, and you need to stay on edge and keep cycling your stances strategically. It’s hard, but never unfair; always a learning experience of what went wrong.

This is especially true during the boss fights. The game’s unique Yokai Realm (a black-and-white area with a heavy Yokai presence) adds to the thrill of battle. It both gives the foes steroids and pumps up your Anima (Yokai energy) generation to spam your skills.

As such, I have nothing but praise for Nioh 2’s combat system, but that doesn’t mean it’s flaw-free. One such flaw is the somewhat repetition in enemy and level design. Most levels follow the same trope of a massive maze, devoid of creative interlinking; a big missed opportunity.

Visuals And Performance

As we move on to the visual department, I feel like I should let you know that this was never Team Ninja’s forte. If you go and look at the developer’s games, you’ll see that they always look pretty dated and backward when it comes to the graphics. The superb combat comes at a cost it seems.

It doesn’t mean the visuals are downright bad. They may be dated, but they are never hideous to look at. The game paints a solid picture of feudal Japan and the Yokai threat. Yokai realms are designed creatively (just a bit too disorienting for me), enemy designs are solid, except for some repetitions, and the aesthetic is maintained throughout.

Finally, we come to the performance, and I suffered no issues in this department for the entirety of my playthrough. I played it on an RX 580 at high settings; never came across performance drops. I’ve also tried the game on the PS5, runs without problems and is a crisp experience.

Verdict

All in all, Team Ninja’s combat prowess continues to soar, and Nioh 2 is living proof of that. If you want an enjoyable Souls-like with a complex yet brilliant combat system, look no further. Nioh 2’s minor design repetition and dated visuals are fully offset by the meaningful story and the superb combat you can’t get enough of. 

That was all about my Nioh 2 review. I hope I was able to help you out and enlighten you, and if I did, consider checking out some more of our reviews:

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