Nioh 2 Remastered: The Complete Edition
released on Feb 05, 2021
A remaster of Nioh 2
In this brutal action-RPG adventure spanning demon-infested Sengoku-era Japan, discover the complete Nioh 2 story, including three huge expansions (The Tengu's Disciple; Darkness in the Capital; The First Samurai) and exclusive next-gen enhancements. Master the way of the samurai, command powerful Onmyo magic and wield deadly ninjutsu abilities to survive in a world where death is always close at hand…
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I am very much the kind of gamer who gets discouraged when games are long as hell, especially modern AAA games where the length is mostly grind and not new gameplay mechanics. The fact that Nioh 2 made me want to keep coming back to it over and over despite how many hours I had dumped into it (and the fact I'm considering a second playthrough with a new weapon) is definitely a testament to its quality.
Nioh 2 is a game that doesn't really serve much on a platter to you, keeping it true to the Soulslike root of its gameplay and the Ninja Gaiden roots of its developer. There are like a million mechanics which are not really explained and you just kind have to figure them out, which makes this game seem incredibly daunting at first. After watching some Youtube videos and good ol fashioned trial and error, however, it clicked. The stances, the burst counters, the grapple, the Yokai abilities, its all absolutely nuts when you figure out how to use them properly. If you showed me how I would be playing this game for the final boss to me when I beat the first level, I would have been convinced I somehow became a god gamer in that time.
However, the game does have flaws that can't be made up over time. One, this game is too fucking long and drags like crazy before the last few missions. 80 hours just to beat the game when the gameplay isn't that diverse is a tough pill to swallow, and I recommend to skip the side missions even if they feel like the only way to get to the "recommended level" for the main missions. Secondly, I found that the navigation got a little annoying sometimes where there were like 900 paths and finding the correct one never felt as satisfying as other games with this design.
Otherwise, I loved this. I called this "Monster Hunter for Soulslikes" to a friend and I can see the way I come back to this as similar to how I come back to MH.
Nioh 2 is a game that doesn't really serve much on a platter to you, keeping it true to the Soulslike root of its gameplay and the Ninja Gaiden roots of its developer. There are like a million mechanics which are not really explained and you just kind have to figure them out, which makes this game seem incredibly daunting at first. After watching some Youtube videos and good ol fashioned trial and error, however, it clicked. The stances, the burst counters, the grapple, the Yokai abilities, its all absolutely nuts when you figure out how to use them properly. If you showed me how I would be playing this game for the final boss to me when I beat the first level, I would have been convinced I somehow became a god gamer in that time.
However, the game does have flaws that can't be made up over time. One, this game is too fucking long and drags like crazy before the last few missions. 80 hours just to beat the game when the gameplay isn't that diverse is a tough pill to swallow, and I recommend to skip the side missions even if they feel like the only way to get to the "recommended level" for the main missions. Secondly, I found that the navigation got a little annoying sometimes where there were like 900 paths and finding the correct one never felt as satisfying as other games with this design.
Otherwise, I loved this. I called this "Monster Hunter for Soulslikes" to a friend and I can see the way I come back to this as similar to how I come back to MH.
Nioh 2 is the best "soulslike" not made by FromSoftware. It even surpasses From's titles in some aspects -- especially in regards to its multiplayer and deep combat.
I say it's a soulslike because that's the closest genre I can put it under that isn't something generic like "action." I feel like comparing Nioh 2 to only From's games isn't giving the full idea of what Nioh 2 really is. So many studios have been chasing From's formula and making games with a very large variety in quality, but nobody are making Team Ninja games other than Team Ninja. They have a formula here that is excellent. When comparing this to FromSoftware titles the only real similarity is the high level of difficulty. Everything else --mission structure, how bosses are created, storytelling, RPG systems, etc. -- is very different.
Nioh 2 has many things going for it. The combat and flexibility you have to make your character unique is unparalleled. You can make practically anything work here. Do you like magic? Do you want to be a badass ninja? Do you want to use a giant scythe? How about no weapon at all? All builds are valid here -- even unconventional ones. I think this is Nioh 2's biggest strength. The fact that each weapon class has a skill tree is daunting at first, but I got used to it around the halfway point. There are so many ways you can spec out your character. The stance system from Nioh also returns along with Ki Pulses. All of these things put together make one of the most satisfying combat systems in any game.
The gear collecting is something I actually really like. Grinding for gear can get tedious quickly, but I really enjoyed killing bosses and enemies and seeing what new loot I got. The final boss drops a lot of loot and I was just mesmerized at how colorful it was.
Another thing that is incredible about Nioh 2 is its approach to multiplayer. Multiplayer progression is seamless, and it scales nicely when there are multiple players. I played Nioh 2 almost exclusively in multiplayer, and it was the most fun I have had in a soulslike. There are also these bonfire things while in levels that you can interact with. The red ones summon an NPC invader, and, upon killing it, you'll receive some of their equipment. If you see a blue one, you can interact with it to summon an NPC helper.
Nioh 2's main drawback is level design. The missions in Nioh 2 aren't part of this larger interconnected world, but instead it is mission-based and you select which ones you want to do in a menu. The menu is perfectly fine, but some levels are laid out terribly. It's very easy to get lost or have no idea where you're going because of some parts of the level looking nearly identical to other parts. Level design has never been Team Ninja's strong point -- at least from the games I have played from them. Out of their "soulslike" outings (Nioh 1&2, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin), Nioh 2 has the best level design, but that isn't really saying much when all of the other ones are so poor. I really hope they are able to improve upon it in Rise of the Ronin.
Overall, Nioh 2 is an exceptional "soulslike," and it has one of the best combat systems of any game full stop.
I say it's a soulslike because that's the closest genre I can put it under that isn't something generic like "action." I feel like comparing Nioh 2 to only From's games isn't giving the full idea of what Nioh 2 really is. So many studios have been chasing From's formula and making games with a very large variety in quality, but nobody are making Team Ninja games other than Team Ninja. They have a formula here that is excellent. When comparing this to FromSoftware titles the only real similarity is the high level of difficulty. Everything else --mission structure, how bosses are created, storytelling, RPG systems, etc. -- is very different.
Nioh 2 has many things going for it. The combat and flexibility you have to make your character unique is unparalleled. You can make practically anything work here. Do you like magic? Do you want to be a badass ninja? Do you want to use a giant scythe? How about no weapon at all? All builds are valid here -- even unconventional ones. I think this is Nioh 2's biggest strength. The fact that each weapon class has a skill tree is daunting at first, but I got used to it around the halfway point. There are so many ways you can spec out your character. The stance system from Nioh also returns along with Ki Pulses. All of these things put together make one of the most satisfying combat systems in any game.
The gear collecting is something I actually really like. Grinding for gear can get tedious quickly, but I really enjoyed killing bosses and enemies and seeing what new loot I got. The final boss drops a lot of loot and I was just mesmerized at how colorful it was.
Another thing that is incredible about Nioh 2 is its approach to multiplayer. Multiplayer progression is seamless, and it scales nicely when there are multiple players. I played Nioh 2 almost exclusively in multiplayer, and it was the most fun I have had in a soulslike. There are also these bonfire things while in levels that you can interact with. The red ones summon an NPC invader, and, upon killing it, you'll receive some of their equipment. If you see a blue one, you can interact with it to summon an NPC helper.
Nioh 2's main drawback is level design. The missions in Nioh 2 aren't part of this larger interconnected world, but instead it is mission-based and you select which ones you want to do in a menu. The menu is perfectly fine, but some levels are laid out terribly. It's very easy to get lost or have no idea where you're going because of some parts of the level looking nearly identical to other parts. Level design has never been Team Ninja's strong point -- at least from the games I have played from them. Out of their "soulslike" outings (Nioh 1&2, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin), Nioh 2 has the best level design, but that isn't really saying much when all of the other ones are so poor. I really hope they are able to improve upon it in Rise of the Ronin.
Overall, Nioh 2 is an exceptional "soulslike," and it has one of the best combat systems of any game full stop.
I really think this is the pinnacle of soulslikes next to lies of P for me.
Went into it with really not liking nioh 1. However after pushing through and understanding more of the systems this game took me for a ride.
Happily beat this game many times, and with many more times to come.
Went into it with really not liking nioh 1. However after pushing through and understanding more of the systems this game took me for a ride.
Happily beat this game many times, and with many more times to come.
I played for fifty hours and enjoyed it. I have one criticism, but it is this; Despite all the progress and the quality equipment I collected, I could not feel myself getting stronger.
Great gameplay with skill trees that push is well past souls-likes, fun bosses, and overall just a nice comfort game weirdly for me.
The game feels to drag a little more than the first Nioh and also has worse level design, but also burst counter and yokai abilities are fun asf tbh.
The game feels to drag a little more than the first Nioh and also has worse level design, but also burst counter and yokai abilities are fun asf tbh.
Well, I guess Souls-like games are not for me.
Maybe I'm just an old-ass dude with terrible reflexes and no patience for learning a complex battle system, but after an hour or so of creating a character, doing the tutorial, and getting to the first big monster, I am tired of dying.
This game looks interesting with wonderful graphics, pretty music, and a mystical and mythical story to enjoy. (Shout out to the sword from the NES game Demon Sword [or probably Japanese mythology, I assume...]). However, the gameplay takes all the parts I hate about fighting games, like having to press two buttons at once to do a thing, and combines it with unforgiving enemies right off the bat. Or, at least unforgiving enemies for me. I guess "git gud" right? But is that fun? I don' t have anything to prove about being good a pressing buttons at the right time, so without access to something compelling, I'm gonna give up on this one, friends.
Oh, the internet is telling me I'm supposed to just avoid the first big monster. Somehow, that makes me even more mad at this game. You kids have fun.
Review from thedonproject.com
Maybe I'm just an old-ass dude with terrible reflexes and no patience for learning a complex battle system, but after an hour or so of creating a character, doing the tutorial, and getting to the first big monster, I am tired of dying.
This game looks interesting with wonderful graphics, pretty music, and a mystical and mythical story to enjoy. (Shout out to the sword from the NES game Demon Sword [or probably Japanese mythology, I assume...]). However, the gameplay takes all the parts I hate about fighting games, like having to press two buttons at once to do a thing, and combines it with unforgiving enemies right off the bat. Or, at least unforgiving enemies for me. I guess "git gud" right? But is that fun? I don' t have anything to prove about being good a pressing buttons at the right time, so without access to something compelling, I'm gonna give up on this one, friends.
Oh, the internet is telling me I'm supposed to just avoid the first big monster. Somehow, that makes me even more mad at this game. You kids have fun.
Review from thedonproject.com