Nioh 2 (PS4) Review: This is a great omelette that's slightly overdone

Hey there, fellow gamer. Has this ever happened to you?

1. Is your new game actively trying to kill you at every turn?

2. Have you spent the majority of your playthrough looking at the respawn screen?

3. Are you starting to wonder if death is meant to be part of the fun?

Now, if your answer to any of the above three question was "Yes", we'd like to inform you that there are two possible explanations for it. One, you've probably picked up a Souls-like RPG, such as Nioh 2, or two, you just happen to be really bad at the game. There's no shame in admitting it though.

Putting the jabs aside, there's a lot to be said about Team Ninja's second take on a "deliberately difficult" game, plus how it stacks up to the competition, especially fellow samurai Souls-like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. But don't get your knickers in a twist - we'll cross those bridges when we get there. 

The lowdown

Like all of its controller-smashing "brethren", the main draw of Souls-like games is their unforgiving difficulty to any and all gamers, regardless of whether you're a rookie or a battle-hardened warrior. However, there is a very fine line between being "challenging" and "obnoxiously difficult", and unfortunately I found Nioh 2 doesn't toe this line very well. It often falls toward the latter side of the fence, but even so, it is one of those titles that you can't help but have a begrudging respect for. Essentially, while I feel it does have many good points in both aesthetics and gameplay, what would have been a flawless overall experience is somewhat held back because the game shoots itself in the foot in some respects. 

Still, one thing at a time. First, let's have a look at Nioh 2's core offerings.

Reprising the samurai and demonic-inspired themes from its predecessor, Nioh 2 places you into the shoes of a typical, mysterious "lone wolf" character, who makes a living hunting demons and comes from some blessed bloodline...so on and so forth, you know the drill. Frankly, the plot in general is rather cliche, although it is somewhat mitigated by the game's excellent cinematic sequences. I especially like that certain parts of it are done in the traditional Japanese "okami" style instead of regular modern cinematics, and it helps to bring a certain degree of authenticity to the experience.

The demonic "parts" of the game are beautifully done too, and when you're in your demon, or Yokai form, your attacks are flashy and just feel oh-so-good when they connect. On top of that, each Guardian Spirit also features a different style and aesthetic formula, which adds more points to the "swag" factor. For example, I went with the fish-inspired "dark phantasm" spirit, which turns you into some spooky, floating demon when you engage your Yokai Shift.

Elsewhere, the aesthetics are quite on par with those of its closest competitor, although I felt there was a difference in the "impact", so to speak. 

What do I mean? Well, part of what made Sekiro so entertaining despite the constant dying was how satisfying getting a kill was. The deathblow portion was not only brutal, but it sounded like it too and that kind of makes you want to move on and get the next one. However, the deathblows in Nioh 2 both look and sound less...painful, if you catch my drift. 

Apart from fighting (and dying) continuously, Nioh 2's other aspects resemble a conventional RPG title, with weapons, equipment, stat boosts and other consumables that can either be found through exploration or purchased from the bonfire-style checkpoints. Honestly, there's not really much to discuss here, so we'll just skip ahead to the main bit.

It's time to pick a fight

Conceptually, the fighting itself is a lot more complex than most RPGs I've played, which is probably par for the course considering it's a Souls-like. Personally, it's around the same level as the first Witcher game (which I had zero patience for), featuring various stances and all that, but taken up several notches. Now, as a (filthy) casual who picks up a game just expecting to have a good time, it was rather daunting to wrap my head around the strengths and weaknesses of each stance, but I could definitely see the beauty of it.

After all, there was a certain gracefulness to switching stances in the heat of battle and getting your attacks right. And when coupled with the various martial arts styles available, let's just say it makes for some really satisfying moments. Now, the latter bit is arguably what I liked the most about Nioh 2 as compared to Sekiro, and that's the variety. 

Unlike From Software's take, where the player mostly relies on his sword, Nioh 2 features around eight different weapon types, which the player will come across from treasure chests or by beating opponents. These include regular weapons like swords and spears, but it also features more unorthodox killing instruments like the Japanese kusarigama, which is a two-ended rope with a small scythe on one end and a weight on the other. But where it really gets good is when you explore the various heavy and light attacks that are available - each weapon has 6 different basic attack variations, one light and one heavy for each of the three Stances. Meshing all of those together and demolishing your opponents - heh, there's something for you to write home about. 

That's all well and good, but that's assuming you did manage to attack in the first place. Souls-like titles don't encourage you to run in screaming like a barbarian, but it shouldn't make attacking downright impossible either. Next, let's see where the game starts to kick itself in the shins. 

Frankly, it would have been perfect, if only...

...they didn't overdo it. 

So, what really had me tossing my controller away in frustration? It wasn't the difficulty of the system or even the combat itself. Rather, it was just a single mechanic, or part of it, actually that I felt was entirely unnecessary. 

That honor, if you can call it that, goes to the Ki mechanic, which essentially replaces Posture from Sekiro. It's not a carbon copy, though - the Ki meter not only drains when you block or parry, but also when you attack, and it's this latter bit that took my entire experience down several notches. Part of the appeal for Souls-like games, in my opinion is the fact that you feel rewarded for properly timing your movements and executing counterattacks, but you can't really do that if the process of blocking and dodging properly renders you unable to attack at all!

Putting it into perspective, when I was playing, there were many instances where I could see a window to attack, but simply couldn't because guarding and evading the enemy's attacks had already depleted my Ki. Plus, it doesn't help that there are only two ways of recharging your Ki mid-fight. You either wait it out, or press R1 after every attack (when you see blue orbs around you), and the amount of Ki you recharge from the latter method depends on your timing.

Sure, I can understand the reasoning behind all that, but I'm way too busy reading attack patterns to be spamming R1 and looking for pretty blue bubbles at the same time.

Hey, don't get me wrong; Nioh 2 has a beautiful combat system outside of this, and you could argue that the game is just taking a different approach to its counterpart, or that it's trying to set itself apart. However, I feel that they've made it a little too troublesome for a casual gamer to play in the process, to the point where it just feels somewhat pretentious. 

Adding on to that, this limitation on "attacking", so to speak doesn't tie in well with the fact that Nioh 2 has more types of weapons, as mentioned earlier. What's the point of having various martial arts styles if you can't see your character brandishing them to their fullest?

Glad that's out of the way

Pardon the tirade, but it's rather disappointing that a little mechanic like having to constantly spam R1 in the heat of battle could affect my entire experience this much. So, believe me when I say I would have no qualms scoring Nioh 2 way higher if that roadblock of sorts wasn't there. 

Nevertheless, credit should be given where it is due, and my hat is off to Team Ninja - they've done a marvellous job outside of it. Apart from this and the rather straightforward plot, I still really love the whole Yokai and martial arts gig they've got going on, and when paired with the diverse blend of traditional and modern-style cinematics, Nioh 2 feels much more like a movie than a game, not to mention it just makes you feel so powerful while you're at it.

So, if you can look past that little Ki hiccup, by way of sheer dedication, being a diehard Souls-like lover or otherwise, then Nioh 2 is right up your alley, and you'll probably have a lot of fun with it, or at the very least, more than I did. Happy respawning!

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