Nioh 2 review - still the best Dark Souls clone

Hardcore slasher Team Ninja can safely be called the best successor that continued and improved the idea of Dark Souls

I actually feel a bit sorry for Nioh 2. The original game in the series was released in 2017. Many gamers and critics have recognized her as the best clone of Dark Souls. And they continue to do so to this day. In terms of sales, things weren't that bright, but there was hope that the less crowded release window that Part 2 was coming in would do the trick, making the game better for the masses. But it seems that due to the lack of a larger marketing campaign, things did not go so well. And this despite the fact that, in my opinion, the sequel turned out even better than the original.

In light of the arrival of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, we can no longer describe Nioh as Dark Souls with samurai. There may simply be confusion. That's why there's nothing better than calling it Dark Souls with youkai. Despite the fact that the events of Nioh 2 take place in feudal Japan, we have a fantasy world with real historical figures, but a lot of monsters, demons and ghosts.

Nioh 2 is a prequel to the originalallowing you to choose and customize your own character (rather than playing pre-made, as was the case with William), a half-human and half-youkai with the ability to ninjutsu, magic and transformation into various animals. Despite the supernatural origin of the hero, there are alternative versions of famous historical characters in the game. However, the benefits of this will be as much as you are well aware of the history of Japan during the Sengoku period.

Despite a wide variety of beautiful aspects, the best thing about the original Nioh was the combat system based on numerous combos, which was not even in Dark Souls. Along with the usual light and heavy attacks, as well as the stamina bar, you have several stances. each of which emphasizes defense, mobility or offense. Add to that a wide range of different weapon types, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Two more new weapons appear in Nioh 2 - axes and a glaive that has several forms like the ax saw from Bloodborne.

The sequel (prequel) also adds another layer to this with yokai magic - abilities obtained by killing various opponents (when soul essence drops). Basically, these are super moves that can be compared with analogues from fighting games. Can they be associated with an elemental weapon attack or a short time??Enable transformation into some kind of beast / monster.

Yokai abilities are quite strong, but they consume anima and usually make Hide invulnerable for 1-2 seconds after being activated. To add even more balance, the same anima is used for momentum counters: it is needed to activate a counter when the enemy is about to use a powerful move (glows red). This is the only way to protect yourself from this kind of tricks (in some cases, you can run away or dodge).

As you would expect from a game like Nioh, it's not that simple. There are actually three different impulses to watch out for. You must learn the mechanics of each of them, which will be important in any battle. But especially in boss fights. All of the bosses look weird, unique, and extremely difficult.

Even though Nioh 2 is still a couple of notches below the rest of the Souls-like games, it's still hardcore. Even the weakest opponents remain a serious threat, and you will need to know 90% of combat mechanics and serious coordination to complete any mission. And that's exactly what you'd expect from a game like this. How and?? In the case of the best imitators of Dark Souls, Nioh 2 will never be unfair to you. Well, maybe with the exception of a few side quests, but no one requires you to complete them.

Other additions include an expanded role for the yokai world, which reduces ki recovery but increases anima. And if you clear the area by killing the main enemy, then clear it of all other opponents. And enemies that are inside the yokai world get additional, enhanced attacks.

The possibilities of multiplayer games have also been expanded. You can now play with your friends or summon AI controlled allies. In order for you to have the opportunity to do this, other players must share the jasper of piety and leave it in one place or another in the “blue fire” level.

Nioh 2's shortcomings are largely the same as the original: unnecessary verbosity, overly long missions, and a lot of repetitive content. And some of this repetitive content is completely taken from the original game. Why the developers of Team Ninja decided that they should use this moment is not clear. No matter how you look at it, Nioh 2 is definitely not a short game. Also, for the most part, loot and a reward for completing the quest are useless.?tov. Every 2-3 hours you will simply destroy a myriad of weapons and armor, or donate them to the Kodama Shrine.

The entire role-playing backend is also unnecessarily complicated. Just to the point where you start configuring everything automatically. Even Dark Souls didn't have such an intricate stat system. It really feels like overkill in a game that already has a deep combat system and is still in the Action genre.

But, despite the fact that Nioh 2 is not perfect, the game still has a lot of advantages and in some aspects surpasses any similar title. It offers significant improvements over the original in terms of level design and variety of enemies, especially bosses. Some may argue that they did not see any evolution in Nioh 2, but the fact remains that all the changes accepted, no matter how minor they are, are made for the better, which is what makes this game special.

Conclusion

Almost unchanged, but with improvements to everything, making the Nioh series remain the best clone of Dark Souls, which the developers from Software did not have a hand in.