Nioh 2

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1157 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 873 out of 1157
  2. Mixed: 140 out of 1157
  3. Negative: 144 out of 1157
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  1. Samheis
    Mar 29, 2020
    4
    Lowered my score to a 4 after playing through NG+. The game just gets worse the more you play. The flaws are numerous and in your face.

    I was really hopeful for Nioh 2. Nioh 1 was a solid, if messy game. The bones were there for something special, something that could rise up and give us a truly worthy souls-like that didn't come from... uh... From. Instead, Nioh 2 is pretty much more    Lowered my score to a 4 after playing through NG+. The game just gets worse the more you play. The flaws are numerous and in your face.

    I was really hopeful for Nioh 2. Nioh 1 was a solid, if messy game. The bones were there for something special, something that could rise up and give us a truly worthy souls-like that didn't come from... uh... From. Instead, Nioh 2 is pretty much more of the same, with some baffling inclusions that make it a generally frustrating experience (and not the good kind).

    First off: if anyone says this is better than Sekiro, go ahead and mentally file them away as unfit for gaming in general. Nioh 2 is inferior to Sekiro in nearly every meaningful way (unless you really, really have a thing for picking up loot you'll never use). Just figured I'd add that because I see people comparing the two, and there is no comparison. Sekiro is a much better game.

    So let's run down the list:

    Pros:

    -Graphics are fantastic.
    -There's a lot of level-up options.
    -Lots and lots of gear, I guess?
    -Story is a bit more interesting than Nioh 1.
    -The addition of random summons is... nice? Or would be, if the AI wasn't running on a playstation 1 processor
    -Some of the combat additions are good, like the burst counter and yokai shifts. They don't add a whole lot, when it comes down to it, but it is an improvement.
    -Levels, while often re-used, are much more enjoyable to look at. No more running across a dark, dingy coast for the 80th time. Now you get to explore beautiful vistas... for the 80th time.
    -Framerate is smooth, which is an accomplishment for how good the game looks.
    -The weapon/armor variation is very neat. Note, I'm not talking about how useful that is (that's a con) but how it looks visually. These guys are top notch artists.

    Cons:
    -Bosses suck. No, I don't mean bosses are hard, I mean they suck. There's almost no effort to them. They all boil down to roughly the same tactic (with a few gimick fights here and there): wait, wait, wait, slash, wait, wait, counter, wait, wait, break guard and go ham, repeat. The likely reason for that comes from the next con...
    - Combat feels like it's a decade old. Maybe it's the fact that I just recently finished playing Sekiro again (I don't think it is, as I just recently played Nioh 1 as well), but everything feels like it's moving at a glacial pace, including the response of your buttons. Want to block that attack coming in? I hope you hit the button well in advance, because the game needs to think about it for a bit. Remember hitboxes that extend out too far? Nioh 2 does! It's just so sub-par after Sekiro. And look, I get it, it's not Sekiro, Team Ninja never said it was, but Nioh 2 is inferior in essentially every aspect of combat and it does not feel nearly as satisfying to play.
    -Difficulty is... fake. The game can be difficult, it's true, but that really only lasts so long as you're trying to play aggressive. As soon as you start waiting out attacks and playing defensively, the game loses all challenge. Enemies never force you (which, I mean, they probably can't, due to the combat limitations), and they start to feel more like a chore than any sort of joy to fight. There's a spike when you reach an area with higher level enemies, but it quickly levels off. Bosses are never really hard, because almost none of them require you to learn any new skills, just keep repeating the strategy you've always used and you'll win.
    - Summoning ai sounds like a good idea in theory. It's hilariously bad in practice. No, seriously, I think i've died more often because my AI companion decided to get in my way or block my camera than I have to actual enemies.
    - Speaking of: how on earth do we still have this camera? Even Sekiro had the decency to finally give us a better (albeit, still iffy) camera than past souls offerings. This camera is sooooooooo bad. I cannot believe this was anything other than intentional to artificially increase difficulty, because it's amateurish.
    - FYI, Team Ninja, quantity does not equal quality. Picking up a hundred swords doesn't mean anything if 99 of them are useless to me. It's just early Diablo 3 syndrome all over. Deconstructing items isn't fun, folks. That's not a gameplay mechanic anyone should be jumping over. The skill trees fall into this trap as well, though to a lesser extent. I'm not sure why people are praising it as amazing. It's literally the same kind of skill tree as Nioh 1, but in a different UI. It's not a leap forward, it's a leap sideways.

    All in all, I don't recommend spending 60 bucks on this unless you're just dying for something to do while we're all stuck inside. I am regretting my purchase, not because it's some monumental challenge that I just can't beat (I can, did, and probably will one more time before I shelve it), but because it just doesn't live up to expectations. Sekiro happened, people. Like it or not, that's the standard now, and Nioh 2 doesn't even come close.    … Expand
  2. Steyraus
    Mar 13, 2020
    4
    Ive been playing "Hard"/Challenging games since the 80s. Ive even beaten all the Ninja gaiden games by the same guys that made Nioh, all the souls game etc etc. I dont say this to brag, but to give a bit of relevance to my statement that, the Nioh games are unfair and unbalanced. Nioh 1 the third boss was the first boss that I played a tried a few times then just stopped, I could see howIve been playing "Hard"/Challenging games since the 80s. Ive even beaten all the Ninja gaiden games by the same guys that made Nioh, all the souls game etc etc. I dont say this to brag, but to give a bit of relevance to my statement that, the Nioh games are unfair and unbalanced. Nioh 1 the third boss was the first boss that I played a tried a few times then just stopped, I could see how BS it was and really couldn't muster the effort to try. A good challenging game will have you dying alot, but every time you die you learn something new and can adapt. Good bosses have a weakness to balance their strength eg, If they have a ton of health, they can be slow, or have weak points. If they are insanely fast there's useuall a trap move or AOE attack in your arsenal. Many of nioh bosses have no weakness, they have high health, high armor , do massive damage and have completely random attack patterns. Meaning the only way to beat them is to beat you head against the wall until after ages you have their movements and attacks burned into your memory, and the rest is luck, hopefully you will guess the right attack they will be about to do before you act, and hopefully your luck lasts the entire fight.
    There is many other issues I have with the Nioh game including an bland areas and stupid amount of time you have to spend in each area, to the painful grind.
    Unlike the Souls game where every death is a lesson , in Nioh every death feel like unlucky RNG. And the payoff for the time spent getting through a hard place is just more grinding. No beastly weapon, no massive bump in XP just another small area to go to.
    The game dose run at 60 fps and is great on a technical level, but everything else is the same as the first game with more irritation.    … Expand
  3. Zerfyx
    Mar 13, 2020
    3
    This game is the dark souls 2 of nioh. It follows up a great game with a subpar one. As someone with over 5 k hours in soulsbourne, i have to say that this is by far the hardest game in the genre I've played. You hit like a wet tissue while getting one shot by close to everything. It takes well over 2 full stamina bars to kill a basic bandit, not to even mention the yokai. Maybe I'm justThis game is the dark souls 2 of nioh. It follows up a great game with a subpar one. As someone with over 5 k hours in soulsbourne, i have to say that this is by far the hardest game in the genre I've played. You hit like a wet tissue while getting one shot by close to everything. It takes well over 2 full stamina bars to kill a basic bandit, not to even mention the yokai. Maybe I'm just not good at the game, despite beating nioh on way of nioh multiple times, but i can't figure out this game. The new skill tree is worse than the first one, doing nothing but make it seem fladhy while giving you less info.
    Yokai shift is just a worse version of living weapon and with it's lackluster customization (just the yokai form itself, not the yokai skills) things will be even more cookie cutter than before. Who thought it was a good idea to give every weapon in the game the same moveset? In short, the game's a mess, eorsecthan nioh 1 in ordtty much every way.    … Expand
  4. mrvertigo89
    Oct 3, 2020
    3
    Just too much going on, I really enjoyed Nioh as my favourite Souls-like game outside of the Soulsborne series. Really suffers from feature bloat to the point the core game mechanics are much less fun.
  5. Legend3994
    Aug 14, 2020
    4
    Giving this game half of what it would be if it didn't give you half the HP that you should have for it to be enjoyable. Want to survive more than 1 hit? Spend dozens of hours leveling up 20 beyond the chapter. Meticulously maintain different armor sets and soul match them. It's probably easiest to instead just repeat a mission with a gem of inspiration to cheese living weapon while yourGiving this game half of what it would be if it didn't give you half the HP that you should have for it to be enjoyable. Want to survive more than 1 hit? Spend dozens of hours leveling up 20 beyond the chapter. Meticulously maintain different armor sets and soul match them. It's probably easiest to instead just repeat a mission with a gem of inspiration to cheese living weapon while your benevolent spirit is a human meat shield. I may play again on PC if there's still COVID-19 and I'm bored and can use cheat engine to correct the player stats. See other reviews between 0 and 5 stars for more eloquent explanations, but this game is hot garbage. I get more reward doing chores.… Expand
  6. Bonfera
    Apr 18, 2020
    0
    Unbalanced.... just unbalanced. Im a huge fan of the souls series and this can never be related to any from software game. Played the 1st one and was ok. Nioh 2 is just unfair and unbalanced. A Gaki hits you harder than any boss in the game. 2hit KO or even 1 hit KO is not by any means whats supposed to be hard. Go learn something with myiazaki
  7. Alvo
    Aug 25, 2020
    3
    I just couldn’t get into this game. They kind of throw you into the deep end and there is minimal direction for why you’re doing things. Overall just too complicated.
  8. SlanderPander
    Aug 17, 2020
    2
    I've been putting a lot of time in to the soulsborne type games again, and thought i might as well give nioh 2 the chance since i did play the first one and really enjoy it...
    now on that note lets get down to where this game lacks.... (no i wont be talking about the good parts cause they are so outweighed by the bad parts) now i don;t know how launch was but the newest update has made    I've been putting a lot of time in to the soulsborne type games again, and thought i might as well give nioh 2 the chance since i did play the first one and really enjoy it...
    now on that note lets get down to where this game lacks.... (no i wont be talking about the good parts cause they are so outweighed by the bad parts) now i don;t know how launch was but the newest update has made timing off, (Trust me i did a no death run in a few of these) This is lack luster When the combat, if it is all about timing you cannot mess it up which Team-Ninja did, from the time you press an attack or dodge it seems to only happen 1.5 seconds later this game is TRASH IMO.    … Expand
  9. Felix15
    Apr 18, 2020
    0
    Very unbalanced, everything just more, no good battle system. Please just harder doesnt makes a soul game 3 ....
  10. dyeah
    Mar 22, 2020
    2
    Painfully Overrated. Worst souls-like I have ever played.

    Start with Dark Souls and Sekiro, take away all the fun, elegant gameplay mechanics, and responsive controls. What's you are left with is the tedious uninspired gameplay that is Nioh 2. Positives: Good Graphics +Interesting World +Sometime fun to play, in the rare instance that it is not being cheap, confusing and    Painfully Overrated. Worst souls-like I have ever played.

    Start with Dark Souls and Sekiro, take away all the fun, elegant gameplay mechanics, and responsive controls. What's you are left with is the tedious uninspired gameplay that is Nioh 2.

    Positives:
    Good Graphics
    +Interesting World
    +Sometime fun to play, in the rare instance that it is not being cheap, confusing and tedious.

    Negatives:
    -Inputs occasionally don't register and will get you killed. How is this not a widely discussed issue?!?!?!?
    -Overly complicated gear and upgrade system
    -Obtuse controls
    -Tedious boss fights with huge health pools and damage that drag on way too long, wasting the players time. When I beat a boss, I feel totally unsatisfied. I feel like I was conned into wasting too much of my free time. The game appears to take pride on how much it can waste your time.

    Don't buy this game. If it was free, don't download it. You won't get back the lost time. There are hundreds of better games to get over this one.    … Expand
  11. shirekerling
    May 4, 2020
    0
    Honestly, I tried for about 10 hours to pass the first 10 minutes of the game and couldn't. Literally, I couldn't advance more than 10 minutes into the game.

    I understand that the point of this game is to be hard, and I appreciate a challenge. I've played most other games (Witcher 3, Horizon, GOW, AC, even DOS 2) on the hardest difficulty, in my honest opinion, this one is something out    Honestly, I tried for about 10 hours to pass the first 10 minutes of the game and couldn't. Literally, I couldn't advance more than 10 minutes into the game.

    I understand that the point of this game is to be hard, and I appreciate a challenge. I've played most other games (Witcher 3, Horizon, GOW, AC, even DOS 2) on the hardest difficulty, in my honest opinion, this one is something out of nightmares and unfortunately, not in a good way.

    "Give Me God Of War" is super challenging and gets you to die super often, the devilish smart Divinity Original Sןמ 2 NPCs are a hell of a challenge. Horizon Zero Dawn on Ultra Hard makes you sweat on the couch. But Nioh2? this is no challenge. This is a waste of money.

    This game should have an easier difficulty for people who aren't souls game freaks. I've never thought I'd write such a thing on someone's hard work, but when your audience spends full price on a game they can't play, you get reviews like this one.    … Expand
  12. tophatman
    Mar 28, 2020
    1
    terrible game don't play.
    Combat system is **** enemies and bosses are completly broken and unfair, story is **** if you want a good game play Dark Soul instead
  13. PicklRick
    May 15, 2020
    0
    I loved Sekiro, dark souls and bloodborne but this game is just missing the joy in advancement. What really remains is just simple no-fun grinding. It like mowning the lawn you kinda happy that it's done, but had no fun getting it done.
  14. gcs202
    May 20, 2020
    0
    Terrible game. Bosses that have unavoidable combos that one hit even levelled up characters are just badly designed. A lot of reviews mention need for patience and being prepared to try again and again against bosses. This would be fair enough if that processes was about learning move sets and strategy (like soulborne games or sekiro). Here though, in far too many boss fights, it is simplyTerrible game. Bosses that have unavoidable combos that one hit even levelled up characters are just badly designed. A lot of reviews mention need for patience and being prepared to try again and again against bosses. This would be fair enough if that processes was about learning move sets and strategy (like soulborne games or sekiro). Here though, in far too many boss fights, it is simply waiting for the lucky run where you are not caught by unstoppable/unavoidable combos. That is just lazy game design. There are so many better games in this genre - don't waste your time and money.… Expand
  15. joshwkl
    Mar 18, 2020
    0
    Reusing many resources from Nioh, and the difficulty increased significantly compared to Nioh. Not worth buying.
  16. stabbyman
    Mar 22, 2020
    0
    I really wanted to like this game but for all it's improvements on the first game and it's genunily really cool aspects it doesn't change what an absolute chore it is if you ever get stuck at all. Look forward to spending ages farming elixers because the kodama bazar won't let you stock your warehouse for some reason, look forward to bosses with next to no room for error because they willI really wanted to like this game but for all it's improvements on the first game and it's genunily really cool aspects it doesn't change what an absolute chore it is if you ever get stuck at all. Look forward to spending ages farming elixers because the kodama bazar won't let you stock your warehouse for some reason, look forward to bosses with next to no room for error because they will lock you into combos that will deplete your health in its entirety and most egregiously of all, look forward to losing because the game just didn't do what you told it to… Expand
  17. Felix34
    Apr 18, 2020
    0
    Not a good game. It is not dark souls 3....dont buy it, unless you want to waste your time
  18. MizoNozo
    May 3, 2020
    4
    This feels like an attempt to create an even more difficult game than Nioh without actually trying to make the game harder. Most of the difficulty here comes from exponential damage scaling and terrible enemy balance. Instant attacks and infinite tracking are very common amd most enemy encounters have at least one often two or three ranged enemies to harass you. Bosses are unfortunatelyThis feels like an attempt to create an even more difficult game than Nioh without actually trying to make the game harder. Most of the difficulty here comes from exponential damage scaling and terrible enemy balance. Instant attacks and infinite tracking are very common amd most enemy encounters have at least one often two or three ranged enemies to harass you. Bosses are unfortunately very easy in most cases, only made difficult due to their massive hp pools and ridiculous stamina bars. The few difficult bosses are usually very fast, with massive range and give few opportunities to burst counter. Some of these even regenerate stamina like you making life even harder. In many ways this feels like a dark souls 2 style of game design that plagues games of this ilk. There's very little fun to be had here and you will likely take dozens of breaks from the game before finishing it. It is easily my least favorite game of 2020.… Expand
  19. Projectsergio
    Mar 16, 2020
    1
    It's the same game as Nioh 1. No innovation at all. Same gameplay, sound, menu... Not worthy
  20. Ghoster
    May 10, 2020
    4
    After first Nioh was pure 10/10 they broke everything possible. Repetative bosses, levels and bosses copy/paste from Nioh 1, annoying "sudden death" boss moves at the end of the fight. Story behind this game does have no any sense and characters apear and die wihout having any impact to the story. Platinm cleanup was annoying with ENDLESS side missions. They should never make this 2nd game!
  21. finmat92
    Jul 17, 2020
    1
    Nioh's DLC sold for 60/70 bucks. Boring, same graphic, same gameplay. What do you expect?
  22. Txamin
    Jun 8, 2020
    4
    Way too difficult and frustrating to be enjoyable, this is not difficult in the 'Dark Souls' sense. Very little innovation.
  23. bloody9
    Apr 9, 2020
    0
    Sadly nioh 1.5 remarks are warranted. I loved the first game but never enjoyed how the developers thought adding a ton of ranged enemies in the back of every fight was fun. Yes you can usually shoot them before engaging but theres usually another hidden away and if not it's still a chore. Nioh 2 amplifies this, and the only challenge comes from the same minion u fought a 100 times but inSadly nioh 1.5 remarks are warranted. I loved the first game but never enjoyed how the developers thought adding a ton of ranged enemies in the back of every fight was fun. Yes you can usually shoot them before engaging but theres usually another hidden away and if not it's still a chore. Nioh 2 amplifies this, and the only challenge comes from the same minion u fought a 100 times but in new circumstances of annoyingly placed other minions uve fought a thousand times. You'll probably die alot but it wont feel fair like Fromsoft games, it will just be an annoyance. the bosses were easy and mediocre. I thought nioh 1 had a ton of potential. great combat system etc. but I shouldve known after only a year and a half this wasnt worth supporting with a purchase… Expand
  24. Metalhead-
    Aug 5, 2020
    1
    Das Spiel wurde eindrucksvoll kaputt genervt. Alles was man mit Nioh 1 aufgebaut hat, machte man mit Nioh 2 zu nichte. Den Enera nerv habe ich ja noch hingenommen obwohl ich von 18.000 K Schaden auf 500 K gesenkt wurde. Nur dieses Mal mache ich mit meiner Waffe auch noch deutlich weniger Schaden.
  25. Duoraime
    Nov 29, 2020
    4
    Yeah, game is beautiful, has some new mechanics, but it's absolutely unplayable. Almost everything one shot you. It's not hardcore, it's stupidity
  26. Stoys
    Mar 17, 2020
    1
    im gonna give this game a 1. beucase the entire game is copy paste! and this game does not feel like a new game. it feels like a huge DLC for nioh 1.. except im missing endgame content!!!! i have finished the entire game on Dream of the samurai and dream of the strong the entire game is SHORT... and EASY!!!. and it suddenly stopped. there is no more difficulties left!!! in the menu itim gonna give this game a 1. beucase the entire game is copy paste! and this game does not feel like a new game. it feels like a huge DLC for nioh 1.. except im missing endgame content!!!! i have finished the entire game on Dream of the samurai and dream of the strong the entire game is SHORT... and EASY!!!. and it suddenly stopped. there is no more difficulties left!!! in the menu it says rarity 1-6 but 6 ( ethereal items) has not been added! there is soo much copy paste through the entire game that its disgusting. side missions and bosses have same mechanic. skeleton boss from nioh 1, snakes on the roof. so on and so forth!! the have implemented the same **** in this game! and when i buy i new game. i expect new stuff. thats why they could finish this game soo quick because its copy paste with different textures all over! same weapons and gear! ALOT of the same armor sets!! im super dissapointed!! when the made nioh 1. we had abyss and alot of difficulties at least. and now we have NOTHING!… Expand
  27. adelzamzami
    Mar 14, 2020
    0
    outdated garbage mechanics horrible game engine team ninja should get back to ninja gaiden or quit developing games that's it.
  28. Nobilis1984
    Mar 12, 2022
    1
    Far worse than part 1. The dodge here is just a joke. You're supposed to run towards an opponent and die.
    Part 1 still had a fair level of difficulty, but it was grossly overdone here. The first fight is not manageable as a beginner.
  29. madterps
    Jul 28, 2021
    3
    This game sucks major ass when it comes to control response time. You cannot change it either, especially if you mess up and cannot recover jn time to only see you die. No matter what level you get up to, you will never recover and gets punished for it. And the camera angles at boss time is horrible.
  30. Zai
    Nov 30, 2021
    2
    Gonna be totally honest... I think the only reason that this game gets passed off as "good because it's difficult" is because the devs genuinely have no idea what they're doing. The hardest boss in the game was in the first act, controls are still insanely janky, leaving much to be desired in terms of how most combos are completely useless, pigeonholing the possible builds into ratherGonna be totally honest... I think the only reason that this game gets passed off as "good because it's difficult" is because the devs genuinely have no idea what they're doing. The hardest boss in the game was in the first act, controls are still insanely janky, leaving much to be desired in terms of how most combos are completely useless, pigeonholing the possible builds into rather boring combinations of moves that only take a second or two. It lacks any meaningful mods on equipment such as ones that help you recover from being hit (I refuse to believe that I'm the only creature in the world who gets staggered for a solid 2 seconds after taking a blow from anything). The starting guardian spirits are absolute trash... overall just the same as the last game with no "new and exciting" aspect to it whatsoever.

    Spend your money on something better unless Dark Souls is the only thing you enjoy at all.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PS4 Game of 2020
22
#22 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 91 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 91
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 91
  3. Negative: 0 out of 91
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 23, 2020
    100
    The second Nioh is more than just a continuation of the legacy. The authors have been able to learn from the mistakes of the first game, and thanks to that this is an excellent action RPG that will not let you rest and you will want to keep playing. [Issue#303]
  2. GameCritics
    Jun 23, 2020
    85
    I love a great third-person actioner, and I’m hard-pressed to think of one that nails the formula as perfectly as Nioh 2 does. The systems are pleasantly crunchy and there are a ton to dig into, the moment-to-moment fights get my blood pumping, and the artwork and theming are all spot-on. Too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing, but Nioh 2 is exactly the right amount.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Nexus
    Jun 1, 2020
    85
    Nioh 2 does what a good sequel should. It capitalizes on the best parts of its predecessors while providing new content and mechanics to advance the franchise. While the story structure and level design are largely the same, added weapons, more build depth, and new combat mechanics all enhance what the game has to offer. It doesn't always hit the mark perfectly, but it's a solid addition to the series. And let's face it, being a samurai is awesome.
    Read full review
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