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. johanBjorn
    Jun 1, 2020
    5
    It feels like Nioh 1.5 more than a sequel. A lot of reused textures, music, and even some levels. I tried to get through it, but it just doesn't feel balanced and as fun as the original.
  2. SplitMind
    Jul 17, 2021
    6
    Nioh found its niche in an audience of Souls fans that were begging for more. Unfortunately I think a niche is where Nioh 1 and 2 belong, although it also seems happy to be there. My biggest gripe with Nioh 2 is probably how little has changed for the better, which may not be a popular opinion.

    The graphics in Nioh 2 aren't that special unless you play the PS5 remaster, where the 60fps    Nioh found its niche in an audience of Souls fans that were begging for more. Unfortunately I think a niche is where Nioh 1 and 2 belong, although it also seems happy to be there. My biggest gripe with Nioh 2 is probably how little has changed for the better, which may not be a popular opinion.

    The graphics in Nioh 2 aren't that special unless you play the PS5 remaster, where the 60fps makes it much more appealing. You can tell that the detail and power is there for graphics, but like a common trend in modern games, Nioh 2 lets itself down by using bland, repetitive environments, especially dark ones such as caves and tunnels. The game could really benefit from things being a bit more vibrant and colourful. Add to this the uninspired enemy design that's highly copied from the previous game and it feels a lot more like an extension of Nioh 1.

    A big aspect of Nioh 2 is the Dark Realm, however this area irritated me more than anything as it can make the screen blurry and drained of colour. It's a nice gimmick but it should be used sparingly.

    The gameplay of Nioh is why we are here. Souls and Souls-likes are not famous for being casual and accessible games, however I think Nioh 2 may be the worst of them all with this. As soon as I met my first enemy and saw how much damage I did compared to how much I received, I was flabbergasted. I had to work quite hard to persevere until after the first boss where the game opened up a bit. I doubt most people will want to persist for that long, although mass appeal doesn't seem to interest Nioh to begin with.

    This brings me to a debate I had with myself until after the third boss where I stopped playing - is Nioh too unbalanced? I still haven't drawn a conclusion, but I think the game is more effort than it's worth at least. I don't believe that the changes made have been for the better. For example, the burst counter is an unnecessary gimmick that's too unreliable to consistently pull-off.

    There are also a plethora of systems to develop your character within. Between soul cores, guardian spirits, attributes and gear you can spend far too much time playing manager as opposed to actually exploring and combating your way through the game. Again this is extremely unfriendly to newcomers however the Nioh niche will likely love this due to how immersive it can become. For me it became tedious due to how much attention these systems needed.

    When you strip down to the core mechanics of Nioh 2, I found it quite protracted and tedious, leading to me eventually giving up on it. Just like the first game, you are exploring very similar environments with very similar enemies and bosses who are actually very similar too as you just need to identify a specific strategy for each one. This is a problem all Souls games have but Dark Souls has the atmosphere and interconnected world that Nioh does not.

    The story of Nioh 2 comes across as fairly light, but then again I didn't exactly get too far into it. I rate games well when they don't bore you with a tedious story and Nioh does well here since a Souls-like game allows you to dip into the story at your leisure without affecting gameplay.

    Overall, Nioh 2 is actually a decent game in its own right, however it's not on its own - even the first game does almost everything Nioh 2 does, and when you factor in all the other Souls games, I became very weary from the repetitive styles of gameplay. Nioh 2 isn't breaking much new ground, but it brings more of the same and that will appeal to most fans of the first.    … Expand
  3. Talitor
    Apr 1, 2020
    5
    Initially, Nioh 2 seems like a natural successor to Nioh 1. I was really enjoying my first 10 hours with the game, but the realization that I had already seen all the good things the game had to offer started sinking in. The new burst counter mechanic feels really nice to pull off, and it's cool that you get so many different types of burst moves. It's just too bad that most of them putInitially, Nioh 2 seems like a natural successor to Nioh 1. I was really enjoying my first 10 hours with the game, but the realization that I had already seen all the good things the game had to offer started sinking in. The new burst counter mechanic feels really nice to pull off, and it's cool that you get so many different types of burst moves. It's just too bad that most of them put you into animation lock that will most likely be the death of you. And that's really all the game becomes, eventually. Conquering your death. You will die, a lot. And very often it's a single hit that does you in. You will most likely need to pop elixir as soons as you took the smallest of nudge, because if you're not in full health, the amount of attacks that will finish you off only increases (it seems a huge amount of different kinds of enemy hits take 80%-100% of your health), which kinda defeat the purpose of any health upgrades you may get. Or armor, for that matter.

    You will notice that the hitboxes on certain moves are pretty bad. I got pretty far before I started noticing that I was nowhere near the hit enemy made when I took damage (this was especially apparent in a boss fight where said boss uses a laser. The hitbox is WAY larger than the actual laser on screen). It's a shame that your movement can't match the speed of most of your enemies, which seem to read your inputs and often are faster than you with their hits. It doesn't help that some enemies have excessively accurate lock on. The burst counter often results in you trading hits with the enemy you're facing, and sometimes, you will essentially stare down a red, rushing burst of energy at the speed of a bullet. Countering it is doable, but failing to do so may result in your death: I ran this issue with a certain huge boss in a pit, and in this case it was a move that is very hard to dodge unless you are very close to the boss. This is another unfair bit. There are times when you need to keep your distance, but this may trigger a move from a boss that you absolutely have no other chance to dodge than to burst counter it without getting hit. And as stated before you may very likely die from that hit, and you very often trade burst counter with the hit of the enemy.

    Another new addition is the acolyte system. Basically, people can leave a blue grave of their phantom, controlled by AI (like the red graves in original), but these ones are NPC's of your own that supposedly assist you in battle. Unfortunately, the programming of the assisting AI works nothing like the red grave AI, which handles aggressive and defensive play quite well. You will find the acolytes either refuse to attack enemies, or despite having 10 chances to heal themselves at the brink of death, they will very rarely do it. They will be useless in boss battles, since they die pretty fast, but scale boss health accordingly because you're now facing the boss with 2 players, essentially. Another weird thing is that summoning acolyte can cost anywhere between 1-5 Ochoko Cups, a relatively rare currency, while summoning an actual human player as a visitor always costs only 1. I don't think I need delve any further to get my point across why this is a horribly implemented system: the AI just doesn't work, and the price for it is way too high. Never, ever resort to these in boss battles.

    There are a few high notes for the game, but the overall experience was pretty unpleasant. While you do learn the bosses eventually, and find them to be much easier later on, the process is filled with poor game design and Ki mechanic that doesn't follow the same rules for you and the enemies. You might have easier time in Co-op, and I gave it a try. For me, it worked pretty badly, and the enemies either didn't take the damage that was given to them, they teleported all over the place or simply immediately regenerated the damage that wasn't given. It's hard to say whether this is connection related, since I seem to have no issues with other online games.

    Some people will find this kind of challenge appealing, and will think that the game is good as it is. I find these things to be issues that cannot be overlooked. It would be a much better game if the mechanics worked as perfectly as they seem on paper, or if the enemies were a little bit less punishing with their damage. It is kind of silly that a 90 foot demon hits you with an overhead hammer hit for the same amount of damage as a small, little pesky runt slaps you in the face with their most basic hit (I am not kidding). Every hit was designed to be able to kill you very easily, and I do mean EVERY hit. If this isn't the kind of thing that bothers you, then you will find a game with lots of content and tons of challenge. While my 60 hours have almost resulted in a platinum, I will not return to the game of Nioh 2, and I cannot recommend this over the better examples, like Dark Souls series or especially Bloodborne, which does difficulty miles better.    … Expand
  4. dangyosabyss
    Jun 2, 2021
    6
    Tldr : Basically pretty Dark souls for weebs with added 1-shotting. Playing this after Dark Souls, Sekiro or ghost of Tsushima shows just how limited it is.

    Good: Beautiful graphics and character designs. Weapon variety. Stance changing adds variety. Possession is an interesting mechanic. Bad: Too many instances of enemies 1-shotting you. Too many instances of light speed    Tldr : Basically pretty Dark souls for weebs with added 1-shotting. Playing this after Dark Souls, Sekiro or ghost of Tsushima shows just how limited it is.

    Good:
    Beautiful graphics and character designs.
    Weapon variety.
    Stance changing adds variety.
    Possession is an interesting mechanic.

    Bad:
    Too many instances of enemies 1-shotting you.
    Too many instances of light speed hitboxes killing you before you can react.
    Stop/Start battle dynamics.
    Poor level design.
    Looter sho...slasher mechanic is tired.    … Expand
  5. 18Xq8Rtutehc
    Aug 3, 2020
    7
    As a fan of the SoulsBorne genre, what I disliked the most about this game in comparison to Nioh 2, is that the difficulty feels too artificial. Your hits do so little damage, that most bosses feel like a damage sponge. The game becomes about endurance rather than skill (unlike Souls and Borne games). Even Nioh and Lords of the Fallen did a better job.
    Still a good game to play while    As a fan of the SoulsBorne genre, what I disliked the most about this game in comparison to Nioh 2, is that the difficulty feels too artificial. Your hits do so little damage, that most bosses feel like a damage sponge. The game becomes about endurance rather than skill (unlike Souls and Borne games). Even Nioh and Lords of the Fallen did a better job.
    Still a good game to play while waiting for the Demons Souls remaster, though.    … Expand
  6. lur_
    Mar 26, 2020
    6
    Disappointing.

    Nioh 1 was an impressive achievement for a first entry in a new series. It had a lot of problems, but the foundation was there. Unfortunately, to a large degree Nioh 2 is a copy of the first game, both in terms of design and content. Pretty much all the problems from the first game are still here. Extremely bland and unmemorable level/area design. A lack of sensible    Disappointing.

    Nioh 1 was an impressive achievement for a first entry in a new series. It had a lot of problems, but the foundation was there. Unfortunately, to a large degree Nioh 2 is a copy of the first game, both in terms of design and content.

    Pretty much all the problems from the first game are still here. Extremely bland and unmemorable level/area design. A lack of sensible input queueing means needing to hammer buttons. Regular enemies having tons of HP makes encounters initially challenging, but once you learn the patterns it just makes for tedious fights. The delay between pushing the button to block and your character actually blocking combined with the generally high speed of swings from enemies results in many hits where you were holding the block button for what felt like the entire incoming swing. Too many ambush enemies, a bit too much useless loot and the odd system of "selling" loot to the kodama for elixirs.

    Some new problems are added. Performing a burst counter will quite often result in both you and the enemy getting hit simultaneously which just feels wrong. Similarly, you don't seem to be protected at all when using soul core / Yokai abilities; triggering a "super" and transforming into a giant beast only to immediately die from being poked by a puny skeleton warrior also feels wrong. Finally, it seems every human boss can be beaten using the same very basic strategy.

    On the positive side the cutscenes look really good and the game has plenty of moments when the combat flows really nicely. Having the three different stances is still good and somewhat unique. Some of the nonhuman bosses are fun and challenging.

    I don't regret my purchase but I don't think the game is worth full price. This isn't so much Nioh 2 as it is Nioh 1.2. Definitely wait for a sale.    … Expand
  7. Inhanzt
    Sep 21, 2020
    5
    The game has too many competing systems that serve to make the game less fun. It devolves at it's lowest level to "hit r1 to clean up monster poop". Unfortunately, nothing really saves it from that.
  8. PHNTMRIDR
    Sep 12, 2020
    7
    Nioh 2 is a good game, but I found myself getting a bit bored after 10+ hrs of gameplay.
  9. superfields
    May 15, 2020
    5
    Basically they ruined it. going back to Nioh this abomination is buggy, feels weighty, i dont like you have to get help to beat bosses. some of the early creatures and design are kiddie. Hate the timing move breaker which is why i hate Sekiro. I have a rule if it ainā€™t broken donā€™t fix it. Man what a let down.
  10. Woahstrewth
    Apr 13, 2020
    7
    Nioh 2 is among the upper tier of Souls Like Action RPGS and is basically a better version of Nioh 1.
    Marginally better graphics, combat, story and presentation though still doesn't do much towards fixing alot of the glaring issues that Nioh 1 had, and adding a few more of it's own.
    After beating the final boss I can say that the game is wayyyyyyy too long and I was ready to be done    Nioh 2 is among the upper tier of Souls Like Action RPGS and is basically a better version of Nioh 1.
    Marginally better graphics, combat, story and presentation though still doesn't do much towards fixing alot of the glaring issues that Nioh 1 had, and adding a few more of it's own.

    After beating the final boss I can say that the game is wayyyyyyy too long and I was ready to be done with it about ten hours before I actually reached the end. While there is greater yokai variety this time around it still borrows Nioh 1's habit of bland and uninteresting level design. After the 10th derelict castle with a forest on the side it just gets old.

    The Bosses are also very hit and miss, with some tougher bosses in the beginning of the game and some ridiculously easy bosses later on, if the boss quality were a line chart it would be all over the place.

    It also retains and even enhances Nioh 1's penchant for cheap BS, with alot of bosses just straight up one shotting you with most of their abilities no matter how you build your character, Nioh has never been as concerned with tough but fair balance like FromSoft games have, it will just straight up kill you sometimes because RNG said so.

    Basically a marginally better Nioh 1 but still pales in comparison to any of the Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Sekiro.    … Expand
  11. darknightserg
    Jun 27, 2020
    6
    Nioh 1 was an incredible souls like game. The sequel looks pretty and I love how you can customize your character. The biggest issue is how unfair and frustrating the game is. Unless you cheat and watch youtube ultra build videos your character does fair damage but enemies 1-2 shot kill you in a second at many parts of the game. Not fun at all.
  12. JonnyMenthol
    Mar 15, 2020
    7
    Yeah, i can't do this anymore. I loved Nioh, love souls games and beaten the nine, I've played except for Dark Souls 2. This is another Dark souls 2, they took the difficulty to far it looses the fun factor but not only that, it's often cheap. The systems are a bit over involved and the story is weak but there is a good game under here somewhere, it'll just take the insanely dedicated toYeah, i can't do this anymore. I loved Nioh, love souls games and beaten the nine, I've played except for Dark Souls 2. This is another Dark souls 2, they took the difficulty to far it looses the fun factor but not only that, it's often cheap. The systems are a bit over involved and the story is weak but there is a good game under here somewhere, it'll just take the insanely dedicated to find the full breath of it. 12 hours gameplay and i can't find fun past the difficulty but I can respect how well the game is made and how great everything feels. I just can't be bothered inching my way through it. It's hard to score the game as i've not finished it so take it for what it is worth.… Expand
  13. Springhi
    Mar 18, 2020
    6
    I'm glad to face the challenge in any 1 on 1 fight with a strong enemy. But in this game, only the intense BOSS fights could give me good feelings. NIOH 2 lacks new designed enemies, but embedded too many conspiracies. Always surrounded by the enemies that I have fighted many many times. Nothing changes since NIOH 1. Nothing changes in level design. Far behind Soul's series, notI'm glad to face the challenge in any 1 on 1 fight with a strong enemy. But in this game, only the intense BOSS fights could give me good feelings. NIOH 2 lacks new designed enemies, but embedded too many conspiracies. Always surrounded by the enemies that I have fighted many many times. Nothing changes since NIOH 1. Nothing changes in level design. Far behind Soul's series, not interesting at all.… Expand
  14. kwstas
    Apr 11, 2020
    6
    Looking some super high scores on this game was quite expected and understandable . If anyone would vote on the games design and the variety of options that it offers then it should be a very high score indeed . However the game as also expected is tremendusly difficult to the point that frastration is overwhelming . This difficulty could not be such a huge problem if the combat mechanicsLooking some super high scores on this game was quite expected and understandable . If anyone would vote on the games design and the variety of options that it offers then it should be a very high score indeed . However the game as also expected is tremendusly difficult to the point that frastration is overwhelming . This difficulty could not be such a huge problem if the combat mechanics and leveling system of the game was smooth and approachable like those of surge 2 , bloodborne or Dark souls 3 . In this game starting in a dark place where you barely see , where levels begin to seem huge after level 5 and with so little to exp yourself in an area where you have no other choice than follow one path and with a boss wich you face twice and he has a damn lot of hp . You find yourself helpless in the first area where you should actually still learning the game . This only seem to me like an unproffesional or either thoughtless approach from the developers . This game is trying to be a dark souls 3 alternative but using some linear and outdated elements and with combat mechanics similar to toukiden 2 despite some good graphics and design is still ain't working from my point of view . Also looking on the first bosses difficulty level i find myself without motivation knowing that even if i manage to kill him then eventually some of the other bosses of the game will be either impossible to defeat or a waste of my time if i will have to face them 50 times each to kill them and i am not sure why a person would want to just waste their time on this when there are so many other games or even other things to do in this world . Finally lets say that you pay the price of an AAA game which is made by a studio that has neither the skills or experience to produce a true AAA game… Expand
  15. Molec_man
    Aug 18, 2020
    7
    It's a solid Soulsbourne game with looter aspects that could keep you playing. It allows for many different builds, but none of them feel like they are overpowered. I like to feel rewarded by power for spending hours and hours in an RPG. I just don't get that feeling here. But its still a good RPG.
  16. tolkkipelto
    Jul 20, 2020
    5
    Extremadamente repetitivo. Parece un DLC del 1. Solo aporta la transformaciĆ³n yokai. La historia es poco memorable. Llevo 80 horas y ya no quiero continuar los jefes muy fĆ”ciles. Lo recomiendo solo si no tienes mĆ”s que jugar y estĆ” en una rebaja de 20 dĆ³lares.
  17. Hackslashshoot
    Aug 18, 2021
    6
    The grind to become op so you can one shot enemies before they can one shot you. Thatā€™s nioh 1 and 2 in a nutshell. This will be the final Nioh game I purchase. . The grind is over
  18. Poohead
    Jul 30, 2020
    7
    the gameplay was fun challenging for the most part is was great but started to drag near the end too many reused areas enemies and bosses could of used some more variety in the side missions
  19. rain_gs
    Jul 20, 2020
    6
    redundant system, limited improvement from Nioh 1, still worth to play if you like action game, and you could find certain points you may like it.
  20. QuoNBM
    Jul 8, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a person who has done the previous work, it feels like he has recycled the enemies of the previous work, and the graphics and UI improvements have made him feel unfeeling, so the sequel came out. I liked the addition of the new combat system and the equivalent of the previous one, but the problem with sloppy storylines and frequent framing remained, and, crucially, the first launch price of nearly $58 was hard to understand personally. However, I liked the action, including the additional content, just like the previous one.… Expand
  21. OliBoboli0815
    Mar 19, 2020
    5
    The game is visually great and the gameplay feels even smoother than in Nioh 1.

    However, a lot of the bosses feel really cheap. They have respawning minions that attack you, which is super annoying. Especially, since the bosses are super easy without the minions. Furthermore, the introduction of the dark world does also not resonate well with the games chore mechanics. In this    The game is visually great and the gameplay feels even smoother than in Nioh 1.

    However, a lot of the bosses feel really cheap. They have respawning minions that attack you, which is super annoying. Especially, since the bosses are super easy without the minions.

    Furthermore, the introduction of the dark world does also not resonate well with the games chore mechanics. In this condition of the world your stamina (Ki in Nioh) regenerates much slower. However, you also lose ki, when you are getting hit. So in the dark realm you can get in really big problems regarding your ki. Not too mention that there is a boss that spawns a minion in his dark world phase that shoots projectiles that drain your ki.

    Overall the game is not bad, but far away from the FromSoft games. Also the whole design feels sometimes very much like DS2, where hoards of high damaging enemies are thrown at you, just for sake of artificial difficulty. What makes it worse are the grab attacks from Yokai that often one-shot you from full or nearly full health. Sometimes Yokai also use these grabs in their attack combo. That makes the game unnecessarily frustrating. Additionally, the grinding for gear is as annoying as in Nioh 1.

    I am now at the final boss and there the games flaws come even more apparent. The final boss has an attack that can easily one shot, if you don't burst counter it. Something like that is just frustrating and not a good boss design. Besides, in the final chapter are no Kodama (the little creatures that you need to find to get more elixier at the shrine). So after too many tries, you are stuck with just 3 elixiers or you need to farm them.

    Developers please adjust that nonsense.    … Expand
  22. DamyanDG10
    Mar 18, 2020
    6
    Its basically Nioh 1 with some new bosses... the game is flawless and without bugs simply cuz its the same game. People saying its groundbreaking and stuff like that are just frontin. Menu, gameplay, graphics, AI, level design, items, ā…” of the yokai are the same as the first game. Its one giant DLC. Still had fun but cmon... thats why they made it that fast ...
  23. ecimir
    Mar 15, 2020
    5
    Too much of the same from first game. And what a great idea to add one attack kills to almost every enemy. I am not stuck but have very little will to continue playing.
  24. Descending23
    Mar 24, 2020
    7
    The combat is the best is the Soulsborne genre. Incredibly in depth and fun. A must play for any hardcore Souls fan.
  25. IIIAHMIII
    Apr 6, 2020
    5
    They upgraded the movies and character design. Some horrible lag. Bosses have way to much health sometimes so you have to grind. A bit better then nioh not much
  26. uncle-scrooge
    May 13, 2020
    6
    I feel this game needs more balance between the top and bottom levels of reviews (there are plenty of both). I'm in the middle; I don't think this game is a **** but I don't think it deserves the almost universal praise it has gotten from critics at all either.

    There are good things to say about this game for sure, but judging from the number of positive reviews, you've probably heard    I feel this game needs more balance between the top and bottom levels of reviews (there are plenty of both). I'm in the middle; I don't think this game is a **** but I don't think it deserves the almost universal praise it has gotten from critics at all either.

    There are good things to say about this game for sure, but judging from the number of positive reviews, you've probably heard it; nice, varied combat style, lots of loot, enough stats to make your head spin and of course there's the difficulty level, if that's your thing.

    This is written from the perspective of a casual gamer, who's beat and NG+'ed DS 1, 3, Bloodborne and Sekiro, so that gives you a comparison. I'm by no means pro, but not a completely newbie to difficult Japanese games either.

    So, to the negative stuff, which is why you read a lower review:

    The difficulty is mainly based on three things:
    - ridiculous enemy damage (almost any puny attack will one-shot you if you don't have 100% health)
    - enemies hiding in places where they are near impossible to know about, one-shotting you by jumping down from a tree or shooting you in the back from afar
    - preposterous health bars, especially on bosses. Difficult, yes, but frankly, mostly extremely tedious and boring. Expect boss fights to drag out past 20-30 minutes of very limited move-sets, and then you die from exhaustion from a one-shot move that you know well, but missed the 398th time he threw it at you.

    The game's production feels incredibly cheap
    I get that re-use is a part of game design, but seriously... ten minutes into the game, you've met most of the monsters there are, and you'll fight the same ones again. And again. And again. And again. They evolve throughout the game simply by increasing their damage and HP more or less in perfect tandem with your own level. So there. You could have skipped leveling altogether and just played at level 1 throughout.
    Give the game a few hours, and you've seen every asset they've bothered to design, and you'll see those same assets thrown about in different ways throughout the game. Every wall, every barrel, every wooden box, every rock, every tree ā€“ it all seems familiar no matter what area you're in, because it's all the same models and textures used.
    And then there are the bosses. I finally beat one of them, learning his five moves until I could easily sidestep him without losing any hp, and still needing 35 minutes to surgically scrape single molecules of his HP meter. I go on the next quest, and whaddyaknow ā€“ it ends with the same boss! You have got to be kidding me. The exact same boss one more time, same arena, all the same moves, straight after the previous one. I mean, it's just weird. Give me a few hours to forget his five moves at least! I wasn't angry because he was difficult, but because I was ridiculously tired of him the first time around, to the point of not even feeling happy when I beat him. Then, they throw him at me again, literally less than 20 minutes later. *sigh* I lost the will to keep playing at that point. Cheap.

    Quest difficulty level is completely random
    Go on a level 30 quest with a level 12 character and eat the boss and his friends for breakfast. Then go on a level 30 quest with a level 60 character, and get one-shotted by the first pathetic skeleton soldier you meet. The quest leveling seems completely random, and I honestly have no idea why it's even there.

    My expectations for this game were probably off, and I get that a more dedicated player will enjoy this game more than I did by really digging into items, moves, smithing, etc. which, is something I simply don't have time or patience to do. Still, it's silly to give the game a perfect 10 and tell everyone else to git gud, when the game HAS obvious flaws. If I needed to sum up the negative parts of my review in one word, it would be CHEAP. Cheap difficulty, cheap production values, cheap, synthesized 60 seconds music score on repeat and constantly re-used assets. Designing a difficult game is an art that involves more than impossible-to-predict jump attacks, ludicrously high damage and health bars the length of the great wall of China.

    Does it suck? No, it doesn't, and it's not impossible you might like it more than I did. By all means, try it. But once the feeling of being thrown a hastily put together, low-cost-at-any-price game that you pay a full price for, it's harder to enjoy it. At least for me.    … Expand
  27. DracoCross
    Mar 14, 2020
    6
    It's difficult for the sake of being difficult.

    Nioh 1 had its challenges as well but it felt like you could actually progress and become powerful. Here? Not at all. I enjoy a good challenge but the game is poorly balanced. Weapons feel underwhelming, skills are still mostly useless. The suggested level for missions is pointless as even if you are more than double the level, you will    It's difficult for the sake of being difficult.

    Nioh 1 had its challenges as well but it felt like you could actually progress and become powerful. Here? Not at all. I enjoy a good challenge but the game is poorly balanced. Weapons feel underwhelming, skills are still mostly useless. The suggested level for missions is pointless as even if you are more than double the level, you will still get destroyed by damage sponge enemies that deal ridiculous damage to your over-leveled and over-armored character. The NPC summons are more often than not useless as well unfortunately. They only serve to be a enemy distraction for a short period of time or to help clear out some of the weaker enemies while you endlessly grind in hopes of finding something that will actually make a difference. For any of the more dangerous enemies, its over quickly. Again, even if they are overleveled. Finding actual players to summon becomes difficult in later levels as it seems not many people have been able to make progress to those levels.

    You can block basically everything without consequences except for grapples which takes away from the combat but its required since enemy tracking is often excessive which makes dashing/dodging a game of rng at best. Every encounter with yokai becomes a battle of attrition and drags each mission into excessive lengths of time for how small the maps actually are.

    Apart from the imbalance, combat/controls are fast and responsive. Customization is fairly in depth and the soundtrack is pleasant to listen to. The story isn't great but it isn't terrible either, though the voice acting choices for some characters are a bit distracting. The new systems, such as the yokai shiftling forms are a great addition to the formula but felt like they could have taken them a little further. Only a couple new weapon types but they add some new flare to the game. Technically, it is a well made and polished game. No bugs, frame rate drops, or crashes have been encountered thus far.

    Overall, a decent game but the difficulty spike will probably keep it from being a fully enjoyable experience for many new and old players.    … Expand
  28. setuis
    Mar 24, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. cups do nothing in this game to help you pass bosses so you can get further in story. - Another game broken by **** instant kill moves from third snake boss (the second boss hand an instant kill move too). - I understand its patterns and attacks and wasted 9 cups on people who do nothing to help and are actually more of hinderence then help but the snake often clips you regardless with charge, tail whip or instant kill. Bad game for people with disabilities. Most likely forced to grind to a stupidly high level for no purpose now to beat the boss. Its a shame after 20 or more tries they don't put up tips or reduce the damage slightly of these bosses and adjust to a level where its stlll challanging but not impossible. I like games like this but really wish bosses where fairer. The snake has the following attacks (Tail sweep always clips you for damage unless dodged but its not telgraphed well when close.) , hand snake forward 3 times, hands forward together and pull in , posion circle breath attack , hand snake detachment in yonkai Snake charge forwards (can't be burst countered) snake circle around you and do instant kill attack by grabbing and stabbing.) , snake hands going into ground and hitting you from below, Snake hands going into ground while your stand in front of boss and instantly rising, snake body slam, snake mid range circle tail whip a slightly different tail whip from the longer range one. I wish status effects where easier to apply and that you could take arrows etc as a ninjitsu or something so you always got some. I wish games like this would have a level to gauge your skill at these sought of games then adjust to a fair level based on how much damage you do before getting killed by a boss. Honestly you sometimes press defense and dodge at the right time but the game itself seems to say you didn't press it in time when you did. Nioh 2 feels like its going backwards not forwards also the adorable komada voices don't sing when you are nearby now to let you know its there. I still like this more than seriko however as least here you get free bombs or items to use and you can grind up to get a little better. I really do wish weak points where weak points and actually did something rather than remove the artificial armor in games like this.… Expand
  29. sapphiron
    Apr 11, 2020
    6
    Most bosses are much easier than the minions.
    Terrible game balance and design.
  30. Kullinimija
    Mar 14, 2020
    6
    Nothing has really changes from the first chapter. This should have been a dlc
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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 Iā€™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.
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  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.
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