Team Ninja returns with the sequel to its success in 2017. Nioh 2 is, at all levels, better than the original. We tell you everything after sixty hours in it.
There have been few challenges we have encountered in our path. Rival clans, supernatural monsters and nature's own work have tried to end the Path of the Changing. But all have fallen on the cold sheet of FreeGameTips. After having spent more than sixty hours at the controls of Nioh 2, we are ready to affirm that it is one of the best works ever done by Team Ninja.
Because the sequel to the unexpected success of 2017 feels like a mature product, formed based on the experience that has allowed it to obtain these years of stay in the market. Its continuity starts from the premise of improving the present and taking beyond the formula we all know. Extensive in possibilities and practically infinite. Nioh 2 is, in short, a superlative ARPG.
Love in times of war
Nioh 2 introduces us to the events of Japan from 1555. The constant civil war that ravages the country in the middle of the Sengoku period triggers a social conflict that, for our misfortune, we cannot leave behind. Unlike the events starring William, here we will be a soul without a face. A hermit more than, unwittingly, sees how his village is ravaged by the rival clan. Yes, this second part serves as a prequel.
This fresh start will allow us to mold how we want to look on the battlefield. For the first time in the brand, we can configure our appearance in an extensive editor that nothing has to envy those seen in titles such as Black Desert or Code Vein. As many have already seen in the last public demonstration, all custom faces can be shared by generating an alphanumeric code.
Raising production values has had a direct impact on several of the elements that felt grim three years ago. It is the case of narrative progress. The number of plot scenes has been doubled, which generates an interest that allows you to connect to the events on the screen. Not only for having some coherence about our actions, but for emotionally connecting with bosses and their motivations. Behind the face mask is a person who, due to circumstances of Japanese folklore, intends to attempt on the interests of the world.
Despite this, at some moments he does not know how to develop with certainty the conclusion of several of the events in the last third of the game. Some key scenes end abruptly, or abuse the resource of the cartoons as an audiovisual element. We miss to round a plot that earns much more by background than by form. It is a real luxury to be able to use the encyclopedia that is integrated into the main menu itself. All characters, settings, videos, enemies and more come together in a menu that takes the universe of Nioh 2 beyond.
The visual options on PlayStation 4 Pro remain intact. Three performance modes will allow us to prioritize resolution (at 30fps), performance (60 fps) or a mix between resolution and unlocked framerate. The truth is that in some scenarios the visual aspect sometimes feels below the original. The scenarios are very ornate and if we use the performance mode it fails to find the right look. Of course, being able to enjoy it at 60 images per second deserves any visual sacrifice. Shadows, lod … The introduction of the HDR improves the vividness of the colors, especially in a game where the effects are the daily bread.
The emphasis on the narrative hit the soundtrack fully. The musical accompaniment has much more prominence than in the debut of the brand. The meetings against final bosses shine, where the themes increase the epicity of the meetings. As soon as you enter the interlude, a spiritual meeting point of which we will not reveal anything, you will stay there only for music.
The Path of the Changing …
It is no important revelation the true nature of our character. Being Changing, or what is the same, half human and half Yokai, gives us a range of possibilities that allows the combat to gain in complexity. Forget about the living weapon: here we will transform ourselves as another mythological being.
There are three types of transformation: Barbarian, Feral and Ghost. Depending on the chosen one, the focus of our alter ego will vary significantly. Each type has a certain type of counterattack attached. The powerful attacks of the enemy, marked with a red aura, can have a quick action of our character by executing this particular skill. In the case of the Barbarian, for example, it must be used before receiving the impact, while Feral is quite the opposite. The basic transformation will vary according to the spiritual guardian we have chosen.
This novelty does not come alone. Guardian spirits feed back from soul cores, a drop dropped by the dejected Yokai and stand as one of the great novelties in the sequel. By obtaining them, we can include them in the free action holes of the selected spirit. In practice they function as an extension of our physical "I". While our weapon translates our offensive movements, it is these supernatural abilities that fill in the empty spaces between blow and blow.
We must make one thing clear: contrary to what a community sector thought in public demonstration, soul cores are not linked to Amrita crystals. The latter are one of the mechanics that are introduced in the final stretch of the game and at no time confer power to that drop. From the first moment we can get cores; its appearance will be subject to probability, as with any piece of equipment.
Much of the grace of these nuclei lies in how we manipulate them. While we go to the blacksmith's forge to shape our physical equipment, we must do the same in the sanctuaries when managing the catalog we receive. This kind of spiritual forge allows us to increase their abilities, add new features and discard unwanted ones in order to increase our level of Changing, vital to access more powerful souls.
Do you want to invoke a snake that causes physical damage and poison? You may. Do you want to use a boss's skill for your own interest? Too. All, absolutely all Yokai variants have their own version adjusted to our environment. Its appearance allows you to further extend the capabilities of the builds since their bonuses accumulate in our global state.
… and that of the samurai
Our duty as a samurai will lead us through a system of progression that follows the depth of the rest of the novelties included. All armament families, the character itself and their supernatural abilities pose a complex skill tree. The system, almost homage to the board of Final Fantasy XII, allows us to develop through more than 40 skills, both active and passive, for each group raised.
Unlocking the following ranks will require completing Dojo missions, special challenges enabled as we achieve mastery goals for each weapon. Although Nioh was already betting on the gradual obtaining of new actions, the possibilities of a practically infinite system are tripled here. Upon reaching the last level (over 180,000 points) we will unlock mystical abilities, hidden at the beginning and displaying the most notorious differences. The latter are enabled at the edge of the new game plus.
At this point we will not discover anything about the benefits of the combat system. The entire structure in terms of the use of weapons remains intact, except for the improvement in the blockade, more useful than before. To the string of families of armament we must add three new types: hatchet, tonfas and alternate guja (similar to a scythe). In practice they are quite fun to use, especially the hatchets, which provide the greatest range of motion compared to other models. They can even launch into the air to occupy the range at medium distance.
We must keep in mind the introduction of Yokai weapons. These special weapons present a new awareness meter. As we complete the objectives of its main features (killing enemy may be one) we will fill it until we can unleash its true power. We will know when it happens at the same moment in which the weapon speaks to us: from there its base power will multiply, successively. The true potential of these is discovered as soon as we set foot in the blacksmith. They will be the only weapons that by combining soul (the process of scaling a weapon of lower rank than the one we will discard) will also accept the Yokai soul cores as currency. Imagine the possibilities if we include souls that exchange traits with each other.
Recreational Soul
We must confess that the beginnings of Nioh 2 left us an irregular taste. That first trio of main missions were correct, but they offered nothing to boost the impressions with which we opened this text. It is from the sixth main mission that he unleashes his true potential. If we had to define it with one word it would be variety.
Nioh 2 is more if there is an experience in which we can get rewards even with just 5 minutes of play. Since you start it on the interface until you are on the map of the region it only takes a minute and a half. Its immediacy makes it a perfect match for short games, especially when its approach follows what is seen in the original.
Our trip through Japan will take us through 7 different regions through 20 main missions. The offer extends with more than 40 secondary schools that will force us to meet certain requirements to access some. End a certain number of enemies, meet a previous chain, get certain items in the main … The integrity of its offer is designed to squeeze the levels to the millimeter. Also known collectibles are kept: Kodamas, hot springs, purification sites, etc. Although there will be surprises that we will not reveal. Secondary schools that offer unique boss combats and variants of those already seen in the main ones. The recycling of the environments will be present, but by serving as mini-goals in which to obtain profit does not bother.
That recreational soul referred to in the previous ladillo is also justified by the approach of the levels. In the comparative manida, the scenarios have gained in complexity and possibilities. There is horizontality in some of them, but most follow a vertical structure, so that they are built around the initial sanctuary. The levels in the last third of the game are a real pass. Hope that fantasy is founded with the realism of Japanese landscapes
We are not going to fool you: Nioh 2 is hard, very hard. The fear of finding us an artificial difficulty, based on cramming the most powerful enemies in a small space, was present. It only happens on a mission before starting the final stretch. In the rest of the game we found a fair fight. It lasts, yes, but based on two key factors: learning and the team. Even in defeat you can obtain a weapon or piece of armor that allows you to cope with threats in another way. In that sense it is impeccable.
Just as impeccable are the final bosses. The number of humanoid designs has climbed above that of beasts. That is, we will face other samurai from you to you with the same supernatural tools. The nuance in this regard is that most have a Yokai transformation. At various points in the fight they will take us to the world of black and white. In addition to the penalty on our Ki and recovery, it is in these fringes when bosses unleash their full potential. They maintain a great level. It is appreciated that most of the enemies presented in the additional contents of the original are here, but we expected more unpublished. Nor can we escape repetition in some sections of recurring invocations. There are enough enemies to always have to use them.
Once finished we will give way to the new game plus. The transition to this mode is completely organic. At the end of the "Samurai Dream", as the first round is called, we will unlock the "Dream of the Fort" on the map, with missions from level 120 and occasions doubling the initial requirements. In them we can obtain the last two levels of rarity. Only in these regions can we use Ochoko cups in order to increase the probability of obtaining divine equipment. Wait for loot rivers waiting to be picked up.
The possibilities of the game are practically endless. As soon as you move on to this new version of Nioh 2, the blacksmith takes even greater importance. Now only with tuning, mixing skills and forging the chosen sets you have for many hours. Completing the first Dream and part of his high schools took 42 hours.
Torii Gate, your access to multiplayer
Perhaps the Torii Gate is the most important element of its string of novelties. Unlike the rest of its competitors and predecessor, the Nioh 2 cooperative breaks all the barriers seen so far. From the first mission you can create an expedition with two other friends to enjoy the bulk of the game in unison.
There are certain limitations. Some high school boss fights do not allow the cooperative, but in the rest of the missions it can be enjoyed without needing anything else. Team Ninja knows the importance of the social component in this type of formulas, and therefore he wanted to design a unique way of living Nioh 2 for each style of play. Styles that we will improve through the Hidden Tea House, the clan system that rotates weekly.
The solo experience differs completely from the cooperative. The distribution of enemies will be different, the difficulty will be adjusted to the number of players and even the bosses will vary in mechanics. These differences only occur when creating an expedition between several players. Therefore, it does not affect whether you invoke a user-controlled spirit or spend ochoko cups in a benevolent tomb from those scattered around the map.
Online functions work perfectly. The netcode allows to fight at all times without loss of frames in the attack; It is true to what you normally enjoy in the traditional way. The different filters allow you to search for items in the conditions you want, including expeditions if you prefer with strangers. During the cooperative in this mode there is a small peculiarity: the cooperation bar.
Upon death, we will spend uses of the level of cooperation among all session participants. During the grave, the strip will gradually disappear until two possibilities occur, either you regenerate and lose the complete strip of your death or wait to be revived by the other player, which can save part of the penalty. When the bar is exhausted, the first death after it will end the game and you will not get the benefits you have obtained so far, except for the objects. Fortunately, if death occurs in combat against the level chief, the survivor will be able to continue fighting.
CONCLUSION
Nioh 2 is not afraid to look face to face with the great names of the subgenre. Team Ninja has managed to expand its formula from a conservative perspective. The continuity of the elements that made the previous one unique serves to take beyond a game that feels practically infinite. Multiplayer functionalities without barriers, new possibilities in combat, Yokai transformations, better level design … At all levels it is, simply and simply, better. Visual problems on the sidelines, the performance mode at 60 fps is a great luxury. Enjoy a console ARPG this way is priceless.
THE BEST
- Yokai transformations and skills, a success.
- Cooperative solid and without restrictions.
- Soul cores, another way to deepen the builds.
- The challenge, although hard, is fair.
- It has a recreational soul. Any session has its reward.
- New organic game plus. Start a new game after the first round.
- The encyclopedia inside the cabin, a jewel to discover its extensive background.
WORST
- Graphically, despite the 60 fps, it is poor at this point of generation.
- Sometimes he abuses the repetition of enemies in several sections. The bestiary is broad enough to resort to that.
- Some problems when developing the narrative.
Excellent
A benchmark title in its genre, which stands out above its competitors and that you will enjoy from beginning to end, surely several times. A game destined to become a classic over the years.
