If you have neither played the original Nioh, or if you have already forgotten or repressed your traumas, then Nioh 2 will be unforgivably brutal, especially earlier in the game. There’s an impressive amount of variety on display in the gameplay. Weapon stances return as the biggest mechanic this game offers, giving each of the six weapon classes three different movesets and even further customisation the further into the skill trees you get. The gameplay is where the first Nioh shone the most and once again it’s brilliant in the sequel, taking the same core that made Dark Souls such a hit and expanding on it exponentially to the point of becoming its own thing. Side characters are the ones that push the story along this time.

You will still meet the occasional historical figure throughout your journey, and a great second half awaits, but I still found myself less invested in this one. In it, you play as a custom character referred simply as Hide, a half-human, half-Yokai shiftling with unique powers.

Nioh 2 takes a slightly different approach to its story compared to its predecessor, being a prequel instead of a sequel. Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to dive in back then, but I’m more than making up for that issue with the PC version. When we first reviewed Nioh 2 almost a year ago we thought it was an excellent sequel that built on its predecessor’s already great gameplay. When Team Ninja’s original Nioh came out a few years ago, I was a little bit skeptical after playing the beta, but ended up really enjoying it, as it ended up being much more than just a simple Souls clone. Its tough, challenging yet fair combat makes for one of the most satisfying gameplay experiences of all time.

Nioh complete edition gameplay