Nioh 2 Critic Reviews

This is effectively Ninja Gaiden cranked up to eleven with RPG elements and your own custom created character; one that has a demonic past that inexplicably provides them with otherworldly abilities. And if that doesn’t make you want to play Nioh 2, I don’t know what will.

Nioh 2 shows Team Ninja at the top of their game. From it's newly added mechanics to the awesome character creator and skill trees, the amount of depth on offer is incredible. The sequel improves on the original in every conceivable way and makes it one of the best entries in the genre. While it may be sadistically difficult at times, it's wildly entertaining combat will have you going back time and time again.

In truth, just about every moment of Nioh 2, even when it’s frustrating, and even when you’re dying is sweet — and almost every moment feels different. Team Ninja builds creative areas, too, pushing you through burning towns one second, underground caverns the next. And wherever you push, you’ll be challenged, and fulfilled.

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.

Nioh 2 builds upon the successes and failures of its predecessor and offering new tools to battle with the role of a half-yokai as the player character. Some may say this iteration is even more brutal than the first!

Nioh 2 is a great successor and improve a lot in terms of combat by offering overwhelming half-yokai skills. But it doesn't make Nioh 2 easier because the enemies also become more challenging. There is no doubt that Nioh 2 is the most rewarding soul-like action game in 2020.

Masterfully crafted and executed, Nioh 2 sets the benchmark for action/adventure games that people just have to experience. Team Ninja's latest provides one of the most in-depth combat systems and an addictive loot system that may put all but the best dungeon crawlers to shame. It's quite simple, Nioh 2 has Game of the Year written all over it.

Did I get frustrated? You bet your ass I did. And yet, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. It might not have been the first or second time against an enemy that I won, but as my knowledge of the systems improved, so did my skills of survival.

With most games I have enjoyed, I have had no problem taking breaks and doing other activities, but all I ever wanted to do since picking up Nioh 2 was play Nioh 2. For a game with this much customization and depth to have all of its parts work so seamlessly together is a feat worthy of the highest praise. The only thing holding Nioh 2 back is the mediocre soundtrack and thin veneer of a story. I cannot wait to get lost in the DLC to come. Kudos to you, Team Ninja, for building intelligently on what you created in the first Nioh.

If there's one point I want to get across above all others, it's this: Nioh 2 isn't as revelatory as the first game, but that shouldn't be held as a mark against it.

Just as I have a special reverence for Demon's Souls, even as I recognise Dark Souls was able to refine and improve on "the formula", I recognise that Nioh 2 is the better game, while also missing spirit and originality, which has gone by the wayside. That said, Nioh 2 is still going to be better than just about everything else that will be released in 2020. Brilliantly creative monster and level design come together with subtle - but important - improvements to the complex-but-rewarding mechanics. This is something that only people with patience and perseverance should sign up for, however this is also a rare case where the rewards truly exceed the demands made of players.

For anyone craving a test of their mettle in bite-sized chunks and lacquered over with Team Ninja's trademark combat genius, Nioh 2 is utterly essential.

Nioh 2 is, at times, designed to evoke controller-throwing rage even in the most peaceful individuals. But while the difficulty is dialed up a bit high in some areas, it’s also designed to be one of the best takes of the genre that far surpasses its promising first entry.

In this frightening and ruthless Japan, filled with all kind of monstrosity, there’s no room for mistakes. Sure, Nioh 2 is hard, but it also gives one of the deepest combat systems ever seen in a souls-like, and the wildest bunch of enemies to cut down.

Nioh 2 might play it safe in some respects, but the fluidity, depth and intensity of its combat is incredible.

If not for some repetitive environments, NioH 2 would basically be the perfect sequel, improving upon the original in almost every conceivable way. Highlights: the superb graphics, the added emphasis on exploration and the incredibly fun boss fights. Sincerely recommended.

Nioh 2 builds upon everything that was great about the original game. The yokai form, while flashy, does little to diminish the challenge and instead adds a fun new dynamic to an already engrossing flow of combat. On the surface, it might not look like much has changed but Nioh 2 is a fantastic sequel and one that action fans shouldn’t miss.

Those same elements that made the first one so enjoyable, combine with a better story, better customization systems, better level design and more, make Nioh 2 a confident sequel that stands above the previous game and firmly establishes itself as its own kind of game. No longer should Nioh be compared to other games; those other games should be compared to Nioh 2.

Nioh 2 is a great action RPG game, with plenty of content, a good gameplay and a nice artistic direction. The game doesn't have any major default and is quite amazing.

Nioh 2 builds on the excellence of the original with a fistful of new twists and ideas, from new Yokai abilities to full-on co-op through the entire game. Nioh 2 might well be the best Soulslike that isn’t a FromSoftware game, and it's easily one of my personal contenders for Game of the Year.