Nioh 2 does not continue the story of the first part. Instead, the action role-playing game tells the story of the debut. This is a good thing because even though I am a big fan of the From Software works, I never found access to Nioh. Accordingly, I was skeptical before the intro session in Berlin. Two hours later, I can say: Nioh 2 is heavy as a goat, fun and almost overflowing with playful possibilities.
When a game of the Soulsborne genre is presented at a press event and you can pick up the controller yourself, it usually fills up like being thrown into the cold water. It was no different with Nioh 2: my self-made character was already in the three-digit level range, there were weapons of every genre in the inventory, and I had no idea where I was and what I should do here.
Pretty witty
The three different attack attitudes from the predecessor are of course again part of the game: the low, medium and high posture of the weapons have an impact on how your character uses the weapon. Some weapons, such as the Aberrant Switchglaive, even change completely. Sometimes spear, sometimes sickle, sometimes Kusarigama (quasi a chain sickle).
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What finally sets Nioh 2 apart from its predecessor is the role of the Yōkai in the game. These are Japanese mythical creatures and demons. You had to fight them in the first part, for the successor the developers expand their importance immensely. Because now your character is half human and half a yōkai. This allows you to use their demonic powers and use them like special attacks. Or you can transform yourself into a yōkai for a short time and as such put it on the hat properly.
To get the special powers, you first have to defeat the corresponding Yōkai. Since each yōkai has a certain level with different attributes, ideally you are not just targeting its ability alone, but a particularly strong form of it.
Blood, sweat and tears
Some time ago I started playing Dark Souls again on the Nintendo Switch. In terms of feel, Dark Souls and Nioh 2 couldn't be further apart. Compared to Nioh 2, Dark Souls looks almost chunky, bulky, slow and simply sluggish.
The fights in Nioh 2 are brisk, precise and tough. In view of the higher pace, quick reactions are required. The shrines where you can regenerate and level up are never particularly far away, but the high number of different enemies on the way make life very difficult for you.
In any case, the section played was by no means squeamish. Even those who grew up with Soulsborne titles will falter in Nioh 2 one time or another. In my opinion, it is because the enemies do not necessarily stick to specified attacks, but rather rely on combos and can start any subsequent attacks. This makes it much more difficult to read the opponents. Larger chunks of yokai in particular become an almost boss-like challenge.