Nioh 2 presents a more challenging experience compared to the original.
Nioh 2 presents a more challenging experience compared to the original.
Yep… those Japanese console versions often feel oddly efficient but also quite costly for most of the time. Nioh definitely has all the elements needed for a solid character action hack and slash experience, yet I tested every beta and alpha on PS4. The game no longer feels like it works as intended—it’s changed so much that what I enjoyed is missing. Camera quality, weapon tuning, and overall immersion dropped significantly (though in the early build it was surprisingly satisfying). Plus, the forced lock system is a total turn-off; it clashes with the Japanese style and feels more like a Western imposition. Most Japanese titles have such locks, but you usually can just ignore them or remove them for a cleaner experience. I’m not a fan of Demons Souls either, but I’m definitely a 3D action gamer (99% of the time).
It's not terrible at all. A few bosses and attacks come across as completely nonsense, but overall it works well. The locking system is a bit sluggish. Having a smooth auto-lock after defeating an enemy would be great, though sometimes it fails and you lose because you miss what happens. Outside of direct fights, I'm okay without the lock quite often. Right now, facing the final boss is a bit disappointing. I'm looking forward to the next game after this one.
I'm just getting started with this question, but Nioh refers to a Japanese action role-playing game series known for its dark fantasy setting and intense combat.
This game is a reimagining of Souls with many similarities to its original. They essentially mirrored the menus exactly and crafted a game that moves quickly around those elements… a decent approach, though they pushed features like "lock on" too far and simplified movement a bit. The upgrade system was particularly frustrating for me—it felt overly complicated and didn’t really guide progress meaningfully. While it had some quirks compared to earlier versions, the combat remained engaging enough to keep playing, but the difficulty in understanding upgrades made it less enjoyable overall.
You were asking about weapon and armor improvements, but the details were unclear to me. It helps that the game doesn’t provide much guidance, so I checked online resources. Ultimately, I didn’t focus on the smith upgrade and just went for weapons with better attack power, which worked well. People online agreed that most upgrades aren’t worth it until reaching NG+.
It seems I had similar thoughts before, but it was overwhelming, particularly since the gear really impacts performance in MHW. In Nioh, feedback is often limited, which makes it harder to see improvements. Maybe I'll try Nioh2 later, but not right now.