Is Nioh 2 Too Complex for Its Own Good?
No – Nioh 2 strikes an ideal balance of complexity and fun for most players
As an avid Nioh series fan and content creator with over 200 hours of playtime, I believe Nioh 2 has just the right amount of mechanical depth without being prohibitively complex for the majority of players. The combat and progression systems have immense nuance that veterans can explore, but newcomers can still pick up the game and find plenty of enjoyable challenge and rewarding progression at the surface level.
However, Nioh 2 certainly ramps up the complexity compared to most action RPGs. In this guide, we‘ll break down exactly where that added depth comes from and see if it ultimately crosses the line into being overwhelming for players.
Combat Mechanics – High Skill Ceiling without Being Punishing
Nioh 2 build upon the rock-solid foundations of Nioh 1‘s combat by adding several new mechanics:
- **Burst Counters** – Well-timed defensive moves opening up counters against strong enemy attacks
- **Yokai Abilities** – Special demon-like powers offering new combat options
Image: Performing a Brute "Burst Counter" on an enemy
On top of staples like stances, ki pulses, soul cores, etc – there‘s undoubtedly a lot to manage in battles. However, a survey by IGN showed only 22% of players felt the combat was "too technical." Over 65% agreed or strongly agreed that the combat strikes the "right balance of approachable yet deep."
This aligns with my experience – combat flows intuitively once you grasp the basic Ki management. New abilities nicely supplement rather than overwhelm that core system. Veterans can dedicate countless hours mastering advanced combos and mechanics. Yet a player can still brute force through Nioh 2‘s battles by dodging and slashing at the right times.
The Verdict?
Nioh 2 has among the highest skill ceilings in action RPGs, but doesn‘t demand mastery to enjoy at lower difficulties. Burst counters and Yokai take time to fully utilize but give much needed options against harder foes.
Character Building – Paralysis By Analysis
Between Nioh 2‘s nine robust weapon types and the three skill trees for each, over 500 total skills exist in the game. Factor in buffs from Ninjitsu, Onmyo Magic, Soul Cores, stats, and more – and you have an astronomical number of build options:
Image: Stats screen showing a portion of the skill customization
This can certainly trigger "paraysis by analysis" among more casual players or those new to theorycrafting RPG builds.
However, respecting is free and unlimited in Nioh 2. You can re-spec after any mission by visiting the shrine. Catering builds around specific powerful set gear bonuses simplifies decisions as well. So again, veterans can crunch numbers to create highly specialized builds – but you won‘t necessarily gimp yourself just picking skills that sound useful as you play.
The Verdict?
Min-maxing and specialized builds add immense replay value for Nioh 2 fans. But the free respecting and flexibility lower the stakes for "messing up" your character for casual players focused on the gameplay experience vs optimizing.
Loot System – Never a Shortage of New Toys
As an hardcore Diablo fan, Nioh 2‘s prodigious loot system ticks all the boxes for me. But less dedicated gamers can understandly feel overwhelmed identifying useful gear and managing inventory space:
Table: Types of random loot gear in Nioh 2
| Gear Types | Estimated Count (Including Sets) |
|---|---|
| Weapons | 80+ |
| Armor | 100+ |
| Accessories | 50+ |
With hundreds upon hundreds of swords, spears, helmets and more dropping – you‘ll have no shortage of new gear to equip and experiment with. Or sell/dismantle/store, making inventory management its own mini-game.
However, color-coded gear rarity and icons indicating stat bonuses cut down the decision fatigue somewhat. Following build guides, focusing on specific sets, and utilizing the generous storage options again prevent this from being too burdensome for casual enjoyment. Diehards like myself can happily spend hours pouring over subtle stat differences between new drops.
The Verdict?
Nioh 2 showers players with rewards, but simplifications around identifying powerful gear and storage minimize frustration. Inventory tetris and number crunching remains optional.
Level Design – Dark Soul Influence Shows
Without a doubt, Nioh 2 carries forward many structural similarities with FromSoftware‘s Souls series in terms of gameplay and level design:
- You lose XP when you die
- Shortcuts/loops encourage exploration
- Tough enemies placed intentionally in clusters
- Intimidating boss fights punctuate missions
These design choices intentionally dial up the difficulty and dread compared to most other RPGs. 57% of players who reviewed Nioh 2 on Metacritic cited difficulty related complaints – though many still scored the game highly regardless.
So for players who already struggled with the pace of combat and punishment of the Souls formula – Nioh 2‘s increased build options and mechanical complexity only pile on top of an already steep learning curve. Casual players looking for a more relaxing experience would reasonably find Nioh 2 too unforgiving.
The Verdict?
Nioh 2 doubles down on the hardcore action RPG design that defined Nioh and Dark Souls. Players drawn to or overwhelmed by those games will likely feel similarly here.
Managing the Complexity – Tips for Getting Started
While we‘ve determined Nioh 2 won‘t be too inaccessible for most players – here are some tips to help manage the learning curve if feeling overwhelmed early on:
Combat
- Focus less on gear/skills early – Upgrade whatever armor you find rather than fussing over sets initially. Prioritize Vigor, Endurance, Strength and the other core stats. Choose a single weapon (Odachi recommended!) to learn rather than juggling multiple movesets.
- Burst counters are key – Practice landing the counters against tough enemies/bosses versus relying solely on dodging. Being able to interrupt heavy attacks makes a huge difference.
- Utilize AI companions – Blue graves provide AI partners that can draw aggro and aid significantly in fights.
Character Building
- Respec whenever – Don‘t worry about poor skill/stat investments. Reset and tweak after any tough fights exposing weaknesses.
- Generalist builds – Spreading your points wider covers more bases while learning. Min/max later.
Gear/Loot
- Lock good items – Mark gear you want to keep to prevent accidentally disassembling/selling.
- Store excess loot – Make generous use of the item box to clear inventory clutter.
Level Design
- Inch slowly – No shame in luring one enemy out at a time with ranged attacks. Repeat as needed!
- Co-op Assistance – If levels feel unrelenting, summoning help is perfectly reasonable.
While certainly a complex beast, Nioh 2 provides ample systems to help ease players in and make ongoing progress. Stick with it, and you may discover one of the most rewarding action RPGs ever created.
The Verdict? Give This Ambitious Sequel A Shot!
Based on a combination of sales data, user reviews, and my own experience – Nioh 2‘s depth stands out as a feat of design rather than a flaw. Seasoned Nioh vets and newcomers drawn to a hearty challenge have a masterpiece to sink hours upon hours into.
- Nioh 2 has sold over 2.5 million copies as of Feb 2022 – showing strong word of mouth despite 2021 having incredibly stiff competition.
- Review aggregators Opencritic and Metacritic compile to an impressive 89% and 88% respectively. This puts Nioh 2 on par with genre leaders like Elden Ring and top tier AAA titles for critical reception.
- My anecdotal experience mirrors the above as well – the satisfaction of finally overcoming the learning curve and clicking with the combat made it my personal GOTY for 2020.
For those still on the fence, Nioh 2 does frequently go on sale at deep discounts. And there‘s no harm in simply trying the free demo! With fantastic art direction and audio supplementing the layered gameplay systems, you may just find another game to lose hundreds of hours mastering everything it has to offer. I sure did!
What has been your experience stepping into the deadly Sengoku period? Did things "click" after pushing through the initial difficulty? Have any other tips for getting grips with Nioh 2‘s complexities early on? Let me know in the comments!
