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Nioh 2 trailer: What’s new in the highly anticipated sequel

By Colin Mieczkowski

Team Ninja
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Nioh 2 finally has a new trailer to show and is expected to release in 2020. The video showcases the gameplay and we break it down.

Nioh 2 news went relatively quiet since their teaser trailer last year, but Koei Tecmo finally emerged from the shadows to deliver a new video. This one was shown during the Tokyo Game Show featuring gameplay and showing some of the bosses.

Right away, you can tell that the combat is as fast as ever and features some new animations. The “stance” feature is still available as well, as one character is seen holding his Odachi katana in the low stance which helps you generate more speed on attacks.

I also notice that kills look more satisfying. They were great in the original Nioh, but Nioh 2 seems to have more devastating combos.

You can finish off enemies when they are out of stamina or are knocked down with pulverizing finishing/special moves. This looks like an awesome addition to combat that’ll make each defeat stand out.

With that being said, enemies can do the same to you also, so it’s not all rainbows and unicorns (although playing as a unicorn would be fresh). But hey, welcome to Nioh.

The game’s graphics also make the combat look prettier. Hits look more impactful, and the finishing moves complete the satisfaction.

There’s a ton of wild-looking new bosses as well, and there seems to be a nice variety of them as well. From Yokai horse warriors and spinning giant rat-looking beasts, and even demonic cat girls.

There was nothing showing humanoid bosses yet, but I’m sure they will be included as well. Some of the best fights in the first Nioh were against human bosses such as Shima Sakon and Sanada Yukimura (DLC).

Another thing that you can get a peek at in the new Nioh 2 trailer, is some of the locations where the bosses are being fought. I love that there looks to be a nice mix of areas to explore and take in.

The forest where the rat creature is fought looks eerie and beautiful at the same time. There’s also a spider boss fight that takes place in what looks like a ruined castle, with rain pouring. Settings like this are always epic.

How the locations present themselves will be important because one small flaw with the original game was the repetitiveness of boss rooms. Most took place in a dojo unless it was a Yokai type of boss.

Another thing if they can give each boss their own signature theme music. Many bosses shared the same songs in the first game, and although the music was good, it still adds to the memorability of a boss.

Not to mention, audio is an essential part of great games, whether it’s ambiance or music. You’d be amazed at the power of having solid sound quality in a game, and I feel things will be nailed down in Nioh 2.

There were rumors that there would be player customization and it seems like that will be the case judging by the video. You can see that there are different characters being used at different times, both male and female.

Many Action RPG’s have used this approach in the past and has become a highly recognizable feature in video games in general. Although I loved William, I’m always down for good character customization. Sometimes, it’s just great to create your own story.

What might be arguably the coolest addition for Nioh 2, is the ability to turn into a Yokai. This is shown in the video, as you see the familiar glowing horns sticking out from one character’s head.

Now, it’s yet to be determined if you can select a Yokai on the customization screen, or there’s a meter of some kind you need to fill up to become one. Either way, this is awesome, because you can sort of experience what’s like being on the opposite side of the playing field in Nioh 2.

It’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds, and if there are some special powers involved. Perhaps you can blend your Yokai powers and Guardian Spirit powers. That would be cool.

Speaking of which; there are some new Guardian Spirits in the game as well. Spirits are part of juice that helps make combat in Nioh so epic and it’ll be no different in Nioh 2.

A swaggy ram with glasses (I like him already), a cool wolf with M&M eyes are the first two shown. Then, there’s a rhino with a giant blue mohawk (?), and a cat (could be a dog, but judging by the ears, appears to be a cat) with long hair and many fluffy tails.

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As we know, Guardian Spirits each have their environmental powers (Wind, Water, Fire, and Lightning) and I’m sure that will be the case here. My wild guess is that the cat has the power of Fire, while the wolf has the power of Lightning.

I’m looking at certain things such as the color of the animal’s fur and other things that make it stand out. Then, I see the rhino and ram as both being Wind Spirits, but of course, I’m probably way off base, but it was worth a shot.

Finally, another thing which was teased at the end shows what almost looks like Okatsu, one of the main characters from the first game. Whoever the character is, it seems like she finished some type of Yokai ritual. Very interesting.

There is no official release date for Nioh 2, but early 2020 is the where we’re at now. So it’ll likely be a Spring release if things go as planned but nothing’s official yet.

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