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I am a huge fan of the Darksouls series. From the lore to the game play, you can probably call me a glutton for punishment. This game, is literally no exception. I don’t know how many times I died, but I can assure you it was a lot. A lot of screaming, groaning and just plain anger. However, with the beauty of the game mixed with the game play and combat style, this is easily one of my GOTY choices for this year.

I would like to give this game props and I feel like we were heard when it came to this game. Being a prequel of sorts, this is worth the pain you get from playing it. We went from a set character from the west to one that you can make yourself but is silent. Think Jade Empire interactions with people. You have no voice, but you’re heard by all who speak. Though the landscape is beautiful, there are always some greener grass on the other side. There are some real life historical figures in this game as well.

Every new area offers a lot to you. From beautiful scenery all the way to the combat. Everything about this game has a purpose. There is a lot to do in this game and I can see how it can overwhelm some people. There are so many items in the game it can possibly take you a bit of time to sort everything and do your basic inventory management (If you’ve seen me play WoW, you know I struggle hard with this) There are also a lot of customization options you have. Like I said before, you are able to create your character. The amount of thought it takes to make your guy is intense. So many options. So little time.

Combat is one of the most important things in this game, it’s almost centered around it. Normally, I’d have something to say about this but frankly, combat is very impressive. Not only do you have new pieces of gear that help increase your damage, you have a lore more yokai skills you can use now, including a realm just for them. There is also a chance for items to drop that let you use enemy skills against them when brought to the right places.

You have a few different things you can do in combat. You have Soul Core moves, which I talked about above. These are very powerful attacks but they can leave you open to counter attacks and other damage. You also have Burst Counters which is a bit more exciting to me. These are just fancy parries but you can stun your foes with ease while dealing a great amount of stamina loss to your foes preventing them from using strong moves against you. Both can take some getting used to but I tell you what…when you learn this shit you’re golden.

I mentioned Darksouls earlier….well this game is just like it difficulty wise if you ask me. The one thing I will always give props to Team Ninja is their attention to difficulty and they do what they can to balance it even if it means there’s a secret to certain things in their games. You have an option, in most cases, to avoid combat. In fact, I don’t remember coming across anything in “the wild” as I did with the story, I feel like I can stay on a road and not get attacked.

There are a lot of things you can skip. Side missions is a big thing, but like with more challenges, they are rewarding. Though you can expect to be challenged, you don’t every have to really do them. You can just stick to the main storyline and you won’t really miss out on much except some currency and maybe some loot. I applaud this company.

All in all, this game is great and it is something I suggest you play. Obviously if you are easily frustrated with hard combat you may want to hold off or watching a gameplay video for it. Though challenging, this game is as beautiful as it is creative. The reimagination of Japan and the history of the country is a great little insight to the realm of Nioh.

Nioh 2 get’s a solid 9/10 from me. Play it! Nuff said!

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