Nioh 2: Darkness in the Capital (DLC) Review

Nioh 2: Darkness in the Capital (DLC)

Release: January 1, 1970
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Developer: Team Ninja
Genre:
PEGI: M
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So back in March of this year, back in the simpler times of 2020, I had played and reviewed Nioh 2. All in all, it’s a fantastic, but punishing game. You can read the full review here. This is the second DLC they have released since this time, so I was a bit rusty jumping back in. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

In order to unravel the mysteries surrounding the history of the Sohayamaru, our protagonist ventures to Kyoto City and discovers a shrine furnished with an old worn-out box. Upon inspection, the Sohayamaru once again shines brilliantly and the protagonist has whisked away to the middle of the Heian Period, landing in an ancient version of the capital.

Contrary to its name “Heian Palace,” which means peace and tranquility, ancient Kyoto was terrorized by countless Yokai during this time period. However, there existed many heroes who were brave enough to oppose these demons. Among them were the most preeminent demon slayer and the strongest sorcerer in history, along with their subordinates and colleagues fighting at their side.

Our protagonist joins forces with these famous heroes in order to quell the unrest and destruction caused by the Yokai hordes while learning more about the connections between an even more distant past and the present time period from which they came.

The new storyline definitely fits the crazy vibe we are already used to running through in the world of Nioh for sure. But overall the look, gameplay, music is all just as great as it was the first time. You have to be careful and calculate each move you do, should you fight or run, it’s all up to you. Just don’t get caught off guard with no stamina left or it will be a quick end for you.

Overall a lot of the DLC fits right in with the look and feel of the core game, other than a few locations that really seem different like the crimson pools, it all just blends into the sad and depressing landscape. Where it does stand out is there are a ton of new enemies to fight in this DLC pack, the enemy design in this game really is something to be admired for sure. There is a really hard and insane fight to look forward to as well that I don’t want to spoil but was probably the highlight of the game other than one other piece I will get to. Plus if you were a fan of or played through Nioh 1, we see some enemies come back from that entry as well as the White Tiger.

The most interesting, and my personal favorite part of this DLC, is the new weapon type introduced. Now a big part of this game is the weapons you choose and how you approach your combat. If you really focused on leveling up Stamina through the game this one is a blast. The Clawed fists, that’s right it’s time to get really up close and personal with some Yokai. From basic punching to combo-ing into some aerial flying fists, every punch feels like it has weight to it and is a lot of fun to use.

The DLC pack took me around 6 hours to make it to the end (but remember I’m not great), which I still haven’t completed yet, for the sake of not throwing a controller at the wall. Nioh 2 once again with Darkness in the Capital DLC proves its an incredible lesson in patience, skill, and mastery. If you are a soul fan or just hate your life in general and want to challenge your mental capacity. Don’t sleep on this one.

A code for this was provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

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