A masocore Action RPG through Sengoku Japan
Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition is a demanding Action RPG where you create your own protagonist and fight through devastated locales across Japan during the Sengoku period. The core loop is combat against hordes of yokai: read enemy attacks, punish openings, and keep your positioning tight, because mistakes are punished hard. The story follows military commanders of the Sengoku period and runs across the main game plus three expansions — The Tengu's Disciple, Darkness in the Capital, and The First Samurai — which take you back to the Heian period and end with a confrontation against Otakemaru. Loot and character customization are central, so expect to keep refining your build as you go.
Fighting together in online co-op
The game supports online co-op, so you can bring friends into the fight rather than facing the yokai alone. Co-op play keeps the same brutal combat rules, which means coordination matters: who draws aggro, who commits to a big attack, and how you handle an enemy that opens a Dark Realm. Dark Realms are created by your enemies and raise the stakes of a fight, adding new challenges on top of an already tough encounter. Yokai Shift is your answer to the worst of it, letting your protagonist take on new powerful forms to stand up to the most formidable yokai. Stacking that with a partner's pressure turns a losing fight into something manageable.
What to know before starting
This is a difficult game by design, tagged as Souls-like and masocore, so expect a learning curve built on repeated deaths and gradual mastery rather than a smooth ride. Combat is fast and violent, with a dark fantasy tone throughout. On PC you get full mouse and keyboard customization alongside gamepad compatibility, plus support for 4K, ultra-wide screens, HDR, 144Hz monitors and 60/120 FPS where your hardware allows it. Character creation happens at the start, so settle your protagonist's look early — you'll be seeing them a lot. The Complete Edition bundles all three DLC expansions with the base game, so there's a long road ahead once the main story is done.