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Nioh 2’s monsters are surprisingly cuteScary Monsters and Nice Sprites (I know this doesn’t work but bear with)
Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (I know this doesn’t work but bear with)
Over the Christmas hols I dipped mykusarigamaback intoNioh 2, an action RPG that blends the crushing difficulty of soulslikes with Diablo’s emphasis on loot hoovering. In hindsight, this was quite an intimidating game to play post figgy pudding, especially as it’s all about carving up twisted demons.
Boy did it make me feel alive, though. And withNioh 2: Complete Edition arriving on Steam in February, I thought it would be good to remind everyone that while, yes, it is full of scary monsters, it is full of very nice and cute monsters, too.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on YouTube
Take, for example, our first cutie, the Kodama. In Japanese folklore they’respirits that reside in trees, and here in Nioh 2 their contact with human tools has transformed them into fun-loving fellas who wear miso bowl hats. They make noises akin to a horse whinnying after inhaling helium.
Unlike the horrible weasel, give a Scampuss a pet and you’ll recruit them as a temporary ally. They roll alongside you like a furry bowling ball, and occasionally bop your enemies’ ankles to deal little titbits of damage. What’s probably actually happening is that they’re seeking out human warmth in search of a replacement for their mother, as it’s said that these yokai were once babies or young children who suffered untimely deaths. Ahem, yeah, cute. Moving on.
Alright, maybe they’re nottraditionallycute, but I think the definitely are in a more “oh man, you’re so cheeky” sort of way. They do this high pitch cackle that just screams ‘absolute scamp’. Admittedly, they do this before spinning about and unleashing a torrent of damaging spines.
Let me tell you who’s a real rascal, though: Mujina the badger. In Nioh 2 you’ll crack open a lot of chests in search of bountiful loot, but you never know if one of these furry demons is going to spring out of nowhere, knock you on your arse, laugh at you, and then transform into a version of yourself. In order to get the loot you rightfully deserve, you have to fend off… yourself.
Alright, maybe this article was primarily an excuse for me to geek out about yokai. But I also hope it leaves you with some sense that Nioh 2 is filled with creatures that aren’t all gnashing teeth and killer instincts. And even if there are many ghostly bastards which fit that category, you unlock educational paragraphs in a lore tab the more times you defeat them. Win-win!
Learning intermingled with cute creatures and pain: that’s Nioh 2.
[Most of these images are from Nioh 2’s official Steam page, but the last two are from my PS4]
