After teasing an "early 2020" release for
Nioh 2 last month, Team Ninja officially announced that the game will release for PlayStation 4 on March 13, 2020.
Nioh 2 is an action-adventure, role-playing game that blends Japanese myth, legend, and history. Described as a "Samurai Dark Souls" by some, the game sees you play as a mysterious half-human, half-supernatural Yokai warrior exploring the violent Sengoku-era Japan and deadly Dark Realm, both of which are plagued with merciless demons.
Team Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda explained that the reason for the long wait was to give the team time to "achieve a 'genuine evolution' from Nioh."
I know many of you have been waiting and we thank you for your patience while we worked to set an official date. One of the primary reasons for not rushing to set a launch date was to ensure that we can achieve a “genuine evolution” from Nioh, which to us meant that we needed to bring in fresh new elements while retaining the things that we felt were right from the first game. Although there weren’t enough significant changes in the Alpha, we now feel that we have come much closer to reaching our goals.
Fans will be able to get a sneak peek at the game thanks to an open beta demo that will be available starting November 1. The demo will be available to everyone and will give players a taste of
Nioh 2's character customization feature, the new Switchglaive weapon, and more.
The demo kicks off in a place called the Interim, a safe zone where you can choose your weapons, test out basic moves and transition to a real stage when you are ready. You'll then begin your journey on the stage Sunomata.
"This stage is based on the Sunomata castle which by some accounts was constructed in just one night by Hideyoshi," revealed Yasuda.
"The experience will be an interpretation of historical actualities combined with a healthy injection of Yokai adventure!"
If you successfully complete this stage, you will earn The Mark of the Demon Slayer, a reward that unlocks the Kamaitachi Helmet from the in-game Shrine once the full game launches next year.
Nioh 2 is now available for pre-order from the PlayStation Store. If you haven't played the original game, it
will be available for free to PlayStation Plus subscribers starting on November 5.