Team Ninja had been warning about it for weeks: the latest expansion of Nioh 2, baptized as The first Samurai, offers some of the biggest challenges of the entire series. And after taking a few days with this third and last DLC since its release on December 17, I can attest to this.
With this content, this prequel to Nioh, waiting for its adaptation to PC and the remastering of both installments for PS5 next February 5, 2021. But, Was it worth waiting so long?
Prepare to suffer for this last story
Do not forget that Nioh 2 came out on PS4 on March 13, 2020, receiving its first expansion (The Disciple of the Tengu) on July 30. For the second (Penumbra in the Capital) we had to wait two and a half months, while this third and last one has just entered to say goodbye to this damn year 2020.
The first two expansions were not a panacea, but they did have their good moments and several incentives for adults to follow its story, such as being able to receive two new weapons (double rod and fists), bump into several Yokai debutants in the saga or implement another series of challenges, such as the Penance Stones. However, in The First Samurai there are no surprises.
To start here no new weapon debuts, which is already a slight disappointment, but it does not contribute a significant amount of additional Yokai either, pulling the file in some cases to rescue some of the most imposing, such as Otakemaru, one of the toughest bosses who is more aggressive here and with a more varied and powerful attack pattern than ever.
When traveling to the Heian period in AD 797, we are chronologically in the oldest era of Nioh 2, an ideal situation to learn about the past of the historical figure of Otakemaru, who unleashed his fury against the inhabitants of the province of Ise, killing an army of 30,000 men as if nothing with onmyo magic.
The first Samurai does not shine as DLC in Nioh 2
With our arrival in the area, coincidentally our first duel will be against that imposing figure, being (by far) the confrontation that has most despaired of the entire saga … and that we will not have to defeat him, but weaken him until he has left less than a third of life. But is that with a couple of blows it kills us easily and it can withstand the majority of altered states, to top it all.
Under a new, but familiar scenario (another abandoned and ruined village, plagued by Yokai of different types), this confrontation gives rise to another directly connected area, where another familiar face will make an appearance.
The problem is that this expansion sins of continuity and at no time will we feel something similar to the previous two, which at least tried to bring something new to the demanding cocktail of Nioh 2. And that, personally, I liked some of the (few) new Yokai, like the big-headed Konaki-jiji.
Having spent a couple of months since the second expansion, I was a bit untrained, it is true, although it was not difficult for me to get used to the controls considering that I am currently with Demon’s Souls, but I have noticed that this expansion has no longer hooked me like the previous two until the end. And personally I am not motivated by the additional difficulty mode, dubbed the Nioh’s Dream. It already comes to me with what there is, I don’t want to suffer anymore.
In summary, Nioh 2: The First Samurai is a less inspired expansion than the previous two, but that will undoubtedly delight the most veteran in Nioh who are looking for a challenge throughout a couple of extra missions for the story and a few secondary ones to add the usual ten in this class of expansions. All for 9,99 dollars, like the previous two, or 24,99 dollars of the season pass, which is currently offer until January 9 for 17.49 dollars.
