Happy holidays yokai hunters! As promised, I’m excited to announce the harrowing conclusion to Nioh 2, The First Samurai*, the final DLC expansion of our story from Team Ninja, is available today.
To commemorate this occasion, I wanted to bring you some insight into the development of this third and concluding expansion which will bring our protagonist to the beginning of the Heian Period (794 – 1185), taking them further into the past than ever before in the saga.
As mentioned above, The First Samurai takes you to the beginning of the Heian Period, far back into the past of Japan’s ancient history. At this period in time, Japanese swords as we know them today did not even exist! Weapons with the general shape of straight swords with a slight curvature started to be produced at this point in history. With the story being brought this far back into the past, we contemplated on what equipment and yokai we would include. Only yokai from this period or earlier could be included, so we put a lot of time into evaluating which ones would be appropriate for this expansion. Or at the very least, include yokai that felt believable to be present during this time period.
This expansion will put on full display the fearsome and terrifying Oni, Otakemaru, while also revealing the inner emotions of many of the characters that will appear throughout your adventure. As you journey through the new locations found in The First Samurai, all of the mysteries presented in the base game will be revealed to bring a definitive end to the exciting Nioh 2 story. We put in a lot of effort to highlight the beauty of this area while contrasting it with the ominous “land where yokai reside”, which should make even the most seasoned player tremble with fear. Our designers strived to leave everyone with a lasting impression of this awe-inspiring area. I hope you will look forward to learning more about it when you venture through the final chapter for yourself.
The legend of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who is said to have defeated Otakemaru, is the oldest recorded story in Japanese history of a military personnel working for the Imperial Court, and one of the most well-known stories in Japan as well. He is recognized by many to be Japan’s first Shogun, and his story has been passed down through the generations through numerous retellings, causing many different variations of his legend to arise over the years.
So, in keeping with this tradition, we wanted to contribute our own variation of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro’s legend.
I hope that even fans of historically accurate retellings of his tale can recognize the many over-the-top ways his story has been told and look at our retelling, chuckle to themselves, and see past the liberties we have taken with the story. We hope all of you will enjoy this new version of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro’s story and potentially explore other retellings as well.
This brings an end to the riveting tales behind our Nioh 2 DLC expansions. We hope you’ve enjoyed the journey and will be entertained with The First Samurai, as you experience the heart-pounding conclusion to the Nioh 2 story!
While this ends the epic saga, we hope all of our yokai hunters will look towards the future and experience both Nioh and Nioh 2 on PlayStation 5 through The Nioh Collection, or each of the games sold separately through Nioh Remastered – The Complete Edition and Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition, also available on PS5 console.
For any users that have not made the jump to PS5 yet, you can experience the entire Nioh 2 story through Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition on PlayStation 4 console. All of these titles will be available on February 5, 2021.
Also, for all of our veteran players out there, by purchasing all 3 of the DLC expansions for Nioh 2 (PS4) you can gain access to the final difficulty level: Dream of the Nioh (also available to Nioh 2 Season Pass holders and to be available in the upcoming Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition on PS4 and Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition on PS5).
Thanks again for joining us on this thrilling adventure through the world of Nioh 2. We raise our swords as we wish you and your families a Happy Holiday season and an even happier New Year! Cheers samurai!
*Nioh 2 (PS4) required to play “The First Samurai” DLC expansion (sold separately or as part of the Nioh 2 Season Pass. “The First Samurai” DLC expansion will also be available as part of the upcoming Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition on PS4 and Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition on PS5.