Nioh 2

There are many games in our life that have an impact on us, regardless of language or purpose, and the entire Nioh series (so far) has been incredibly influential into what I want to do with my time and what I want to learn. When I first played Nioh 1 it was very much a double edged sword. The points in time and historical figures are accurate to a point but the game comes interlaced with mythology and folklore abound. It was an outstanding opportunity for me to learn more about the realism of the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan and the fantasy of the ghost stories of ancient times, the only downside being that the UK copy didn’t have the option to play in Japanese. Fast forward to Nioh 2, where we have more content, more mechanics and Japanese language options… I’ve never bought a game so fast in my life.

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Platforms and Language – 9/10

Nioh 2 is available on all consoles including PC and can be purchased with up to 3 of the additional DLC’s. The base game can be bought online for up to and around £35 with the game of the year edition costing about £15 dollars more. You can often find physical copies in game stores for less than this as it’s still relatively underrated but this may change with the recent release of the remaster.

The language options can easily be set through the title menu and come in a variety of languages. There are options not only for the written text but also for the spoken dialogue meaning you can set the game in whichever manner helps you learn best. You are also able to alter the subtitle settings in order to make them clearer or remove them if unneeded.

Glossary

Usability – 10/10

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First and foremost, being a heavily story based game Nioh 2 is incredibly descriptive. Throughout each single mission you will receive a mission briefing and an opening and closing cutscene. The cinematics feature clear subtitles, perfect voice acting and play out the events of the story and your character’s fictitious role in the ensuing war brilliantly. They also make for a pleasant, and often exhilarating, break away from what could otherwise be a very text-heavy behemoth of a game. These cutscenes offer an opportunity to sit back and take in language passively, with the voice acting supporting in some of the harder readings. The mission briefs are detailed but short enough to be easily digestible, they are also given by characters relating to the location or plot point you will be progressing through. This not only makes for numerous interactions with the full cast of characters but also a healthy amount of variety in manners of speech. Additionally, each cinematic and mission can be revisited at any point via the world map or base camp meaning you can review any language you missed or just practice any briefs that pique you interest.

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One aspect of Nioh that may be daunting from the start is that there is an awful lot to learn (in English or Japanese) before you can progress through the story. The combat is akin to dark souls in that you have a selection of weapons on hand, interchangeable armour and rock-hard difficulty. However the difficulty in Nioh is about 4 more added layers of understanding and intricacy relating to the combat, equipment and skills at your characters disposal. This complicated gameplay does come with the added advantage of an abundance of guides and menus, all brilliantly laid out with the option to view further details if needed. Simply by pushing the start button in a menu you can scroll through each listing and be provided with a short excerpt telling you the meaning of almost any data point that can be found within the game. This helps in not only learning the word but also the language around it and a deeper understanding of how the word is used. The types of menus range from your characters own stats, which are short and statistical, all the way to the skill trees which are much more descriptive and use cause and effect language, as well as a handy video to guide you through some of the trickier descriptions.

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Each and every item, weapon and tool in the game comes with a beautifully written description of the origin, time period and usage. Even the simplest of items is broken down into its constituent parts and explained as if it were a museum piece. These descriptions are a brilliant balance of being short enough that you can take the time to learn them intermittently throughout your playthrough but long enough that you can squeeze every morsel of world building for its creative and learning benefits. Certain rarer items tie directly to figures throughout the story and as such feature additional tidbits into their lives and roles in history. As a counter to the difficult language each item also comes with a phonetic reading of its title at the start of the description, which at the very least will confirm the reading but can also help your development of understanding older or more unusual kanji readings. Your equipment and skill management is a huge factor in how well you will progress through the game but luckily there are many features in the world map where you can increase your chances of survival. Each of these comes with a respective NPC and additional dialogue options that are included for the sole purpose of educating you into the mechanics or their role in the war. Each section is fully fleshed out and engaging, with unique vocabulary and plenty of encouragement to master your understanding in order to improve your playthrough.

The brightest jewel in Nioh’s crown is the gallery. This feature put making language learning challenges on the map for me. Every character, youkai and guardian spirit that you interact with in game will be entered into an archive of tales and history. Here you will find descriptions similar to that of the equipment entries but taken to the next level. The character gallery is fascinating in itself as it reiterates the events of the chapters of the story specific to each character’s entry as well as adding unseen legends of what made them so memorable in their conquests. The youkai gallery is the highlight for me as this tells the origins of the stars of the show, the demons. These entries explain how culture and hearsay moulded these monsters into very believable fables and superstitions. You may have even heard of some of the more common youkai, such as the kappa, but now you can use the mystifying ghouls to better your descriptive reading. The language throughout these pages is much more difficult than the rest of the game, often referencing olden Japanese states and character and place names that may be hard to find in your standard dictionary, but if tackled it can make your ability to form and understand intricate compound sentences much stronger.

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Nioh 2 has countless strengths when it comes to learning. The game has more vocabulary than almost any other that I have seen and provides a variety of tools to help you navigate the language. I understand my view of the game is heavily biased, as I have a huge interest in history and asian military conquest, but for one, I imagine a lot of people share this interest, and for two, this does not detract from the sheer quality and volume of content to explore here. If anything this highlights the message of Games and Kanji in that you can find immense benefit if you can find a game that features other aspects of your hobbies. All in all, this one gets my 10 out of 10 as I owe it a lot.

Challenges and Methods – 10/10

Gallery entries

Pick a menu, any menu

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