Nioh 2: Assassin's Creed Shadows vs Nioh 2: Similarities and differences explored

Assassin's Creed Shadows and Nioh 2 are the latest installments in their respective franchises. The former is part of the long-running series of action-adventure titles helmed by Ubisoft, while the latter is the second installment in the prominent soulslike IP developed by Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden).

This article explores the various similarities and differences between Assassin's Creed Shadows and Nioh 2.

Similarities between Assassin's Creed Shadows and Nioh 2

1) RPG elements

Both the titles have a large variety of loot (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

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Both Assassin's Creed Shadows and Nioh 2 are action RPGs. They have combat focused around loot, with its rarity determining the damage. The better equipment also provides you with buffs, but in the end, it's all about choosing the gear that best suits your build. It's not just about weapons either, players also need to choose the best armor to maximize their defense as well.

2) Set in Japan

Japan is the main setting in both the titles (Image via Koei Tecmo)

While their tone is different, both the games are set in Feudal Japan, marked by the rule of Shogunates and Daimyos. This was an era where pure offensive power was the signifier of strength, which is why emperors weren't the governors during this period. Both games also take place close to each other, with a key character, the prominent warlord Oda Nobunaga appearing in both.

3) Focus on melee combat

Melee combat is the main focus of both titles (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

Both Assassin's Creed Shadows and Nioh 2 are games that focus on melee combat. Even stealth in the former sees you reach behind the target undetected and take him down. While there are ranged weapons in both of them, they aren't the main focus, considering the amount of chaos you can deal with melee-based weapons.

Differences between Assassin's Creed Shadows and Nioh 2

1) How both approach combat

Nioh 2 has high-octane, fluid, difficult but satisfying combat system (image via Koei Tecmo)

Assassin's Creed Shadows hosts a more cinematic combat system, where stylish abilities are displayed with slow-motion effects, artistic filters are used to enhance visual aesthetics, and camera zooms accompany special takedown animations. Various distinct animations blend together to create a fight that has the choreography or movements of a stylized Japanese action film.

Nioh 2's combat, on the other hand, chooses function over style, as seen by its extensive depth of combat. The game's weapon variety is massive, with each weapon type feeling unique and distinct. Its stance system is an important mechanic players should understand to maximize their damage. There are other concepts at play, like elemental effects, yokai mode, flash attacks, etc.

2) World structure

Shadows follows an open-world structure (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

Assassin's Creed Shadows follows an open-world structure. This means that once you get free reign, you can explore the map however you want, engaging in different activities at your leisure. This allows players the freedom to explore the world at their leisure. The regions are filled with different enemies to fight and collectibles to hunt.

Nioh 2, on the other hand, follows a linear mission-based map structure. Meaning there is no open world. Instead, you select the quest from the world map screen, and the game plops you in it. This cuts all the downtime that would be present in open-world titles and instead lets the players immediately explore the big quest related regions of the game as they try to reach the next boss.

3) Action-adventure vs souls-like gameplay loop

Nioh 2 is one of the best soulslikes in recent times (Image via Koei Tecmo)

Shadows has a more linear gameplay loop, focusing on the gear you acquire. The enemies you kill in Points of Interest take longer to respawn (unless you desynchronize and have to replay the part again) and the game also uses checkpoints to save progress. The main draw of these games is experiencing the moment-to-moment combat encounters and experiencing the story.

Nioh 2, on the other hand, is about leveling yourself up by fighting enemies. Aside from your equipment, you also have to focus on leveling up your own stats like constitution, heart, courage, etc. The normal mobs respawn every time you rest at a shrine. The most exciting part of these games is trying to defeat the numerous unique, distinct, and tough-as-nails boss fights.

Check out our other guides on Shadows:

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba