After barely surviving Nioh 2's nearly 100 hour campaign, most players are at least worn out. Still, there are many who just can't get enough of the painfully unforgiving world of Japanese folklore that is developer Team Ninja's Nioh series. The Tengu's Disciple is the first of three planned DLC expansions to the sequel that honed Nioh's derivative mechanics into something that truly stands on its own two feet. Knowing that there is more to come doesn't change the fact that The Tengu's Disciple falls unexpectedly short in terms of length and content, however, even if its execution is excellent.
The Tengu's Disciple is a welcome continuation of Nioh 2's campaign, but it doesn't add anything of major significance to the game. Even with the change of setting and time period, this DLC doesn't do a lot to set itself apart. The Soulslike genre is home to many remarkable DLC expansions. Unfortunately The Tengu's Disciple doesn't do much to claim its own identity. This DLC is perfect for players who want more of the world of Nioh for a very affordable price. Players who mastered the game and its New Game Plus mode will feel right at home with this expansion, while new players may want to wait a while before putting up the extra cash.
The Tengu's Disciple is comprised of ten missions. Players may be surprised to know that of these ten, only two of them are new story missions. The rest are side missions pieced together with content derived from other sectors of Nioh's and Nioh 2's campaigns. For this reason, there are only five bosses total in the DLC, one of which is a boss straight from Nioh, while another is a tragically forgettable human antagonist. Players who have spent the appropriate amount of time leveling their character and learning the mechanics of Nioh 2 should be able to complete The Tengu's Disciple in roughly five hours.
In terms of mechanics, The Tengu's Disciple adds the Splitstaff to the already diverse loadout of available weapons. The Splitstaff starts out as a fairly simple weapon to wield, but quickly opens up with a number of skill upgrades. This weapon is exceptionally fun to use with the right technique. While players will no doubt have their favorites set in stone by now, the Splitstaff is a weapon that is more than worth getting used to. Additionally, there are a number of new armor sets and stat upgrades to be gained by players of the DLC. The game recommends that players reach at least level 120 before attempting to tackle this expansion.
Nioh is known for its wide, and often disjointed, roster of enemy types. The Yokai of Nioh and Nioh 2 are some of the most creatively designed enemies in gaming, and are made even more interesting by their close connection to Japanese folklore. The Tengu's Disciple adds a few new Yokai to the mix but surrounds them with hordes of the same enemies players were getting tired of by the end of the main game. The DLC's change of setting could have been an opportunity to do something completely new and show players a world filled with unique challenges. Instead, the DLC seems fit to continue the trend of recycling enemies from previous missions and games.
The three new story bosses are great battles, with each forcing the player to utilize different sets of skills, something appreciated by fans of unforgiving gameplay. The first two bosses are similar to what players experienced in the main game, whereas the final boss is a totally new experience. This final boss combines all of the best things about fighting against massively powerful Yokai with the maneuverability and close quarters combat that comes from fighting skilled human warriors as well. Human enemies in Nioh 2 often suffered from feeling samey or mildly annoying rather than fun, and The Tengu's Disciple final boss fixes this problem entirely.
The scenery and story of The Tengu's Disciple unfortunately lacks tone and design changes that would have better suited such a new setting. Many of the locations and mission objectives of this DLC feel like they could have been sprinkled anywhere in the main game without notice. This issue makes The Tengu's Disciple feel like more of an addon than a new adventure like other DLCs in the genre. Bloodborne's The Old Hunters DLC did a great job of giving players more of what they didn't know they wanted, placing players in a drastically different setting with almost no recycled enemy types, and it expanded on the story from new and interesting angles. Nioh 2's DLC feels like a set of missions that weren't able to be finished in time for the full release.
The Tengu's Disciple doesn't do anything to harm the overall experience of Nioh 2. It is a welcome addition to the game for players who finished the campaign and are just looking for more of what they love. On the other hand, this DLC isn't going to do much to draw in new players or give seasoned players much in the way of story to dig into. The bosses are fun and challenging, even if some of them are recycled a few too many times. New players to Nioh 2 should definitely consider saving their money until after they have completed the main story, but if they get through that 100 hours and are desperate for more, they can confidently pick up Nioh 2: The Tengu's Disciple and expect more of the same terrific gameplay - just not much else, and not as much of it as they'd perhaps like.
Nioh 2: The Tengu's Disciple is available on PlayStation 4. Screen Rant was provided with a PS4 download code for the purposes of this review.