It’s hard not to be excited about playing Nioh 2 on PC. Given the choice, I tend to prefer the PC version of any given game. PC’s advantages are clear, but I usually go there for higher framerates above anything else.
The PS4 release of Nioh 2, like its predecessor, offers a 60fps Action Mode that made it hard to just wait for the inevitable PC version to arrive. But fans of Team Ninja’s work know that the studio doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to PC ports.
The original game’s own PC release is a good example. When I looked at it at launch in 2017, I found it to be a straight console port with barely any options to customise, and poor utilisation of the hardware at that. It did the job, and Team Ninja later patched it with better keyboard and mouse support, but it remains a functional, if not brilliant port.
Team Ninja is already talking up Nioh 2’s PC port, with support for high framerates, HDR, ultra-wide resolutions, mouse and keyboard, and a customisable set of graphics settings – so I was curious to learn more about the studio’s approach to PC this time around.
Team Ninja confirmed to VG247 that the framerate is capped at 120fps in Nioh 2 on PC. The PC version will, however, offer 30fps, 60fps, and 120fps caps, but no way to completely unlock the framerate.
“As this is a very intense action game, we have put a limit on FPS options that are supported,” the developer revealed over email. Beyond that, you can expect Nioh 2 on PC to be on the same level as the PS5 remaster, which releases the same day, for the most part.
Some features will unsurprisingly only be available on PS5, but Team Ninja didn’t specify what those are, though the developer hinted at them being mostly related to the PS5’s hardware and peripherals, so likely DualSense support and things of that nature.
Those of us who already put dozens of hours into last year’s PS4 release will be able to transfer their progress to PS5, but sadly not PC. This was admittedly a long shot, but we asked Team Ninja about the possibility anyway. The developer also did not answer our question about cross-play being added down the line.
With Team Ninja now wrapping up work on Nioh 2, I was curious whether the hardware capabilities of the PS5 will alter the way the developer creates games going forward. The worlds of both Nioh games, for instance, are made out of smaller levels – will having an ultra-fast SSD in every PS5 dictate a change in design approach for Team Ninja’s next project?
“I don’t have any definitive statements to make regarding our next project, but I will say it’s possible,” game director Fumihiko Yasuda said.
Yasuda explained that the linear structure of Nioh’s levels was actually born out of a desire to reduce load times on PS4. Nioh games are tough, so Team Ninja expected most of us to die a lot, and the developer didn’t want players to spend any longer than necessary waiting to try again.
“The PS5 appears to allow for faster load times even in open world titles and games with seamless stages. I would definitely like to take on the challenge of making an open world game in the future,” Yasuda added.
Nioh 2 Complete Edition arrives February 5 on Steam and PS5. A remaster of the original game will also be available on the same day, as part of The Nioh Collection on PS5 (but not PC).
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