Nioh 2 Remastered is indeed a free upgrade from its well-received PS4 version. It can be trickier than you’d imagine to actually find the upgrade. However, once you do, Nioh 2 is worth revisiting from an image and graphics quality standpoint. While it’s not a transformative experience like Control‘s upgrade, Nioh 2 Remastered‘s clarity, depth and enhanced texture filtering are very pleasing to the eye.
Both PS5 and PS4 Pro versions are running in their ‘Movie’ modes, output at 4K. As always, PS5 images are on the left; PS4 Pro on the right.
Resolution Matters
Pixels aren’t everything but when viewing a game like Nioh 2 or Demon’s Souls with their breath-taking detail and depth, any extra clarity is appreciated. Superior textures and a higher native resolution aren’t much on their own but synergised with better filtering and greater depth, it is something special.
Distance, Details and Scaling
Nioh 2 lacks the huge open areas of latter Souls games and rarely lets a player spy over a huge distance. However, there are occasions when the enhanced LoD of the Nioh 2 Remastered is brought to bear.
Lighting and shadows are more detailed in Nioh 2 Remastered on PS5. While the PS4 Pro version does a fine job at creating an inviting contrast and some well-chosen bloom, the addition of complex shadows puts PS5 over the top. We’ve discussed how detail and depth are enhanced by better texturing, mapping and filtering but shadows play an important part in many scenes.
In lighter areas, buffs to detail stand out all the more. Nioh 2 Remastered‘s wooded background areas look particularly good in the sunshine.
Do the minor improvements add up to a worthwhile upgrade? Is 120 frames per second tempting? Will you be playing through Nioh 2 all over again less than a year after it’s initial release? Let us know in the comments below and thanks for pixel peeping with us.
