Nioh 2, the sequel to Team NINJA's version of a Soulslike game, was confirmed at the Tokyo Game Show 2019 to be targeting an early 2020 release on Sony's PlayStation 4. A few days later, the developers also revealed that an Open Beta test will take place between November 1st and November 10th.

　　There's still a few weeks to get there. Luckily, the folks at PlayStation Access uploaded a new 4K gameplay video that shows the full Tokyo Game Show 2019 Nioh 2 demo, including a boss fight against a rather nasty horse. Check it out below, alongside a thorough deep dive on the game from Creative Director Tom Lee.

　　As developers creating a game founded on Japanese aesthetics, we’ve always hoped to design a level covered by cherry blossoms in full bloom. So it brings us great joy and satisfaction to finally make it a reality in Nioh 2. Lucky for us, a well-known area for sakura trees called Chidorigafuchi is right next to the Team Ninja studio! This gave us the opportunity to refine our visuals with great detail and accuracy.

　　Yokai are an essential cornerstone of this franchise, and we take careful consideration when adding these mythical creatures into the game. When choosing new Yokai to implement, we go far beyond simply choosing the most popular or well-known versions. Instead, we meticulously select each creature based on their unique characteristics to effectively complement specific integrations. This approach ensures a wide range of variation and scope, which is super important in keeping players engaged and challenged!

　　Speaking of Yokai, our latest Nioh 2 demo features Mezuki — a terrifying beast adorned with a grotesque mug and wielding a deadly saw-like weapon. Its debut should make quite an impression with the players testing their Yokai combat skills at TGS. One word of advice for those looking to go toe-to-toe with Mezuki: When in the Dark Realm, ruthless Yokai become even fiercer and more powerful. Tread carefully and strike effectively.

　　Players will also encounter smaller creatures called Sudama (Sudama are actually Kodama that turned into Yokai) in The Village of Cursed Blossoms. As in their former incarnation, they are not violent but they display an unrelenting thirst for material possessions. To provide some perspective, the background image in our key art represents the contrast between the world of men and the realm of Yokai, which is a central theme of the game and the motivation behind our new half-breed protagonist. Given this duality, the Sudama was created as an antithesis to the Kodama.