Nioh 2 beta goes live in November and the "masocore" sequel definitely won't have an easy mode

Earlier this week we found out the highly-anticipated sequel for Nioh – called Nioh 2 predictably enough! – was slated to release in early 2020. But if that seems just too long a wait right now, PlayStation made an announcement earlier today that might cheer you up: there's a free open beta coming in November, and it's thought the beta will be available to all, not just PS+ subscribers.

"Yokai hunters, ready to face the Dark Realm?" PlayStation teased on Twitter. "Play the Nioh 2 Open Beta starting November 1 to 10, available at PS Store."

That's not the only Nioh-flavoured news we have, either. Talking in a behind-closed-doors Tokyo Game Show presentation over the weekend, producer Fumihiko Yasuda reportedly said that while there will be new multiplayer modes for cooperative play, there won't be an easy setting. More interestingly still, the difficulty stacks, too, so the more pals you have to help you out, the harder the combat will be.

"The game is a so-called Masocore game, so we want the difficulty to be the same for everyone, even if you may be able to see people beat the bosses on YouTube and that sort of stuff," said Yasuda, according to Twinfinite.

"Yet we do have things to help out players, for example, the Benevolent Graves and three-player multiplayer, and we do think those will be a big helping hand for people to beat the game."

A new Nioh 2 video finally gave it an official release window earlier this week: you can look forward to the Souls-inspired action returning to PlayStation 4 in early 2020. 

Missed the first one? There's plenty of time to catch up. 

"But for all the ways Nioh falls short of the series it's so closely imitating, it's still rife with moments of personal glory, where you can almost feel your skills evolving in real time," we said in our original Nioh review from 2017. "After you've got to grips with the minutiae of the overly complex combat, you'll be busting out flashy combos worthy of a true samurai, and easily slaying enemies that used to make you cower in fear. Every time you read the words 'Freed from this mortal coil' - Nioh's version of 'You died' - it just makes it all the sweeter when you finally break through what formerly felt like a brick wall of difficulty. For those seeking to test their action RPG skills, Nioh is a worthwhile challenge just waiting to be overcome."

Find more to play in the meantime in our list of the best PS4 games.