The first two Nioh games showed a lot of potential, with each one refining the features of its predecessor. The sequel moved away from a fixed protagonist, allowing players to create their own character with greater customisation and flexibility to suit unique playstyles. Combating Yokai has always been the heart of the series, blending elements of Dark Souls with Koei Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden to deliver visceral action centred on varied stances and weapon types. However, both games were held back by certain design choices, like the stop-and-go rhythm of constantly checking loot and the sterile stages chosen from an uninspired mission board. Does Nioh 3 shake things up with its seamlessly connected environments and dual combat styles?
It’s the beginning of the Edo period, when Tokugawa Takechiyo is poised to become the next shogun, and like always, all hell breaks loose as Yokai invade the lands. The plot focuses on defeating the “Crucible” after demons threaten the stability of the new shogunate, and nobody can stop them except the player’s avatar. The story feels as if Koei Tecmo took Samurai Warriors and took cues from Elden Ring‘s vast scope.
There’s some time travel involved, and gamers will find themselves in the chaotic Sengoku era, meeting infamous Japanese historical figures; some who are helpful and others who want to clash blades. Places like Edo Castle, Tōtōmi, and Kyoto, featuring characters such as Takeda Shingen and Minamoto no Yoshitsune, are sure to delight history buffs with their amusing interpretations. For the most part, the plot fades into the background, drowned out by the shrieks of a mermaid oni and the wet, squelching sounds of a nodachi slicing it open.
While the story is there for the most part, the real story is moments where players are immersed in the setting and trying to overcome unbelievable odds. Unlike its predecessors, Nioh 3 scraps the mission board format and immerses players in a vast, interconnected world where they can roam freely, uncover secrets at their own pace, and occasionally end up flattened into a brown smear on a mountainside by a massive ogre.
Admittedly, the level design isn’t as imaginative as the titles designed by FromSoftware, or even Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. The world is on the generic side, mostly featuring temples, mountain towns, blockades, and fortresses with a standard historical Japanese flavour. The most notable change is the weather. It’s honestly unclear why the demons and shogunate are fighting. Let the demons win. All they do is turn the sky red. The constant red all the time actually got visually exhausting after a while.
The biggest disappointment is not the lack of imagination or style; it’s just that the layouts are boring. There’s still plenty to see and do, with side objectives carrying over from past Nioh games, but this time the experience feels more cohesive and less like a string of disconnected levels tied together by a menu. Loot is still overly abundant, slowing the action to a crawl with the constant need to dump most of it, as the RNG usually leads to piles of useless gear.
The core of Nioh 3 lies in its combat, featuring a dual combat style mechanic. The high, middle, and low stances are still present and accounted for, but now the custom hero can switch between samurai and ninja styles on top of the stances. Both styles are distinct and offer such unique experiences that they feel like fully developed playstyles worthy of their own standalone games.
Compounded with the various weapon types that change with either samurai or ninja styles, Nioh 3 impresses with its mechanical depth and variety. The thing is, players can’t stick to just one style and will need to use both depending on the situation. While that might sound fun to some, it also reduces the chance for unique builds or purely samurai or ninja-focused experiences.
Combat depends on players managing their Ki Pulse through rhythmic, well-timed trigger presses between attacks. Only as a samurai can Ki be generated, which is crucial for purifying the environment of demonic corruption. Ninjas don’t have this feature, which makes them more situational. It’s disappointing, since as a ninja, the hero feels much faster and more responsive while also having access to ninpo abilities. The playstyles are so distinct that the character creator lets players make ninja and samurai into two separate characters if they choose.
Mist, the ninja’s counterpart to Ki Pulse, is an optional skill that creates an afterimage. When enemies touch the afterimage, it restores extra Ki, making it function similarly to Ki Pulse, but without the purification. The game focuses on well-timed Deflects and Burst Break parries, though some skills help by extending the timing windows for these moves. Perks once tied to specific weapons in earlier titles are now available as optional skills. As an example, one skill generates a Ki Pulse from stamina used on regular blocks, catering to defensive samurai-style play. This effect, previously exclusive to Blessed weapons in Nioh 2, no longer requires obtaining that specific weapon type.
It’s still pretty easy to break the game with old tricks like stun-locking basic enemies using fast combat styles and weapons. Most regular foes are a breeze to cheese, but bosses remain a standout challenge with their unrelenting and intimidating presence and frightening speed, even if on this third outing the experience is much easier than ever before.
