Summary
Nioh 3 is Team Ninja firing on all cylinders. Combat hits harder and feels more varied than anything else in the genre right now. This is the action RPG to beat this year.
Developer – Team Ninja
Publisher – Koei Tecmo
Platforms – PC, PS5 (Reviewed)
Review copy given by publisher
While the modern gaming market is basically drowning in Souls-like clones that can’t seem to find their own voice, Team Ninja has stayed the course. Their Nioh series has always carved out a niche by choosing blistering speed and technical aggression over the usual “wait and see” patience found in the genre. With Nioh 3, they have built the definitive action RPG for this console generation. The game still lugs around some clunky baggage from its aging engine and a story that is a bit of a maze, but it makes up for those flaws with a combat system of ridiculous depth. For fans, it is a must play.
The story itself is the most daring the series has ever tried. It uses a time-travel hook to give you a “greatest hits” tour of Japanese history. Things kick off in 1622 with you playing as Tokugawa Takechiyo, grandson of the great Shogun Ieyasu. The stakes are personal because your younger brother, Kunimatsu, has fallen into darkness and is leading a yokai army against you.
With the help of a guardian spirit named Kusanagi, you hop through time to fix the mess. You are dropped into the Warring States period in 1572 to deal with Takeda Shingen, then sent back to the Heian era in 1190 to meet Minamoto no Yoshitsune. You even end up in the distant past of 247 AD to tangle with King Hiruko.
Of course, as is common for these games, the plot eventually fades into the background. Unless you are a major history buff, the constant flood of names and dates is going to get confusing.
Combat is where Nioh 3 really draws a line in the sand. Its complexity is easily on par with, and maybe even ahead of, what FromSoftware is doing. The big change this time is the split between Samurai and Ninja playstyles. Samurai style is for the purists. It focuses on stances, heavy hits, and that classic Ki Pulse mechanic. They also added a perfect parry called Deflect.
On the flip side, the Ninja style changes everything as it ignores blocking to focus on raw speed and dodging. This style is all about where you stand, giving you huge damage bonuses if you hit enemies from the back. Samurai style gets the swords, dual swords, spears, odachi, and fists while Ninja style uses ninja swords, kusarigama, hatchets, and talons.
The real genius is that you can swap these styles right in the middle of a fight. This opens up a massive ceiling for high-level play. You could be trading blows with a heavy odachi in Samurai mode, then suddenly flip into Ninja mode to backflip over a boss and throw a wall of kunai. It looks amazing in motion.
All of this is tied together by the Onmyo Box system, which lets you turn Soul Cores into usable talismans or summon yokai allies. That being said, the sheer number of bars, stats, and interlocking systems is going to be a nightmare for new players. Also, the loot drops are still relentless. You will spend a lot of time doing the “inventory chore” of cleaning out your bags.
The biggest structural shift is the move to an open-field design. Gone is the mission select screen, because now you have huge, connected regions to explore. Each map has an “Exploration Level” system, which tracks your progress in a region from 0 to 4.
You raise this level up by doing things in the world: taking enemy bases, clearing Lesser Crucibles, finding Kodamas, or petting those round Scampuss yokai. You even have to shoot down Chijiko, which are these cute, weasel-like creatures. Raising your level unlocks more of the map and makes fast traveling easier. You will also find Jizo Statues that give you buffs to help with the difficulty, plus Samurai and Ninja Locks that you need to unlock new moves on the skill tree.
Even with the open world, Team Ninja kept the tight feel of their old levels by using “Crucibles.” These are mandatory dungeons that act as checkpoints. They feature a brutal “Life Corrosion” mechanic where taking a hit actually lowers your maximum health. The only way to get that health back is to stay aggressive and damage your enemies.
Technically, the game is fine on the PlayStation 5. Performance mode usually hits 60 FPS to keep things smooth, but the open areas can stutter when there are too many enemies on screen. The engine is definitely showing some grey hairs, but it gets the job done. Not having the 120 FPS mode that Nioh 2 had is a disappointment though.
The art direction is great, but the textures can look flat and outdated compared to other big current-gen games. It can also be hard to see what is happening when the screen is full of particles and flashing UI bars. Luckily, the audio is top-tier. Every sword clank feels heavy, and the shamisen and taiko drums in the soundtrack make every fight feel like a big event.
There is plenty to do once the credits roll. You can dive into Battle Scrolls for optional side missions or track down Bloodedge Demons, which are super-bosses that spawn from the malice of dead players. New Game Plus is back too, with better gear rarity and higher caps. You can also play co-op in Expeditions with up to three people. They use a shared “Assist Gauge” for revives, which works well, though it is a bummer that there is no cross-play between PC and PS5.
Nioh 3 is Team Ninja firing on all cylinders. Combat hits harder and feels more varied than anything else in the genre right now. This is the action RPG to beat this year.
