Nioh 3 review

After Team Ninja declared the Nioh series finished following the second game, the announcement of a third installment came as a surprise. Especially for me, considering Nioh 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, with hundreds of hours clocked to get the perfect build. Well, it’s finally here, and Nioh 3 refuses to simply iterate. This is the most ambitious departure the franchise has attempted, blending precision combat with several major structural changes that feel like a culmination and evolution of everything Team Ninja has learned from previous projects.

 As a brief refresher, the first two Nioh games told relatively contained stories within Sengoku-era Japan. The original followed William Adams, an English sailor whose journey intertwined with historical figures like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzo. Nioh 2 served as a prequel, casting you as a half-yokai hybrid navigating the rise of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Both games treated history as a backdrop, and while the lore ran deep for those who sought it out, the narrative was never the primary reason to play the games.

Nioh 3 expands its scope considerably. You play as Tokugawa Takechiyo, grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who is about to inherit the title of Shogun in the year 1622. His younger brother Kunimatsu, consumed by jealousy over the succession, falls to darkness and unleashes a yokai apocalypse called the Crucible upon Japan. Takechiyo's guardian spirit Kusanagi gives him the ability to jump through time, and that's where things get interesting. 

As such, you're not stuck in one era anymore. The game takes you to the Warring States period in 1572, the Heian period in 1190, and all the way back to 247 AD where you meet Queen Himiko. But the real highlight is the Bakumatsu period of 1864. This is end-of-an-era Japan, samurai culture on its last legs, and Team Ninja runs with it. Kyoto landmarks like Kiyomizu Temple show up twisted and demon-infested.

If you played Rise of the Ronin, you'll recognize Takasugi Shinsaku and Okita Soji hanging around the Shimabara Pleasure District. The Shinsengumi also appear, wielding firearms and gatling guns in combat scenarios unlike anything the series has done before. The ambition is simply admirable, and the time-travel framework allows Team Ninja to explore Japanese history and mythology with more freedom than ever.

One of the most important and potentially divisive changes for returning players is the removal of the traditional mission select screen. Earlier Nioh games dropped you into self-contained levels, and defeating the boss returned you to a world map to pick your next stage. Nioh 3 abandons this entirely with an open field structure (different from open world). After defeating a boss, you simply continue exploring the zone with a new objective. 

These zones are considerably larger than prior Nioh levels but retain some recognizable DNA. Shortcuts back to shrines still exist. The classic loop of pushing forward, dying, and learning enemy placement remains intact. But now you have some options when you hit a wall. If you're struggling with a boss, the open-field structure means you can leave and improve elsewhere, such as grinding levels in a different zone or chasing better equipment drops, before returning for another attempt. It’s also convenient that the map lets you know what the recommended level for that area is too. There’s even the addition of Metroidvania style areas that are inaccessible until you gain access to more Guardian Spirits. 

Some sections feature enemy bases that task you with defeating a certain number of enemies while others might present you with an overpowered field boss that you shouldn’t be tackling yet. Think about the first Tree Sentinel encounter from Elden Ring. Other sections offer more breathing room with less enemy density and more exploration opportunities. The Crucible areas serve as primary difficulty spikes, visible from a distance with a dangerous red glow. Think of these like the legacy dungeons in Elden Ring. There are lesser Crucibles as well — pockets of skill checks where you’re tasked to defeat waves of increasingly difficult enemies before you can exit. 

Rise of the Ronin's influence shows most clearly in the exploration systems. Clearing bosses, destroying enemy camps, finding shrines, and completing side objectives raises your "exploration level" for each zone, unlocking stat bonuses and revealing collectible locations. New collectable creatures join the search: alongside returning Kodama and Scampuss, you now hunt Chijiko, an adorable flying weasel yokai that rewards items when caught. Yes, there is some degree of an open world checklist of busy work, but it doesn’t go overboard to the point where you’re just going through the motions. If you prefer the previous games' mission based structure, you can still take on missions via the Battle Scroll option at shrines.

The other part of Nioh 3’s identity shift is the introduction of the Samurai and Ninja Styles. Samurai Style is your classic Nioh playstyle. You have access to three weapon stances (high, mid, and low), the signature Ki Pulse mechanic for stamina recovery, and a close quarters combat philosophy. New additions include Arts Proficiency, a gauge that builds through attacking and blocking, which can be spent on enhanced Martial Arts strikes. There is also a proper Deflect mechanic now, allowing parry focused fanatics to block at the last moment for a significant advantage. I’m looking you, Sekiro fans! Samurai weapons include Swords, Odachi, Spears, and the new Caestus for brutal close-quarters brawling.

Ninja Style threw me off at first, with the Ki Pulse removed entirely. Without that safety net of stamina recovery, Ninja combat emphasizes evasion, hit-and-run tactics, and aerial mobility. Ninja style consumes less Ki overall and relies heavily on tools like throwing knives, bombs, and caltrops to control space. Ninja Style deals bonus damage from behind and excels at stealth approaches, something the series has never truly done before. Ninja weapons include Dual Ninja Swords, Kusarigama, and Talons, each stripped of traditional stances but given faster, more fluid movesets that draw clear inspiration from Ninja Gaiden, another Team Ninja staple. 

The real magic happens when switching styles mid-combat. R2 toggles instantly between Samurai and Ninja, and timing this swap before an enemy's red-glowing attack triggers Burst Break, a situational parry replacing Nioh 2's Burst Counter. You can also Burst Break with Guardian Spirit Skills once you unlock that. You can complete the game using only one style, but mastering both unlocks more impressive and expressive combat. The challenge will be learning two games' worth of mechanics, but that depth has always been Nioh's appeal. 

Guardian Spirits have also received substantial changes. Their abilities no longer drain your regular stamina meter, as they now have a dedicated meter of their own. Spirits can have up to two active skills once unlocked. The skill trees are split with each weapon type having its own dedicated progression path. You will need to find texts and scrolls in the open world to unlock higher-tier abilities, tying character growth more directly to exploration. Don’t worry, building up the Amrita Gauge still allows you to activate Living Artifact.

The mechanical density and complexity is a double-edged sword. For hardcore fans, this game offers an insane amount of depth. For newcomers, Nioh 3 can feel impenetrable. The tutorial explains basics but assumes familiarity with Ki Pulsing, stance management, and the loot economy. Jumping in cold means learning two full combat systems, dozens of complex mechanics, and an overall system that does not hold your hand. That being said, I do feel Nioh 3 is easier and more approachable compared to the first two games, with the caveat of some hard hitting difficulty spikes near the end of the game.

If you disliked Nioh's Diablo-style loot system, nothing here will change your mind. Inventory caps get hit quickly. Equipment drops constantly with incremental stat variations. You will spend chunks of time dismantling, offering, or selling piles of marginally different gear. You might find this exhausting because this game doubles down on this by requiring separate loadouts for Samurai and Ninja Styles.

The good news is that there are tools to manage this mess. Filters let you auto-dismantle items below a certain rarity. Auto-equip functions exist for those who want to focus purely on combat. And you can auto-pick up loot now, which is a nice quality of life addition. And as veterans know, loot only becomes truly meaningful in New Game Plus cycles when specific affixes and set bonuses enable absurd build synergies. Your initial playthrough of the game is simply the tutorial!

Leveling remains tied to Amrita, the souls-like currency dropped by enemies and lost upon death until retrieved. Shrines function as bonfires for resting, leveling, and fast travel. The new open-field structure adds exploration rewards like Jizo statue blessings and regional completion bonuses that provide permanent stat buffs.

Nioh's endgame has historically been where the games reveal their true depth, and won’t be fully complete until all of the DLC is out. New Game Plus cycles introduce higher difficulties and better loot tiers. This is introduced in subsequent DLCs and Nioh 3 is confirmed to have two instead of the usual three. Don’t worry, though, because the base Nioh 3 already comes packed with content and NG+ is included. An initial playthrough will take you around 40-45 hours depending on how thoroughly you explore. Beat the story and Shogun's Journey opens up with the Divine Rarity gear being introduced with Grace effects.

Multiplayer co-op returns. Summon Visitor lets you call in help for difficult encounters. Expedition mode allows groups to explore open fields together. These systems worked smoothly in Nioh 1 and 2, and does just that in the third entry as well. Don’t fix what’s not broken right? Various red and blue graves are scattered throughout the world to either challenge fallen players or summon them at the cost of Ochoko Cups.

 And now we arrive at the elephant in the room. The alpha demo showed mixed technical performance, particularly in open areas and during cutscenes. The studio acknowledged these concerns and promised improvements. Thankfully the full release is solid, with smooth frame rates and no bugs. The game did hard crash on me once though. Nioh 3 clocks in at 75.08 GB on the PS5 and takes around 19 seconds to load in from the main menu.

The art direction leans heavily on historical Japanese architecture and yokai designs rooted in folklore. The new yokai introduced are grotesquely creative, with boss encounters featuring elaborate and multi-phase shifts. The corrupted Bakumatsu-era Kyoto, with its crimson skies and demonic mountain spires, offers a visual tone distinct from the forest villages and castle interiors that filled earlier games. That being said, it’s hard to put into words, but Nioh’s art style has never been beautiful in the same way as FromSoftware's recent titles.

Enemy variety also tells a less impressive story. A significant portion of the yokai roster has been recycled from Nioh 2, which itself reused creatures from the original. Longtime fans will recognize the same Gaki, Enki, and Yoki they have been fighting for years. At least there’s a Gaki chief now! New additions exist, and some returning enemies have expanded movesets, but the recycling is still there.

Audio quality is solid. I was delighted to hear that Tao Tsuchiya, from Alice in Borderland, voices Himiko. The game features crisp combat sound design and atmospheric soundtracks blending traditional Japanese instrumentation with orchestral boss themes. However, like the enemy roster, a lot of the music appears to be carried over from Nioh 2.