Nioh 3

I’m 70 hours into this beast and still finding new things to try out, new mechanics to unpack and unlocking new combos to try in battle...The roller coaster ride has barely started, and I hope it never ends.

There’s no doubt that Nioh 3 is the best game in the series. Even though everything has been streamlined and made easier and more fun, it’s hard to make a Nioh game easy for a newcomer to the series. There are two things that will help new players from having an easier time in Nioh 3. One of them is reading each of the dedicated tutorials in the game. The second one is simply practicing everything that the game teaches you. If you’re on the fence about the game’s difficulty, don’t be. Nioh 3 offers so many ways of defeating every challenge in the game that it would be a pity to lose on so much fun just because of a misconception. Nioh 3 has everything that a fan of the franchise had dreamed of and more. I don’t think I need to recommend this to those who loved the previous titles, but as fan who developed an obsession for the series, let me just say that Nioh 3 absolutely blew my mind.

Nioh 3 is a conscious and surprisingly ambitious evolution. Team Ninja chose not to abandon the identity built over time, preferring to refine and expand upon it with ideas that deeply impact the rhythm and structure of the experience. The new duality between samurai and ninja is a systemic addition that enriches the combat system like never before, making it freer, more creative, and more layered, without sacrificing the technical and punishing soul that has always distinguished the series. The open maps, while not groundbreaking, finally give breathing room to a progression that was more mechanical in the past, transforming grinding into exploration and repetition into discovery. Certainly, the recycling of assets and an activity structure that feels somewhat dated prevent the game from reaching truly memorable heights in terms of wonder and presentation, but these limitations weigh less than one might expect, thanks to a constant sense of growth and a consistently rewarding reward system. A title that demands a lot from the player in terms of attention, study, and dedication, but gives back just as much to those willing to embrace its complexity: undoubtedly the most complete, mature, and satisfying Nioh ever made.

In our review of the PC version of Nioh 3, we examine the series' new game, which combines action with an alternative take on Japanese history.

Nioh 3 feels like a natural evolution of the ideas that Team Ninja has been refining for years in not just Nioh, but their other action RPG titles as well. The expanded exploration, new combat styles, and improved systems give the game a greater sense of scale without losing too much of its identity that defines the series. What ultimately makes Nioh 3 excel is how rewarding its combat feels once everything begins to click. Switching styles mid-fight, managing Ki efficiently, and making smart use of abilities creates an exhilarating flow that few action RPGs hit. While some players may miss the tighter level design of previous entries and others may find the layered mechanics daunting, the overall experience remains incredibly rewarding. In the end, Nioh 3 refines what the series has always done best, Its deep combat, making it one of the most enthralling Soulslike action RPGs to play today.

Nioh 3 is my favorite game so far this year, hands down. The combat is exquisite with new mechanics that complement the refinements from the previous two games, while the open-world levels fit right in with the series. The story may not be the most memorable, but the action makes up for it completely. This is now my all-time favorite soulslike, and if you have a computer powerful enough to run it, I can happily recommend it with ease.

The great challenge for Team Ninja with Nioh 3 was to take a solid foundation already beloved by fans of the franchise and elevate it to a new level alongside the industry’s major titles. Although I believe this goal has not yet been fully achieved, Nioh 3 represents the consolidation not only of the franchise but of all the work Team Ninja has developed over the years. The result is a game that, while not perfect, easily stands among the best soulslike titles in the industry, making it a recommendation not only for longtime veterans but also for anyone who has yet to experience what Nioh has to offer.

Nioh 3 is not without flaws: It could be more expansive, offer a wider variety of weapons, and feature a more diverse bestiary. Even so, it stands as the most entertaining soulslike since Elden Ring. The ability to switch between samurai and ninja adds new depth to combat, while the option to tailor a fighting style to personal preference works exceptionally well. The thoughtfully designed open world encourages exploration without compromising the game’s tough but fair difficulty. For fans of the series and the genre alike, it represents a clear high point of the trilogy.

Nioh 3 does it all. And just when you think it has finished doing things, it does some more. Frequently the combat feels akin to a fighting game, the loot and systems surrounding it are reminiscent of true ARPGs, and, of course, it's a soulslike at its core. Yet even as it is doing the most, it takes great pains to ensure the player has all the information they need. While the open-world formula is a little clunky in execution, it remains strong in so many other areas, so it overshadows those shortcomings quite a bit. And the game wraps all of its systems and mechanics in beautiful recreations of historic Japan that are both visually and audibly enjoyable. It's time for Nioh to come out from under the games that inspired it in the first place, and Nioh 3 is proof of that. It's a combat delight through its worlds, with two fighting styles seamlessly blended together, even as it offers a nearly endless stream of challenges and expectations.

Nioh 3 is everything I wanted from a sequel to Nioh 2, and yet, somehow so much more. One of the best soulslikes yet.

Even in a genre that’s become as saturated as the soulslike, there’s still nothing that hits quite like the Nioh series, and Nioh 3 stands out as the best of the trilogy. The move to an open world structure isn’t perfect, but the rewarding exploration, gorgeous landscapes, and thrilling optional boss battles mostly cover any minor issues. Strap on top of that best-in-class combat, hugely customizable build crafting, a lengthy campaign with a deep New Game+ mode where the loot system actually shines, and a godsend of an auto-equip feature before you get there, and you’ve got yet another Team Ninja banger that sits at the top of the soulslike genre.

Team Ninja clearly understands what fans of the Nioh series are looking for. As a result, Nioh 3 feels like a Warriors Orochi-style entry made specifically for the Nioh franchise.

Team Ninja has leveraged the studio’s years of experience to make Nioh 3 feel the most interesting out of any game in the series. Being accessible doesn’t mean that the game makes compromises with its intended audience. Nioh 3 can also be the studio’s most devilish endeavor. The inclusion of so many options and flexibility, both in combat and exploration, means that frustration is kept at a minimum in a genre known for its challenge, while maintaining the friction necessary for triumph to taste oh so sweet.

Nioh 3 is a masterpiece! A super complete action RPG, more accessible than the previous installments, with excellent replayability and, above all, an absolutely brilliant combat system. The samurai and ninja modes, the culmination of Team Ninja's expertise, blend together perfectly and form the foundation of a generous and addictive experience. The open areas are always designed to facilitate progression, and the co-op mode is the perfect finishing touch. A must-play for fans of the genre.

Nioh 3 refines the soulslike concept in almost every way, morphing all frustrations into pure fun. It's an innovation the genre desperately needs, learning from other games and turning that into the most universal soulslike experience to date.

Nioh 3 is a brilliant evolution of the series’ formula. This third entry mostly heightens the strengths of its predecessors, while simultaneously streamlining and improving things that didn’t work so well. Meanwhile, its emphasis on switching between Samurai and Ninja styles - in addition to a successful shift to a semi-open-world format - makes Nioh 3 the franchise's most fleshed-out and polished experience to date.

Nioh 3 doesn't reinvent the series, and it does not need to. Instead, Team Ninja refines nearly every system the franchise has built over the years and layers meaningful additions on top. The dual combat styles, interconnected world, improved co-op structure, and player-friendly respec system all feel like natural evolutions rather than gimmicks.

I absolutely adore Nioh 3. It's one of the best Soulslikes I've played in ages, quite possibly since Elden Ring itself, and while it's not as large (thankfully), the way it breaks everything down and gives you endless flexibility means that it's just fun to play. There are layers upon layers of systems to master and learn about, but the fact that this game is a blast to play never goes away. Do not miss out on this.

While Nioh 3 retains some legacy issues like complex menus and modest visuals, it successfully evolves the series through exhilarating combat that harmonizes two distinct styles and a rewarding open-field experience. The exceptional polish of its action and world design overshadows these flaws, delivering an addictive and thrilling journey that is hard to put down.

Nioh 3 impresses with open levels that combine familiar ideas with a dynamic and unrestricted combat system.

Nioh 3 is an excellent game with very few rough edges in the moment to moment gameplay. It’s a ton of fun, well made, beautiful looking, and full of content. Another excellent addition to the series, there’s little to desire short of hoping they put some more effort into the storyline. But… that’s not what anyone is here for anyway, so you can essentially just write it off as a con. Boss fights are unique, stylish, and flow well. Chaff enemies even require you to get used to their patterns and offer a bit of challenge on their own. Everything is here to make for a stellar experience for any Nioh fan or Soulslike enjoyer looking for something new to explore. Obviously considering my notes on the lacking storyline, you needn’t worry about having played the previous games. Just hop in and give Nioh 3 a shot.

Nioh 3 stands out even in an era when the soulslike genre has become overly crowded. While its open-world structure isn't flawless, it largely achieves its goals thanks to the exploration motivation it offers, its visual quality, and its side content. Add to this a top-tier combat system, two distinct gameplay modes, deep build options, a lengthy narrative structure, and the wealth of content in New Game+, and you have a game that competes at the very top of its genre.

Nioh 3 delivers a masterful, deep combat system, expertly blending samurai and ninja styles for unparalleled flexibility and customization. Its expansive boss encounters are often thrilling, yet the game suffers from an undercooked narrative and repetitive enemy design. Uninspired level layouts and an uneven difficulty curve occasionally shift the experience from a rewarding challenge to a frustrating grind.

Nioh 3 successfully evolves the series by blending its hardcore souls-like roots with improved accessibility and a visually stunning combat system. While the time-traveling narrative and semi-open world can feel repetitive, the depth of customization and fluid mechanics make it the most refined entry to date.

Unlike many developers who attempted to replicate FromSoftware’s formula, Team NINJA successfully blended those ideas with its own design solutions from previous titles, allowing Nioh to stand out from the very beginning. Nioh 3 also feels closer than ever to Ninja Gaiden, thanks to the effective integration of both “samurai” and “ninja” playstyles. This is a worthy continuation of the series, one that can be confidently recommended to both longtime fans and anyone who appreciates hardcore action games.

In the end, despite some technical performance issues, Nioh 3 manages to deliver a punishing adventure, while remaining extremely rewarding when you finally manage to defeat the game's bosses, or simply get through a difficult region of the map, or find a cool item after spending hours trying to find it. Even though at times it may seem that managing your build is more important than learning the bosses' attack patterns, the adventure and challenge more than compensate for what some might consider negative points.

Nioh 3 is a massive, thrilling action-RPG that masterfully expands the series with new combat styles, sprawling maps, and fantastical Japanese history.

Although highly formulaic, this open-world adventure is incredibly engaging because both the action and the completion of numerous tasks, including the extensive character development associated with them, feel excellent.

The first Nioh marked a great debut for a long-dormant project that had been considered vaporware at one point, and Nioh 2 refined both the mechanics and the storytelling style. In places, Nioh 3 feels like a manufactured return to the series, changing up the formula and resulting in a more mixed bag, and that's what Nioh 3 turned out to be in my eyes. If you come to Nioh primarily for fights and challenges, you will enjoy this new game because it brings an even more varied action combat system. Overall though, those also hoping to find compelling storytelling and worldbuilding might end up finding those aspects rather lackluster. I sincerely hope Team Ninja can use this lesson should they ever get to make a Wo Long 2.

Thanks to larger worlds and more dynamic combat, Nioh 3 is a must-have title for fans of the series. However, boring loot, a weak story, and mediocre visuals remain core problems of the franchise.

The most innovative Nioh game to date, but if you’re already burned out on the formula from the first two games, it still might not hook you.

Nioh 3 is the culmination of a decade spent exploring different approaches across several games in the same franchise, as well as attempts to create new ones. One might have thought that the transition to an open world would have caused it to lose its identity, but this is not the case. Team Ninja delivers a solid and very demanding action game here, and sometimes even somewhat punishing. Our salvation lies in the gameplay, which is unparalleled in its richness and depth. Two play styles, a vast array of weapons, and a hundred skills allow us to create a personalized gameplay experience that suits our individual preferences. Ultimately, everything culminates in a frenetic dance of blades with what is arguably the most dynamic combat system ever seen in a souls-like game. The legacy of Ninja Gaiden and FromSoftware games is ever-present, but so is the classic open-world formula. Fortunately, the execution is impeccable and engaging enough to completely immerse us in its world. We'll only be pulled out of this immersion by getting lost in the overwhelming amount of loot and an avalanche of statistics that will only appeal to theorycrafting enthusiasts.

Nioh 3 is not without its clear flaws, which makes it hard to justify a solid nine out of ten. In terms of gameplay, however, it’s a highly polished experience and one that’s immensely engaging for fans of hardcore challenges. It’s been a long time since a video game kept me up so many nights.

I find it difficult to ask more from Nioh 3. It’s a game that proudly announces its goals at the outset, and trusts the player to discover how well it’s going to nail every one them over the course of its 45+ hour runtime. It is the confident result of shaking up Nioh’s near decade-old formula that’s only outshone by Team Ninja’s steady hand in crafting it.

With changes that may prove divisive, this entry sees the Nioh series boldly step into a new and potentially turbulent era. After years of development and experimentation across other projects, the result is a polished and confident release that stands proudly alongside its predecessors.

While Nioh 3 offers a much greater sense of challenge and depth, there are lingering concerns about hitting a ceiling in terms of mastery, as well as balance issues—particularly the Ninja playstyle which seems to be overly powerful. Although the benefits of the open-field approach are strongly felt on the first map thanks to the satisfying loop of combat, exploration, and progression, the experience loses its shine from the midpoint onward for a variety of reasons. Even so, as a loot-driven action game, Nioh 3 retains a uniquely compelling presence, and its ability to keep players coming back for more remains firmly intact.

Despite the lack of innovation, Nioh’s blend of character action and soulslike still manages to entertain, with its combat being undeniably polished to near perfection.

A motivating slaughterfest with systems you can completely immerse yourself in, but don't have to. Fun exploration and varied combat styles enrich the experience, but Nioh 3 also suffers from the same technical, loot, and recycling issues as Team Ninja's previous works.