Nioh 3

A triumphant evolution of the series for existing fans, and the best possible jumping-on point (though far from an easy one) for new ones. Nioh 3 demands care, planning, and patience – and gives immense satisfaction in the form of a brutal but engrossing adventure in return.

Just as the original Nioh was one of the first games to emulate Dark Souls to great success, Nioh 3 is among the first major Soulslikes to use an open-world blueprint post-Elden Ring. However, Team Ninja has always excelled at applying its own sensibilities to a now well-worn blueprint, and Nioh 3’s rewarding approach to open-world design is a shining example. Tack on a thrilling new Ninja gameplay style, and this third entry asserts itself as the pinnacle of its series.

The best Soulslike not made by FromSoftware, which expands and improves on the series’ exceptional combat with two separate play styles and a fantastically wide range of enemies and locations.

Nioh 3’s open levels, new Ninja form, and even tighter combat cement it as the best game in the series.

Not only is Nioh 3 the best entry in the series, it’s also the most accessible entry as well. Whether you’re a fan of Soulslikes, previous Nioh entries, or just good samurai action, don’t hesitate to check this one out.

Nioh 3 fractures Team Ninja’s formula, pushing players to master brutal Samurai power and lethal Ninja agility in every demanding encounter.

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 takes the best elements of the series past and Team Ninja's legacy in delivering one of the most fun and feature-rich action games to start off the new year.

Instead of another iteration, Nioh 3 reworks the foundations of the series, trading its tightly controlled, mission-based structure for a fully open world. It’s the most radical change Team Ninja has made to the series yet, and one that, overall, sticks the landing.

Nioh 3 offers some of the best action and boss fights in the series. However, it is held back by some open world pitfalls that make the experience feel a bit bloated. Regardless, it is one hell of a ride.

Three games into the Nioh series, I’ve been consistently impressed with how Koei Tecmo has evolved this IP game to game. The first Nioh was a solid and challenging first step into this new Souls-like take on the mythology-infested world of Feudal Japan. The second refined that formula with new weapons, ninjutsu, and magic, as well as the new Core system that let us harvest souls from our foes. Now, Nioh 3 takes one of the biggest steps of all by taking the series into an open-world format with a lengthy free-flowing adventure. Nioh 3 makes some big marks on the series, and it does so while kee...

Nioh 3 takes clear cues from Elden Ring, offering multiple sizeable open-world regions to explore and challenging enemy encounters aplenty. Its bosses aren’t particularly memorable, but the deep combat gives you a myriad of ways to approach each confrontation. It’s an impressively large action-RPG that I can’t stop playing.