Nioh 3 Reviews

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.

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.

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 keeping its challenging action-RPG elements intact, with only a few caveats.

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

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 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.

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.

Ultimately, Nioh 3 feels like a confident step forward for the series, expanding player freedom through its Ninja style, Style Shift system, and deep build-crafting without losing what makes Nioh work. While its open-field design can lean on tired ideas, it rarely drags the experience down, and the game's combat is the strongest it has ever been. I enjoyed my time with Nioh 3 enough to immediately jump into New Game Plus, which says a lot on its own, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out now with the increased difficulty and customization options it offers. It also helps how well the game runs on the PS5, where it has performed smoothly for me from start to finish with no technical issues to speak of. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, Nioh 3 proves that the series still has room to grow, experiment, and surprise.

Since it doesn't directly tie into the first two games (there's even a recap of the story so far that's directly found in the third entry's menus), Nioh 3 is a great place to start if you're an action fan. Since the styles are so open-ended builds are much easier to manage and craft, and the open world setup is a lot easier to acclimate to than the previous level-select system that mirrored older games.

Nioh 3 comes in red hot with welcome additions to the heart-pumping combat the series is known for. However, its open world elements don't quite bring the same heat, perhaps needing a bit more time in the crucible.

The third entry in the Nioh series delivers exciting battles with vastly customizable actions, at the expense of character storytelling and worldbuilding.

Nioh 3 is a fast, relentless and tough thrill ride that maintains a great sense of progression while rewarding exploration and player freedom. The sheer amount of options is overwhelming, while opening the door to the souls-like genre for newcomers with its Ninja Gaiden-inspired action.

I am not going to lie: I love Team NINJA. If you have been checking out my coverage over the past few years, you likely know this already. Ever since first picking up the PlayStation port of Dead or Alive, I was hooked. There is a specific feel to their combat that no other developer quite replicates. That admiration for the studio founded by the legendary Tomonobu Itagaki, who sadly passed away last October, only deepened as they pioneered the genres I love most: the high-octane character action of Ninja Gaiden and the punishing Masocore depth of Nioh. Even when they stumbled, as they did with the original Ninja Gaiden 3, their DNA remained unmistakable.

Nioh 3 is the pinnacle of everything Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have done. It embraces player freedom at every turn and brings so many choices that every character and playthrough will feel different for everyone.

Nioh has been one of my favourite takes on the Soulslike genre ever since the original launched in 2017. Not only does this series have a stellar aesthetic, but you get to enjoy being surrounded by some of the coolest monster designs going (thanks to the Japanese folklore that they’re based on), and the more fluid approach to combat and Diablo-style loot progression means you’re always moving forward and you can dive in deep or just enjoy hitting things. Nioh 2 was substantially better than the first one, and I’m very happy to report that Nioh 3 is substantially better than the second one.

Nioh 3 moves beautifully with smooth, glowing, brutal combat and a huge array of special abilities to equip and call upon.

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. But let’s be honest, the reason you’re here is the combat, and it does not disappoint.

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With its new open field format, Nioh 3 is undoubtedly the best entry in the series yet, giving players more freedom to explore and making the experience feel more seamless. Add on top of that additional new features, such as the ability to switch between samurai and ninja styles on the fly and being able to freely respec, and you have a stellar example of just how good the Soulslike genre can be. This is an early game of the year contender, without a doubt.

Nioh 3 makes good on years of experimenting and refinement in the extended Nioh family of games, delivering an indelible evolution, and the series’ most accessi

Nioh 3 doesn’t settle for iterative improvements. Instead, it pulls together Team Ninja’s best mechanics from past entries, folds in welcome touches from its other games, and backs it all up with genuinely strong new additions that feel mechanically sound and consistently engaging.

Team Ninja has really been on a roll lately. With the releases of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, and while not directly developing Ninja Gaiden 4, they still were involved and advisors during development. Team Ninja games have always stood out with their great style, designs, combat and the Nioh series has been a favorite of the team here at Way Too Many Games since the first game. Nioh 2 was a nice step up in gameplay, but I did feel it wasn’t as engaging with its story compared to the first. N...

Innovation is the ki to success for Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo, as Nioh 3 iterates on the formula once more to take an already great 'masocore' series to new heights.

Team NINJA latest entry in the Nioh franchise, aptly titled,  Nioh 3, seems determined to see just how far that point can stretch and whether that is a good thing or a bad thing; that is for gamers to decide.

Nioh 3 is the most ambitious and densely featured entry in the series, with a vast world to explore and extremely satisfying systems and combat to master. It does for the Nioh franchise what Elden Ring did for the Dark Souls world. Nioh 3 offers a huge amount of content and flexibility. It can be immensely challenging, but there are plenty of ways and an array of tools and approaches to mitigate the difficulty. Nioh has always perched between being niche and mainstream. Nioh 3 should help this excellent series broaden its audience while appealing to long-time fans as well. Lovers of Soulslikes, Team NINJA’s games, and well-made action titles in general won’t be disappointed.

Nioh 3 represents the series at its most refined and confident. Combat is precise, expressive, and endlessly rewarding, while open-field design gives the world room to breathe without sacrificing focus. Crucibles deliver punishing, carefully balanced challenges that reward preparation and mastery in equal measure.

While there are definitely aspects that weigh Nioh 3 down, the action and core gameplay are its saving grace. Swapping between Ninja and Samurai on the fly stays fun even into the endgame. They already feel distinct, and the small tweaks players can make to suit their style are a nice touch. Using those styles out in the open fields is where Nioh 3 shines, and where the combat really clicks.

Nioh 3 is a fantastically crafted game that blends several intricate and engaging elements to produce a great combat experience. While it has some issues that hinder gameplay, it’s still one of the most engaging soulslikes.

I hope this is the moment where Team Ninja is finally acknowledged as not only a driving force in the Soulslike genre, but for its name to be ranked amongst the best. Nioh 3 is an unbelievable game from start to finish and excels in all aspects of game development.

Nioh 3 is finally upon us and it's definitely a huge change of pace but one that makes it incredibly fresh and exciting so let's venture forth.

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.

A cruel continuation of Team Ninja’s warrior history that takes place at the end of an era

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.

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.