Nioh 3 review: Sharper, shrewder, shinobi-er

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Okay, so the Nioh games have really built up a dedicated fanbase. People are seriously obsessed with them, and they especially love how the combat works. It’s like, everyone agrees the fighting in those games is top-notch.

And while I certainly enjoyed Nioh 1 and 2, I can’t say that I ever felt that same reverence.

The combat is quick and offers a lot of different options. Surprisingly, its simplicity – with fewer complex systems and skills – actually makes it more engaging than many other games in the Souls-like genre.

Nioh 3 remains consistent with its predecessors, but some longtime players might think the new changes weaken what made the original games special. However, I’m finally starting to really enjoy it.

Nioh 3 starts with Tokugawa Takechiyo, who will later become Shōgun. When his envious brother, Kunimatsu, attacks Edo Castle with an army of supernatural creatures, Takechiyo is sent back in time by his protector spirit, Kusanagi. He must then fight through various periods of medieval Japan to protect his own time and save the future.

While Nioh 1 initially felt heavily inspired by James Clavell’s ‘Shōgun,’ I’ve never been very invested in the game’s stories. Even though I enjoyed this one more than the others, it still didn’t fully capture my interest.

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Many players will likely feel the same way: the appeal of Nioh isn’t its story, but the incredible variety of ways you can defeat demons. Nioh 3 builds on this with plenty of new combat options and improvements.

Perhaps the biggest tweak is the separation of samurai and ninja into two separate play styles.

Pressing the R2 button instantly switches between your weapons and armor, creating a fast-paced combat experience. It’s so quick, it feels a bit like performing a combo in a fighting game.

Players are more than welcome to go all in on either play style, and indeed, the further I progressed, the more I leaned towards my shinobi sensibilities. However, Nioh 3 has an ingenious mechanic that encourages regularly swapping between the two, and in a way that has real combat benefits.

Okay, so when an enemy glows red, it means their attack is unblockable. But if I hit R2 at the right time, I do a Burst Counter! It automatically switches me to my other fighting style, perfectly blocks the attack, and throws the enemy off balance, letting me immediately follow up with a huge combo. It’s a great way to turn the tables!

It’s a remarkably clever and enjoyable feature that never gets old, remaining just as fun no matter how many times you experience it.

I was really looking forward to the samurai getting a parry ability, as I enjoy well-timed blocks. However, the parry they added isn’t quite what I hoped for. It’s just another defensive option, not the aggressive, impactful parry system seen in games like Sekiro.

I’ll admit, it’s probably a good thing this happened, because it prevents the new feature from taking away from what makes Nioh’s fighting style special.

I was surprised to find myself really enjoying the ninja’s special abilities, called Ninjutsu. This feature was in previous Nioh games, but I usually didn’t pay much attention to it until much later in the game.

In Nioh 3, you don’t need to visit shrines to refill your Ninjutsu abilities. Instead, they recharge automatically as you damage enemies.

This small adjustment allowed me to constantly throw kunai and fireballs, something I hadn’t been able to do before. I frequently refilled my supply by defeating weaker enemies, saving the powerful attacks for tougher opponents. It was a surprisingly effective improvement.

Okay, so Nioh 3 still has that super complicated upgrade system we all know and… love? Seriously, each weapon type has a ton of different skills you can unlock, and it can feel like a real maze trying to figure out the best way to build them up. It’s definitely complex!

Compared to previous games, the levels in Nioh 3 feel a bit more compact, likely due to the game focusing less on both samurai and ninja elements. While this doesn’t bother me personally, some long-time Nioh fans might be disappointed by the reduced variety in level design.

Nioh 3 significantly changes how you explore the game world. Instead of separate, straightforward missions like in the first two games, Nioh 3 features a true open world. This world is packed with things to discover – bandit hideouts, hidden treasures, secrets, and optional side quests you can tackle at your own pace.

While the game isn’t entirely open-world, certain sections – called The Crucibles – are designed like the missions from the original Nioh. These large, monster-filled areas have a straightforward path leading to a boss fight.

Outside of this, however, it really is an open world, and while I had my doubts as to how well Team Ninja would be able to pull this off, given my and many others’ recent tiring of open world games, the developer has done a bang up job.

Playing Nioh 3 reminded me a lot of my first experience exploring Limgrave in Elden Ring – I had very similar feelings.

It wasn’t the game’s world or story that felt forced – I never felt compelled to explore like I did in Elden Ring. Instead, I felt pushed along a specific path, and looking back, I’m actually glad it happened that way.

When you first die to Margit in Elden Ring, the game gently guides you back to Limgrave. This encourages you to explore, become stronger, find better gear, and uncover the rich story hidden within the world.

Although Nioh 3 doesn’t have a particularly strong story, it offers a ton of levels and equipment, and most importantly, it’s really enjoyable to play.

After struggling with the first big boss, I dove into the first area of Nioh 3 and played straight through until I finished it. This actually happened throughout the entire game – once I got going, I couldn’t stop! I don’t want to spoil anything about the later levels, but that pattern kept repeating.

I didn’t enjoy the way Nioh 1 and 2 forced you to leave a level to grind in another one before returning, and it made me avoid most of the optional side missions.

As a player, I’m really loving how freely you can explore this world and just stumble upon quests and challenging enemies. Being able to deal with them right then and there, without a ton of loading or travel, is fantastic. Honestly, it’s one of the best open worlds I’ve experienced in years – it feels truly seamless and immersive.

Nioh 3 remains a very difficult game, but it’s also the easiest to get into of all the games in the series.

While the game still has some complicated systems and throws a lot of text at you initially, it’s generally a bit easier to understand than before.

Since I don’t have the time or patience to become really skilled at Nioh’s challenging combat system, this is a great help.

As I said at the beginning, Nioh has a very loyal fanbase. While some players, like Alex, might not want to spend a lot of time learning the details of each weapon, many others enjoy that complexity, and I suspect they’ll be unhappy with this alteration.

The Nioh games are known for their complex and immersive worlds. While Nioh 3 might not be quite as intricate as the first two, it’s designed to be more approachable for players who struggled with the earlier titles.

As a huge fan, I think Nioh 3 really shows how far the series has come. It feels like everything has been refined and polished, and it’s truly become a modern action RPG. I know opinions differ, but to me, this is Nioh at its absolute best – brutal, challenging, and incredibly satisfying.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

I’m a big fan of Alex Raisbeck’s work! He’s a gaming writer over at TopMob, and he really knows his stuff – he covers everything, from the biggest, most popular games to those cool, smaller indie titles. I’ve actually seen his writing on some of the biggest gaming sites too, like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN. He’s clearly a really experienced writer!

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2026-02-04 17:45