Nioh 3’s Bosses Took a Lot of Inspiration from Lies of P, Says Director

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Masaki Fujita, the director of the new game Nioh 3 from Team Ninja, recently discussed how another popular action RPG, similar to the Souls series, influenced its development.

Fujita mentioned in a PC Gamer interview that the boss battles in Lies of P were a significant source of inspiration for him.

According to the developer, Team Ninja has learned a lot from its games released after Nioh 2. Specifically, working on Rise of the Ronin helped them refine their open-world design for Nioh 3.

Honestly, playing Lies of P really sparked my imagination as a designer. The bosses weren’t just tough, they were all so different visually, and the way they moved – the animations – really showed off those unique designs. It was super inspiring!

Beyond the satisfying combat system that emphasizes timing your blocks and dodges, I especially enjoyed the boss fights in Lies of P. Each boss had a unique and creative design, and their attacks cleverly incorporated those designs. This was a great source of inspiration for me when I was developing the enemy actions in Nioh.

Released in 2023 by Neowiz, Lies of P quickly gained popularity and critical praise. Many players hailed it as one of the best action RPGs in the ‘Souls-like’ genre that wasn’t created by FromSoftware, thanks to its immersive world, innovative gameplay, and satisfying combat.

Turns out Fujita loves it too, and it may have indirectly helped shape Nioh 3.

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2026-02-09 16:07