When we got our copy of Nioh 3, I was hesitant at first… With my busy schedule, I was wondering if I would get a lot of enjoyment out of this Dark Souls kind of game. I’m familiar with the game, as I played it before in the early days on the PS4. After Sekiro, Dark Souls, I was wondering if I could give it my full attention to grind through the difficult moments ahead… but as it turned out, I could. Nioh makes the difficult walkthrough a joy for the eyes and mind. With flashy combat, timed sequencing, and lots of loot, Nioh 3 captured my full attention. Let’s talk.
The game throws you straight into the action after the first few hours of becoming the new Shogun of Edo Castle. It’s clear that thirst for power can darken the minds of those close to you, and this story doesn’t tell something different. You’re following in the footsteps of Shogun Tokugawa Takechiyo, but his younger brother doesn’t comply with this decision. He runs towards the hills and makes a pact, signed with blood, with the Yokai- demons. His darkest thoughts push him and his demon army through the gates of Edo Castle. The history of the Shogun legacy has been altered, and it’s up to you to rewrite history in your own favor.
“With hints of the story foretold, it’s obvious that this game won’t come without difficult challenges.”
Without spoiling too much, the game will take you through different periods of conquest throughout Japanese history, from the Sengoku period to the Bakumatsu period. Together with your guardian spirit, you’ll be forced to take the enemy head-on and turn the tide for the new Shogun age. While restoring the timeline, you’ll quickly notice that the younger brother Kunimatsu didn’t make this vengeful decision alone, as his bond with the Yokai will be fully explained. Who knows where the journey will take you and how the outcome of this new Japanese Dynasty will be…
With hints of the story foretold, it’s obvious that this game won’t come without difficult challenges. Nioh is one of those Dark Souls- like game that made it stand out due to its unique twists with combat mechanics, mystical powers, and an over-saturated loot system with levels, specifics, … The game pushes your limits when it comes to combat; you’ll have to think about your approach to certain boss enemies and use the different fighting styles ( that are being introduced to you), the best you can, to claim victory. These different fighting styles also present different weapon types that put their own twist on one of these fighting styles, so it’s up to you to find the perfect combo between the weapons of these different fighting styles to heighten your win percentage. Leaving the basics behind, Team Ninja also introduces other new features to make the game stand out even more than its predecessors. Nioh 3 will satisfy your every action- RPG needs better than both of the previous games.
“The days of button-mashing are over, and you’ll have to use your other brain parts to be successful.”
Nioh 3 has a lot to offer ( as I mentioned before), and it does a fantastic job of introducing the player to all of the new features it has to offer. It can be quite overwhelming at first, but Nioh does offer a more streamlined approach to prepare you for what’s to come. This game is the perfect representation of honing your skills along the way and even experimenting with weapons or skills that fit the current situation best. The game is straightforward in terms of how to approach the game with the basic mechanics that have been taught, but not in a way of not adapt to enemies ahead. The days of button-mashing are over, and you’ll have to use your other brain parts to be successful.
The overwhelming part of figuring out your fighting style and adapting to the enemy is what makes the game stand out. With all of the different fighting styles, weapon types, spirits, mystical magic, items, … you can probably tell that it will take some time to figure out the loadout that suits your playstyle best, but the array of items ( that also influence your stats) will also mean that there isn’t a perfect build.
One of the most interesting features that Nioh 3 has to offer is the stances that have their own way of playing. Let’s talk about the stances “Samurai” and “Ninja”. So both stances have a weapon (specific to the stance), you have a secondary weapon, your own armor loadout ( specific to the stance), and abilities. The one you’re starting with is called the “Samurai” stance. This stance is the most familiar one and will be known to a lot of Nioh veterans. It’s the stance where you can block most efficiently and use the KI- stamina regeneration system. Each attack, ability, dodge, block, parry, … costs you KI, but the regeneration system lets you regain the lost KI very quickly if you time your “key generation” button perfectly. After an action, there will be appearing a blue circle will appear. Once it’s very clear, you can press the “regeneration” button to quickly regain the KI you have lost. If you don’t time this perfectly, the KI will only restore itself at a slower pace. This system is very unique for the Nioh franchise, and it makes the game certainly more skill-based. Pressing the regeneration perfectly allows you to quickly strike the enemy before it can get to you. This is especially useful to deplete the posture stamina bar of the enemy boss. Once the posture bar is depleted, the enemy becomes stunned and will be vulnerable to your most powerful attacks. This stance is all about big damage and block. The vision is more like “slow but steady”- a fighting style.
“However, the fact that both styles have different armor loadouts and weapon styles allows the player to make each style more fitting to its play style.”
The ”Ninja” stance will feel a lot more aggressive. Of course, being aggressive lets you gain access to some other abilities that make the stance unique. You can’t block like you can with the “Samurai” stance, but you can dodge due to your mist form. This mist form also spawns a temporary clone of yourself to point your enemy’s attention towards. This allows you to attack the enemy from behind, which ( in Ninja Stance) allows you to push a lot more critical hits than normal. However, you’ll have to be quick about it and time it perfectly, because the clone will quickly disappear. These stances are instantly changeable during the fight. You’ll have moments of opportunity during a boss battle where you can use your “change style” button as a counter for enemy attacks. If you change perfectly during an opponent’s attack, you’ll push damage, and you’ll be changed into the other style, which then allows you to “go off” in a more aggressive or steady stance. It’s like you’re fighting with two classes at the same time, which can feel chaotic at first but very powerful once you get the hang of it. Of course, the changing between stances allows you to be more adaptive to your boss’s enemies. Some bosses are very slow and are bad against your “Ninja-stance,” while others hate the “Samurai-stance” because of its block ability. These stances are built in a way that you can’t live without the other one. This isn’t a moment where you play one stance more than the other because you’ll have to combo attacks with both styles during a boss fight; you’re just playing the game wrong. However, the fact that both styles have different armor loadouts and weapon styles allows the player to make each style more fitting to its play style.
You also have abilities and even ultimate abilities that can help shape the battle between yourself and a powerful opponent. These abilities can make the battle feel less difficult or even challenging, as some of these abilities have powerful effects. However, this doesn’t make the boss battle boring, but it makes the battle more accessible than boss fights you’ll find in Dark Souls 3. Nioh 3 is a bit more forgiving when it comes to mistakes. The boss battles can feel difficult in the beginning, but once you figure out the patterns, the battle becomes a whole other type of battle. The boss battles in Nioh 3 feel unique, well thought out, and less “op” than some bosses in Dark Souls. You also have a lot more flexibility when it comes to your loadout, which definitely helps out a lot.
“Even the side quest makes the world more vivid than before.”
One of the things I like most about Nioh is that it also allows you to explore the game at your own pace. It’s also definitely worth your time to explore the different areas in the region because the game has such an expansive loot system. This is one of the best features that Team Ninja has introduced, the open-field concept. Previous games offered a more linear experience than Nioh 3, and it’s one of the best features that they’re offering at the moment. The ability to explore the world as you see it makes you feel a bit more included in the world and even the storyline. It’s like you’re making your own adventure within the adventure itself. Exploring feels rewarding in a way that you see a lot of amazing details of the world that’s been shaped by Team Ninja, and it makes the world more immersive. The other thing that’s rewarding is the fact that a lot of these explorable areas have mini-bosses, collectibles, and even side missions that can help you with leveling up or perfect your fighting loadout. These areas offer you items, experience, new martial arts, and even ninjitsu moves. You can actually obtain skills that probably not everyone has found, because they took a more linear approach.
The open-field concept couldn’t have worked or could have become a bit more unsatisfying if they didn’t add the sprint or even jump ability. It does so much when it comes to exploring. The jump ability not only allows you to reach certain points in the exploration area, but it also allows you to approach enemies differently. Jumping on top of them can give you the advantage to stun them from above and deal massive damage, even before you have started the battle. The level design has also been built up so that you can approach an area differently, and for example,e take out irritating small enemies before you attack the big boys. Team Ninja has done a tremendous job in creating an immersive, functional world with different areas to explore, bases to conquer, and tactical hidden entrances to make your life in the world of Nioh a bit more joyful. Even the side quest makes the world more vivid than before.
“This means that the game has a lot more to offer than just a couple of minor technical hiccups.”
An open world concept still has some technical difficulties when it comes to bringing it alive during a live performance. I have played the game on the PS5 in performance mode, and I couldn’t be much happier. The game runs fluently, even if you consider the technical hiccups like textures not loading or too much reflection on an object that doesn’t reflect in real life. Of course, we still have to consider the fact that we’re playing a game and not something in real life. In the long run, the game performed well, and the technical hiccups didn’t break my immersion. In my eyes, that’s a plus. This means that the game has a lot more to offer than just a couple of minor technical hiccups.
Conclusion:
Nioh 3 proves to be more than just another Souls-like entry in an abundant genre. Nioh 3 turns out to be an experience that was both rewarding and deeply engaging. Its greatest strength lies in its combat depth. The dual-stance system—Samurai and Ninja—creates a dynamic back-and-forth that forces players to think, adapt, and master timing rather than rely solely on button-mashing. The KI system, switching between stances, varied weapons types, Ninjutsu, martial arts abilities, talent tree, and expansive build options ensure that no two battles feel the same. Boss fights are challenging yet fair, offering flexibility and strategic freedom that make victories feel earned rather than frustrating.
Beyond combat, the open-field design marks a major evolution for the series. Exploration feels meaningful and rewarding, filled with mini-bosses, side missions, and powerful loot that truly impact your build. The added mobility through sprinting and jumping enhances both combat tactics and world traversal, making the environments feel alive and immersive. Even with minor technical hiccups in performance mode on PS5, the overall experience remains smooth and visually impressive. Ultimately, Nioh 3 refines everything that made its predecessors strong while boldly expanding the formula. It is challenging yet accessible, complex yet well-introduced, chaotic at first yet deeply satisfying once mastered. For fans of action RPGs—and especially those who enjoy strategic, skill-based combat—Nioh 3 stands as the most complete and ambitious entry in the series to date.
