Nioh 3 Review (PS5 & PC)

An unfortunate demise games suffer is knowing exactly what they are, and players still expecting them to be different. Madness, it’s called? Playing the same types of games and expecting a different result? 

I won’t judge critics who hate Soulslikes too harshly, but some gamers genuinely love a brutal, challenging playthrough. They thrive on enemies, mercilessly stripping away their health bar, defeating them over and over, until they’ve mastered every intricate detail of the attack patterns and can respond with precise timing and unflinching accuracy.

That’s Nioh in a nutshell, for anyone new to the series or the Soulslike genre as a whole. And it’s a standout amid the slew of titles releasing these days, all claiming to be the new, hottest Soulslike in town. Upon release, Nioh actually played to the beat of its own drum. It found its own groove to mellow and dance to that helped it carve out a unique path of its own. And it’s not even that it innovated on the Soulslike genre, but rather found a sweet spot between a mesh of creative ideas other games have done before. 

The fast-paced action gaming of Ninja Gaiden and its types, the deep and rewarding progression system of Diablo, and now, the expansive world design and engaging exploration of Elden Ring. The third time around is the peak Team Ninja has finally reached in giving us an entry truly phenomenal. But let’s put money where my mouth is, and look at exactly why that is the case in our Nioh 3 review below.

Mythological and Historical Japan

The first part of your Nioh 3 experience is its gripping story, steeped in Japan’s rich mythological and historical lore. You meet the protagonist, Tokugawa Takechiyo, grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who is about to become a Shogun. But the protagonist’s younger brother feels he’s more deserving of the honor and decides to sabotage Tokugawa Takechiyo’s ascent to the throne. Immediately, the sibling rivalry here gets you hooked on the future drama that’s to come. It’s a more relatable theme on some level, and will grab your attention span for a decent amount of time. But unfortunately, the plot loses momentum when the younger brother summons yokai to do his dirty work, forcing Tokugawa Takechiyo to travel back in time to fight yokais and supernatural beings threatening the stability of Japan.

I’m not sure I understand the need to time-travel despite how much of a fanatic I am of time-traveling adventures. It seems to be here strictly in service to introducing several time periods and their corresponding settings as expansive open fields to explore. This is the new gameplay element Nioh 3 introduces, moving from a linear mission-based structure to more open-ended adventures. Careful also not to regard it as open-world exploration, because your journey is still relatively funneled through corridors in a linear fashion. You just have more freedom to branch away from the beaten path in search of hidden treasure, chests, or optional bosses.

Roam Free

And wandering away from the missions you will, with the multitude of rewards you find in your little side escapades. It doesn’t take long to realize just how abundant with collectibles and resources the map in Nioh 3 is. Deliberate even, to prepare you for its tough battles with all of the items and gear you might need. It simply tells you to pick a path and trust that you’ll find some sense of reward in trusting the process. Whether it’s new weapons or abilities, exploring always seems to have something new and exciting to bestow upon you. And lest you confuse this with games that simply pile on resources, the rewards you receive are varied and actually useful in your playthrough. There can never be enough ways to tweak your loadouts, especially by the time you encounter the first boss at the end of the prologue, and realize just how much of a nut-cracker the battle is. 

Dying is almost gracious, if only to learn something new, whether it’s the suitability of your loadout in the battle, your timing, the boss’s attack pattern… you’ll often die having learned something you can use to tweak your approach to battles. Granted, it can seem like very little tweaks, and thus, feel punishing. A little mistake with switching stances or managing stamina can be the reason you have to start the battle all over again. But Nioh 3 also has a way of making it feel fair. That no matter how many times you hit a wall, you still want to push harder and smarter than before. I suppose the greatest reason is how the combat itself looks and feels. 

Fast and Furious

By the third entry, Team Ninja has really mastered the art of fast and furious combat. Or rather, fast and fluid. All of it. The level of brutality that bosses give you, never backing down, even when it’s your 10th time at it. The high speed of attacks, parries, and occasional dodges will keep you on your toes the whole time. Even movement is sleek and fluid, as you roll away from attacks and jump behind enemies for a surprise backstab. It all flows seamlessly and smoothly, without any hiccups that break the pace. And most importantly, feels damn satisfying to pull off combos and counters. Animations are cool to watch, even when you’re getting your ass beat, and overall, combat is just the best part about Nioh 3, hands down.

It’s the best part because of how it looks and feels, but also because of the core systems that keep you leveling up and wanting to push through to the end. I mentioned how abundant with resources the map is. Like Metroidvania titles, there’s an incentive to explore to stack up on resources. And the same resources, when unlocked, open up new paths and quests. Plus, exploration never runs stale, with a mix of platforming, story quests, and Crucibles. The latter is a fiery dungeon, where the toughest bosses are. And you might want to tag along a friend for this one. It’s a different, brutal vibe altogether, that despite its hardcore battles, does yield stronger weapons and rewards, although with caveats like taking damage when you use them.

Only Way is Up

But that’s just the set dressing. The actual meal itself has intricate parts, each with unique flavors and delicacies. For battles as brutal as this, with abundant resources and loot, it’s only right that progression be as deep and flexible. Nioh 3 introduces a new fighting style called Ninja, which you can swap with the usual Samurai during battle. While Ninja is fast-paced, agile, and ranged, Samurai is tankier and melee. Ninja quickly weaves in and out of proximity with enemies, delivering a flurry of low-damage but ultimately effective attacks. Samurai, on the other hand, switches stances as with previous games, delivering slower, high-damage blows and parries. 

Each ‘class’ has its own weapons and gear, which you upgrade independently. They have skill trees that unlock new abilities. You also have your stats, which you allocate per your discretion. And your elemental abilities, which can be combined to form new builds. In fact, the goal is to find the build of combinations of weapons, skills, and stats that work best for you. And fine-tuning the nitty-gritty weapon types and abilities per the ones you easily master and enjoy. But even if you make mistakes in your progression, you can always respec for free. And so, Nioh 3 checks all the boxes for a rewarding progression path, one that provides you with variety and flexibility. 

Perhaps it’s a little zealous in giving you too many options and stacks of menus that can complicate things. But definitely, take no pressure from anyone. Finding your groove should take all the time you want, and is the best way to get the most out of your Nioh 3 experience.

Verdict

I feel it’s unsurprising that Nioh 3 does deliver on its promise and expectations. I expected it to be one of the biggest games of 2026, and it might even have surpassed my presumptions to vie for one of the best games, period. Everything just works and gels together almost perfectly, like a sculpture that’s been sharpened deliberately and meticulously, over and over, until it’s perfect. 

Saying the only weak link is the story doesn’t count for anything, because most Nioh fans aren’t here to be romanticized, intrigued, or compelled. They’re here to be challenged to master the battle system, however many tries it takes, however painful it gets. It’s pain for a good cause, to feel that overwhelming sense of accomplishment when you finally ‘get gid.’ You might find that exhilarating or totally insane. And that depends entirely on your interest.

If you’re a true Soulslike fan, Nioh 3 will deliver on your expectations for active engagement and brutal challenge. It’ll feel snappy, frenetic, and rewarding. And that’s what matters in the genre that Nioh 3 speaks for.