Nioh 3 Reviews
Nioh 3 masterfully carves out a distinct identity, marrying its tactical stance-based roots with a blistering, Ninja Gaiden-esque fluidity. While the time-hopping narrative and repetitive enemy skins occasionally falter, the exhilarating combat flow and refined accessibility make this the franchise’s most polished and exhilarating evolution to date.
Nioh 3 shines with a thrilling narrative and unique art style that more than compensate for its engine's shortcomings. Its dual samurai-ninja system is gameplay perfection, enhanced by masterful sound and complete freedom of builds. While its technical aspects are mediocre and in need of an upgrade, it's the price to pay for the best combat and narrative in the series.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Nioh 3 refines and expands the franchise into an exhilarating, deeply rewarding action RPG experience. With fluid combat, dense exploration, and countless layers of progression, it sets a new benchmark for Soulslike design.
Nioh 3 is another Team Ninja home run when it comes to action combat in video games, this time with a new system that lets players choose between the strength of a samurai and the agility of a ninja, unfortunately it's held back by a middling narrative and my experience was dragged down by tons of crashes and bugs.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Nioh 3 nails the marriage between RPG and hack-and-slash from a gameplay perspective. I’m excited to jump back in to leave no stone unturned in its open world, too, but not without compromise. Barring the essentials required to make a kick-ass Samurai/Ninja hybrid, I’ll be keeping my distance from its most annoying spreadsheet simulators and lavishing attention on mastering Style Shift. Could Nioh 3 be prettier? Sure, but its looks aren’t a deal-breaker. Being discouraged from following the time-hopping narrative as a result of flat voice acting is the biggest downer alongside unnecessary feature bloat. Ignoring or accepting those as downsides, Nioh 3 is one hell of an adventure. It will gladly devour your free time and richly reward you for mastering its combat, which continues to be the star of the series.
Nioh 3 is Team Ninja firing on all cylinders. Combat hits harder and feels more varied than anything else in the genre right now. This is the action RPG to beat this year.
The transition into an open-world game feels natural and gives you plenty to do when not in an intense and gruelling battle. The action-packed and unapologetically difficult battles are where the game truly shines, testing your skills and reflexes. Nioh 3 is easily the best in the series and an incredibly rewarding experience.
Nioh 3 is Team NINJA firing on all cylinders, with the semi-open world structure being a huge improvement to the flow and momentum. I also loved the dual-style Samurai and Ninja setup that keeps combat flexible, and lets you experiment and instead of locking you in.
Nioh 3 is a sequel in every sense of the word, as it substantially enriches the gameplay and bridges the gap between newcomers and veterans of the genre in the best possible way.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Nioh 3 gave me, throughout his adventure, the feeling of playing a Ghost of Yotei DarkSoulished. Nervous, twirling, he has not managed to get rid of his defects inherent in the equipment or his generosity in terms of personalization (powers, skills, blessings, preparations, ...). Consumables, items in general are too many if you do not have a fixed idea quickly enough. Technically a little in pain and with an open world facade, the lovers of the 2 will love the 3.
Review in French | Read full review
Nioh 3 is an excellent sequel, with Team Ninja daring to introduce a Ninja style that refreshes the gameplay and an open-world structure that allows for exploration without sacrificing pace. It's worth noting, however, that the game is less than perfect in its balance and the AI is sometimes iffy, but otherwise, the package remains solid, deep, and rewarding. The revolution has begun for Nioh: it may not be perfect, but it's incredibly fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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Review in Italian | Read full review
Knowing when to dodge, strike, fire off a few spells, and back up for a devastating whiff punish are all key to survival, and this dance is the fire that fuels just about every encounter. And while much of that is true for just about every entry in the genre, Nioh 3’s specialty lies in its speed and responsiveness.
Despite the inventory headaches and a narrative that largely fades into the background, Nioh 3 stands tall as a masterclass in action RPG design. The shift to open fields breathes fresh air into the exploration without sacrificing the series’ signature difficulty, while the new Samurai and Ninja dual-system offers the most satisfying, fluid combat Team Ninja has EVER crafted (and believe me, that’s saying something). It is punishing, beautiful, and endlessly rewarding, with Nioh 3 not just a worthy sequel, but the best that the series has ever been.
No matter how flawed it is, Nioh 3 is a statement of purpose. It's not following trends or making its processes easier to use to appeal to more people. Team Ninja is special because of its accuracy, depth, and respect for player skill. This update does not change those things.
I’ve enjoyed Nioh 3’s combat, but was not really a fan of the new styles. As I much prefer focusing on my specific play style. It is annoying that you are forced to switch between them when attempting to Burst Counter an enemy. Since there is a slight delay when trying to switch back. I felt the demon mode in Nioh 2 was a much better fit for the counter, and as an overall mechanic, compared to the two styles. As for the open world, it looks cool, but you can see that it was meant to be split into levels like usual. Which I think suits the game better. As running around feels empty now that it is larger. You don’t have anything to really uncover, as it is all laid out in front of you. Even the hidden collectables are visible on the map, once you level your exploration level at least one time in the area. For me, the new stuff they seem more like they just moved stuff around and called it “new” rather than actually do anything new. Take having two different weapons, it was locked until the second region. I would definitely return to it, my main issue is the needless changes like the two styles. So Nioh 3 does deserve the Thumb Culture Gold Award for attempting new things all, even if some don’t hit the mark.
If there's a company that knows its way around action RPGs, it's Team NINJA. But with Nioh 3, it feels as if they have finally perfected their vision. This is the culmination of their endless quest to create the ultimate action RPG experience centered around a satisfying flow state, and they've achieved it in the bloodiest and most glorious way possible.
Each design decision, whether in narrative pacing or mechanical complexity, converges to strengthen the hardcore experience that has always defined the franchise. It is a work that understands its identity, honors its legacy, and looks ahead. Nioh 3 is not just another chapter in the trilogy; it is the technical and artistic pinnacle of the saga, establishing itself as an instant classic of the action genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Nioh 3 is my favorite game so far this year, hands down. The combat is exquisite with new mechanics that complement the refinements from the previous two games, while the open-world levels fit right in with the series. The story may not be the most memorable, but the action makes up for it completely. This is now my all-time favorite soulslike, and if you have a computer powerful enough to run it, I can happily recommend it with ease. However, you will need a decently powerful PC. Playing on the Steam Deck is a no-go, and unless it's streaming, I wouldn't get any hopes up about playing this on the Deck.
Nioh 3 may not fully resolve some of the shortcomings of previous entries in the series, but it reinforces what made the series stand out by delivering a vibrant, content-rich semi-open world, excellent enemy and boss variety, and outstanding gameplay that continues to evolve as you progress, establishing a solid foundation for the series in the future
Review in Arabic | Read full review