Nioh 3 (PS5) Review: Team Ninja's Latest Souslike Is a Must Play

While there’s been plenty of Soulslike games ever since Demon’s Souls captivated gamers, few have had the staying power of Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo’s Nioh franchise. Featuring a historical Japanese setting, deadly yokai, and responsive combat, the series has found its own lane. Now Nioh 3 is out, arriving with a host of additions, such as open fields and a ninja fighting style, giving the series its first proper PS5 release following remastered ports in 2021.

It’s been six years since Nioh 2, and you can immediately feel the difference upon booting up Team Ninja’s latest game. Uncommon for the genre, Nioh 3 features a pretty in-depth tutorial section that sets up the story and introduces both of its combat styles that players can switch to at any moment. The new ninja combat style is an agile addition to the game, allowing players to strike quickly, dodge more easily, and unleash ninjutsu techniques. It’s a really fun addition since both samurai and ninja have their own advantages and abilities, and you’re encouraged to switch between them depending on the circumstance, as you can even break some major attacks by doing so.

The other big selling point of Nioh 3 is that there are open-field maps that you can explore. There’s a ton of side content you can do in these large areas, which range from enemy bases that you can conquer to finding side bosses (many of these are straight from Nioh 2) and valuable loot stashed away. It gives the game a nice sense of variety, as it’s genuinely a blast getting to look at these alternate versions of Japan through different eras and getting surprised by the various demons that have a penchant for popping up where you least expected them. With fast travel between shrines and plenty of friendly yokai to interact with, it really helps give Nioh 3 its own identity.

Featuring a time-hopping story, you’ll find yourself in plenty of different eras of Japan. A lot of historical figures you’ve likely heard of will pop up, such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Takeda Shingen, and you even learn your ninja style from Hattori Hanzo himself. These aren’t just visual and story differences, though, as you’ll face very different types of enemiesdepending on the era. From more magic-based sections to having to deal with guns and cannons in others, there’s a nice mix to the gameplay.

Nioh 3 also really embraces online co-op, which is nice to see. Like Nioh 2, you can still summon A.I.-controlled helpers if you don’t want to play with others to get helped against a boss, but I had some of my most fun playing online with others (you can summon up to two other players). Beyond the visitor system, you can also go on expeditions, which allow players to have a more full co-op experience as you can advance the story and even replay completed missions together. This ability to easily get help makes Nioh 3 one of the more welcoming Souslikes, although veterans will still find plenty of challenge to be had, especially inside the game’s hellish Crucibles.

Nioh 3 (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

Nioh 3 is the best game yet in the franchise. Featuring varied combat and rewarding players for exploring its open fields, Team Ninja has created a unique and fulfilling action role-playing game. Whether you’re a newcomer to the series or have played the prior two games, there’s a blast to be had either alone or with friends in this stellar PS5 game.