Nioh 3 completely changes the formula, allowing me to transform from samurai to ninja with a single button press as I take on its 'masocore' world

I've only had to wait five years for Nioh 3, which is a very reasonable timeframe – especially considering how good Nioh 2 was. For my money, it's one of very few soulslikes to offer a seriously compelling alternative to FromSoftware's own titles. Except, Ninja Gaiden creator Team Ninja haven't just been cooking this one up. It's released three whole other action games for console between. And it shows in what I've played of Nioh 3. No mere sequel, this flaunts skills Team Ninja have been honing in the gap.

In the time since Nioh 2, Team Ninja also released Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Rise of the Ronin (and also have Ninja Gaiden 4 in the near future). It's no exaggeration to say I can feel the work put into all those titles in my first few hours with Nioh 3. It's not just another game in the series, but represents the continued evolution of Team Ninja. I'm literally able to point at each new addition that changes up everything I thought about the series while playing the Nioh 3 Alpha and see how the dev's ideas have grown from its previous games.

Ninja again

The most obvious change in Nioh 3 comes from the developer's namesake – ninja. Where Nioh and Nioh 2 had you walk the way of the samurai while peppering in a few ninjutsu skills here and there, Nioh 3 introduces the ability to be a ninja. It's not just a choice, though. You are both samurai and ninja at once. With just a tap of R2, my custom character quickly spins into a different costume and changes their moveset and equipment in an instant – even mid-combo. Interestingly, it's not too far from Stranger of Paradise's Final Fantasy job-switching system.

The transformation from samurai to ninja is sort of an evolution of your hero's ability to use yokai powers in the second game, yet instead of one-off skills and temporary shifts, here I can switch basically whenever I want. Samurai plays much as you'd expect from previous Nioh games, able to time a ki pulse after attacks to regain spent stamina (vital to avoid running out of breath in tricky battles), and able to switch stances to change attacks – though so far it seems Nioh 3 just has a low and high stance and no mid-stance (but there are lots of skills to unlock). Land enough strikes, and you'll overclock into a charged up state too, boosting damage output.

Meanwhile, playing a ninja funnels off the ninjutsu powers to give a more complete feeling palette of potential abilities. Attacks here are much faster across katana, talons, and the like, and if you can maneuver behind enemies you'll get a damage boost. Aiding in the ability to do just that is Misting, which replaces the Ki Pulse in this form – a short range dash-like teleport that feels delightfully ninja-like. Dodge rolls are also faster in this style, and can be extended with a bonus flip.

While the stamina management and heavy swing timing of the samurai comes easily, the ninja role is taking some getting used to – though I do love the slickness of the action. A few tense scuffles with demonic yokai show the system to be, as I expected, at its best when optimally switching between the two at just the right moment.

It does feel a bit like rubbing my tummy and patting my head this early into the game – but that's Nioh for you. While my hands-on does seem like it has fewer weapons than Nioh 2 – three per class – they still all have deep customization options that are sure to reward those willing to dive into the details. The only downside is the detail also found in the loot I end up amassing, which now, given there's two classes, feels like twice the busywork compared to earlier entries.

It's not just combat that feels at once familiar but different. It's the way you move around the world of Nioh as well. There are still plenty of hidden collectibles, loot, and shortcuts – but now you can double jump. Perhaps the greatest skill a master samurai or ninja can learn is defying gravity.

Not only does that mean you can scoop up goodies, but choose how and where to begin engagements with the enemy – even getting in a sneaky shinobi strike from the air if you choose. Here it feels like it takes a page from Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, where the levels had plenty of wide design to allow you to mix up pathways (though that game was much heavier on the parries, like Sekiro).

World at war

Yet, Nioh 3 embraces an open world approach – replacing the previous games' stage-by-stage structure. At first, I'm left a little cold by this revelation. The tight level design of Nioh and Nioh 2 remains my favorite aspects when revisiting them. My early hours in the open world, however, work well – I still run between healing shrines (which, naturally, reset most enemies when used), picking my way through tricky fights. And, sometimes, avoiding them – tough encounters may be better to revisit when levelled up. It's a similar approach to Rise of the Ronin, if much less broad.

The more you explore, the more powerful you become. Finding chests containing loot isn't the only way, as clearing objectives – from 'myths' to enemy camps – improves your exploration level, which in turn boosts your stats. Scrolls can also be found to teach new abilities and give you class-specific skill points. Even little Scampuss – fat, rolling cat yokai – return, this time rolling you to out-of-the-way item caches.

Along the way you'll be able to duel the fallen revenants of other players to power up, as well as beckon blue revenants to fight by your side for ghostly co-op based on player builds (and there's proper co-op too, of course). The world is large, but full of pockets of more traditional design too – one ruined village feeling suitably weavy as I comb through, doubling back to open shortcuts, and guiding friendly kodama back to their shrines for bonuses. Nioh 3 isn't trying to be Elden Ring (according to its producer).

Vitally, though, Nioh 3 does still have sections that feel more like the proper levels of Nioh old. Called Crucibles, these see your character enter a manifested slice of the demon realm plonked down into the human world to fight through what is essentially a stage as it would appear in previous titles – albeit with greater verticality to make use of jumping.

Here, enemies are tougher, and taking hits reduces your maximum health – dealing damage and racking up demonic kills restoring it. It adds to the sense that this place is brutal, but I don't love the health reduction element. Still, landing solid hits cleanses the corruption quickly enough. I'm less keen on all the lava and explosions – the crucible in my hands-on is a town that's become completely overrun, weird bone structures sticking at odd angles – with a poorly-timed jump seeing me instantly die in the red liquid.

The boss too, an old baba yokai with two giant twisting fire and ice snakes coming out of her back, is certainly no pushover. Overrun time and time again, I realize I'm a couple of levels below the recommended. I could just turn around at the boss gate and grind out some demons and summoning items to level the playing field. But, ah – this is Nioh 3 after all! There's the open world!

Able to fast travel the heck out of there, I can jump to any shrine I've unlocked in the map and continue exploring, returning when I feel like I've grown powerful enough to take it on. It's here that Nioh 3 shows real promise, letting you set the pace with which you clash swords and kunai with its biggest beasties, and leaving you to explore in the meantime.

It's a hefty demo I spend my time playing, but it's still only a taste of what Nioh 3 has to offer. It's certainly an ambitious undertaking, and that's before I even get started on the story I've glimpsed here and there. Starring your custom here as Tokugawa Takechiyo – a famous historical warlord – it seems there may be some timey wimey-ness going on. A greatest hits of Japanese history as a weird demonic force tries to sap ancient record itself? I'm ready to jump in, samurai or ninja, and get slicing.

Nioh 3 releases on PC and PS5 in 2026. The Nioh 3 Alpha is available on PlayStation now!

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