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One of my fleeting gaming dreams a few years ago was to get a new Nioh entry. I’ve played the sequel more times than I can count, and I always end up returning to it because there isn’t another game like it that offers such levels of customization and player freedom. Still, I always thought it was missing a few things I was praying would be added in the next entry. Like a samurai facing a yokai for the hundredth time, my patience paid off because Nioh 3 is finally here. After playing extensively through its first area, I can confidently say that this entry is everything we ever wanted for the series, and more.
Into a Yokai-Riddled Era
For this preview, I was allowed to play and discuss the first period of the game, which many of you might remember from the alpha demo we had last year. However, I also got to experience the intro sequence and explore the first vast open field, and as first impressions go, I’m beyond satisfied.
In terms of the story, I won’t go into too many details to avoid ruining the surprise for you all, but Nioh 3 puts you in the shoes of Tokugawa Takechiyo, the grandson (or granddaughter) of Ieyasu. After creating your character and learning the ropes of combat, which in terms of basic controls remains almost the same as Nioh 2, yokai hit the fan, and the time-traveling conundrum begins. For one reason or another, you end up traveling back in time to the part we saw in the alpha demo, and it’s up to you to save this era from the hellish Crucible looming upon the map.
Many people believe that Nioh doesn’t have a narrative, but I find that completely wrong. Nioh, as a series, has always done a superb job at interweaving its plot with historical facts and figures to tell an extremely cohesive tale. If you finished Nioh 2, you know what I’m talking about in terms of cohesion, and Nioh 3 isn’t an exception. Again, I can’t talk about specific plot points, but so far, the story has been a welcome surprise, especially with the larger scope this entry is approaching.
What really stands out is how perfectly Nioh 3 balances its storytelling with the open-field approach. You still have these environmental tales all around the map, while you also have Myths that send you far and wide to either defeat a Yokai or discover what happened in this now dilapidated province. All of it works extremely well, and it just encourages players to continue exploring for the next narrative thread, but most importantly, that sweet loot, but more on that later.
The Best of Two Styles
One of the most relevant things about Nioh 3 is the ability to swap between two combat styles at the press of a button: Samurai and Ninja. After experiencing them both, it feels as if Team Ninja put together everything it has learned from Ninja Gaiden, past Nioh games, and even Rise of the Ronin to make the most outstanding combat dish ever made.
Samurai style is Nioh combat at its core. You have your stances, which you can unlock with Samurai Points, different weapons with so many abilities you can unlock, and several combos to master for each armament. However, it isn’t exactly the system you remember from Nioh 2. There are many ways that allow you to morph some of your abilities to add elemental damage, and even new movesets that will test the skills of even the most veteran Nioh players.
Ninja style, on the other hand, feels as if Team Ninja brought the Hayabusa school of fighting into the mix, and it is fantastic. As a Ninja, you don’t have stances. Instead, you have ninjutsu, which go from moves that throw kunai and shuriken at enemies, to some that summon lightning balls, and even a few that let you stagger enemies by smashing the ground. You can refill your ninjutsu charges just by fighting, which is one of the best approaches to this style. You also get a lot of weapons as a Ninja, but the style caters more to the nimble players who are all about dodging, hitting an enemy quickly, and then falling back to blast them from afar.
Both of these combat styles are superb, and I feel I’m just scratching the surface. On top of Samurai and Ninja, there are even more things to play with, such as your Onmyo Magic, which has been revamped and feels better to use now, Soul Cores that have been vastly expanded, and even Guardian spirits that play a role in and outside of combat.
The astounding thing is how none of this feels overwhelming. One would think that with the sea of loot you’ll be swimming in, it will be hard to track some of the things, but no. Whether it is the loot you get, the items you find, or even the skills you unlock, Nioh 3 has so many features that let you customize every single thing to the finest detail, which I really appreciate.
The World is Yours
The one thing I was skeptical about in Nioh 3 was the open-field exploration. Initially, I thought it would be a bit like Rise of the Ronin, which wasn’t bad per se, but it felt too empty at times and even repetitive. Well, Nioh 3 found a way to make open-field exploration feel tighter without losing the feeling of exploring a large area, and to actually make exploring off the beaten path extremely rewarding.
One of my biggest gripes in any game that features an open world or semi-open world is how reaching that hidden cave or beating a secret boss only gives you a common item or a consumable you already have in your inventory. Nioh 3 doesn’t do that at all. It leads you to these hidden places or optional objectives, and opening a chest there or beating a boss actually gives you something useful, like a smithing text or a passive skill you can equip. It is large-scale exploration done right.
So far, this has happened in every area during the first period, so I don’t know whether this reward cadence will continue in the other regions. Yet, based on my first 20 hours on this map (yes, that’s how long it took me to finish), I imagine the other zones will be just as rewarding.
Lastly, for those wondering about optimization, there’s no need to be nervous. We’ve all seen some terribly optimized games lately, and some that just make the best rig shake in its components. That hasn’t happened in Nioh 3 at all. I’ve been able to hit more than 100 FPS in the highest settings without a single hiccup, crash, texture pop-in, or any of the technical problems we’ve grown accustomed to. In short, it is visually stunning and flawlessly optimized.
A Nioh Dream
So far, I’ve only scratched the surface of Nioh 3, but what I’ve seen is everything I ever wanted in a new Nioh game. The combat, which I thought could not get better, has become one of the best in the series and in Team Ninja’s repertoire. Exploration, for once, is extremely rewarding and not just an icon checklist. All in all, it is the best Nioh experience to date.
I still have a long road ahead of me and good old Takechiyo, but I’m extremely excited thanks to everything I’ve seen so far. And since I’m still diving into these yokai-infested lands, I will have the full review ready in a couple of days once I get to experience everything in this new time-traveling, yokai-slaying adventure.
