Nioh 3 Preview - Team Ninja is being more experimental with the series' third entry

Nioh 2 was one of my favorite games of 2020. It polished up many of the rough edges of the original game, while adding improvements to character customization, level design, and more, which ultimately landed it as one of RPG Site's top five games of that year. If there was any significant criticism that could easily be levied at the game, it's that it was clear to see it was more of an iterative sequel, largely fine-tuning what came before in the original Nioh. There's certainly no problem sticking primarily to refinement, but for 2026, Team Ninja has other plans.

Nioh 3 looks to shake things up more this time around. Having a chance to visit Koei Tecmo's offices to play a new demo of the game and to speak with key developers at Team Ninja, it's clear that Nioh 3 is not just sticking to refinement. It's making a few substantial swings in its scope and design.

Kite already went over some of these changes in his impressions of the game's Alpha Demo back in June. From a pure gameplay perspective, switching between the classic 'samurai style' and the new 'ninja style' might be the most immediately clear difference from the previous games. Samurai Style will feel familiar to veterans of the series, with various sword stances and a Ki Pulse mechanic to regain stamina as you confront enemies. So for those coming to Nioh 3 and wanting a warm familiar feeling, this is the style you want.

While previous entries did have some ninja components and weaponry, the new implementation in Nioh 3 is clearly more dedicated here. While ninjas cannot use a Ki Pulse, they use less Ki in general while also relying more on tools like bombs and caltrops. You can immediately switch between the two modes at the press of a button, with each stance holding its own dedicated set of weapons. It took me a bit of time to get used to having two modes and effectively four different weapon types at my disposal, but by the end of my demo session, I started to feel like I was finding utility in which situations to use which style.

Switching between the two styles is also one of the ways in which you can counter enemy attacks, including the big wind-up attacks you are *supposed* to counter (you know, the ones with the big glowing red auras.) Ninjas also have some other advantages, for example, they deal more damage when attacking from behind an opponent. Considerations like this will probably come into play when it comes to strategizing the best ways to take out enemies and bosses.

There are a few other new combat elements as well, such as more abilities available based on your chosen Guardian Spirit. While previous Niohs had Guardian Spirits, there's a bit more flexibility in choosing options available in Nioh 3. These various attacks also do not drain from your usual stamina meter, which makes working those Spirit abilities into your rotation a crucial component to battle success. 

Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have revealed that Nioh 3 will take you to various eras of Japanese history, including the Heian, Sengoku, Edo, and Bakumatsu periods. Considering the previous Niohs have already well-traveled much of the Warring States period, having the setting jump through time to various periods and locales should hopefully allow Nioh 3 to not feel quite like a retread, narratively speaking, although I expect some familiar historical faces to once again make an appearance.

During my demo sessions, I got to play a newly-revealed zone taking place during the Bakumatsu period, in the Shimabara Pleasure District. In this zone, I eventually found myself facing off against Takasuki Shinsaku, a character that those who have played Rise of the Ronin will likely recognize. Armed with a flintlock-style pistol and his own guardian spirit, this boss encounter is what I come to the Nioh series for - energetic and challenging bouts with a variety of opponents, myths, and monsters.

After defeating Shinsaku, I expected to be thrown back onto the game's world map menu, as would be the case in either of the previous titles in the series. However, instead, I was simply allowed to continue exploring the zone I was in, with a new objective in hand. Admittedly, it felt a little weird! I'm so used to the stage-based design in earlier Niohs that not having that structure here kind of feels wrong, somehow.

In the pleasure district, the explorable zone kind of felt familiar to the stages in prior Nioh titles, but considerably bigger. In my interview with Team Ninja, Fumihiko Yasuda emphasized trying to maintain a balance between rewarding exploration while maintaining the familiar density of Nioh's levels. This was still evident to some degree, like finding shortcuts back to the most recent shrine, such that you can more quickly traverse a portion of the level (or perhaps 'run back' to an enemy to regain your fallen Amrita).

There's also a map now, kind of. There are also 'exploration levels' that the player can earn for each open zone in the game. By clearing bosses and finding shrines on the map, you'll raise your exploration levels, which can provide stat bonuses, items, and highlight where various collectables can be found. It's here that the influence of Rise of the Ronin seems most evident. Exploring the world, opening treasure chests, finding Kodamas (and other creatures, like the new Chijiko flying weasels), and raising your 'exploration levels' are substantially altered components this time around.

My hesitations towards Nioh 3 are probably predictable ones - I'm not sure how well the more-open field design is going to work in the grand scheme. This is one of those things that's difficult to evaluate purely on a three-hour demo session. Having just played through Rise of the Ronin, whose open-world components felt somewhat by-the-numbers, I can't help but be a little bit wary about the level design changes. Opening my map menu and seeing checklists for collectibles prompted something of a sigh out of me. I really hope Nioh 3 doesn't feel like I'm icon-hunting on the map too much, but even so, excellent combat and boss battles that Nioh is known for should be able to hold the game up on their own. I hope so, anyway.

That said, I'm ready for more Nioh, and I'm glad Team Ninja is trying something just a little bit different. We'll see how this experiment turns out in February 2026.