Here I am checking out the latest release by Team Ninja, Nioh 3. So expect to be fending off infamous Yokai, all while aiding lords and being friends to spirits. I’ve been enjoying the Nioh games since the first, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the devs have cooked up this time. Maybe some influence from their other titles like, Rise of Ronin, or Wo Long, Who knows, but I am up for it. You are able to purchase the game on PlayStation for £64.99 or pick up the Digital Deluxe Edition for £94.99. Which nets you a few extra goodies, and season pass. Finally, if you don’t want to drop that amount on a game you aren’t even sure you will like, then why not check out Nioh 3’s demo here.
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Time Is A Funny Thing, Sometimes You Just Get Sent Back.
Gameplay
We get to once again create our own characters in Nioh 3, and this time take up the role of a young lord destined to be Shogun. Or he was, until, of course, betrayal and chaos ensues. This leads to the past/present events of the game, as our character is sent back in time to the warring states. Here we wake, unaware of what the world has in-store for us. That is just the prologue! Nioh 3 itself, has taken a different direction to its previous titles, and is now more of a semi open world game. We fight through various time periods, with each having its own map for the player to explore. Exploring these maps will level up the new Exploration level, that grants increased attack/defence stat for your character.
Introducing Ninja & Samurai Styles.
A new feature, introduced in Nioh 3, is the ability to switch between being a Samurai or Ninja on the fly. Both play differently, but not exactly in the way you would not be familiar with, besides some minor changes. Ninja Style is probably more of a talking point due to what it changes in combat compared to Samurai Style, which is more similar to the previous games. You are not able to pull off Ki Pulses, to regain stamina. Instead, this style focuses more on evasion via the skill Mist, which after you attack leaves an afterimage of you. Other than that, Ninja Style also provides an increase to damage while attacking from behind.
In addition to these new styles, Spirits and gear have also been divided between them. So it is harder now to be running around with a Kusarigama, while donning heavy armour. It is probably the dev’s making both styles feel more unique without removing any of your preferred weapon of choice. While playing, however, switching styles isn’t really that important, unless you wish to quickly mix up your play-style. But I honestly stuck to playing the Samurai style. Due to it being better for regaining Ki, and blocking hits, thanks to deflect.
What to expect in the open-ish world.
With the new shift to open world style, it is curious on what to actually fill the world with. For starters, the map is split into areas with their own recommended levels, and collectables. Which after you reach the castle slightly went out the window for me. As I went to a level 35 area, beat it and am now sweeping the lower areas. But each area has a checklist of collectables for you to find. Some of these are what you would expect if you have played the other Nioh games. One of these are the iconic Kodamas. Unlike the previous entries, they don’t provide buffs depending on what hats they wear, but offer Kodama Merits. Then you can select what you want to improve, such as Elixir drop rates or Elixir buffs. There are other friendly Yokai for you to find, but you can uncover them for yourselves.
Besides those collectables, you are able to come across areas in Nioh 3 called Crucibles. So far, in the first region, they are lame. You fight a bunch of Yokai in waves, and then when they are beaten, you shatter a stone. In doing so, you will improve your spirit stats. Oh, I should mention, that the Spirit attribute from the old games has been replaced by this method, which I do prefer. There are chests that the player is able to find that usually have your typical loot, but also texts that offer a variety of things. Like Ninja/Samurai hair, that lets the player unlock new skills for weapons and the styles. And lastly, no open world game is complete without the signature outpost. They are self-explanatory but don’t reward anything besides increasing the Exploration level. And the typical loot from chest in the area.
Combat and Revenants
Nioh 3’s combat is still more or less the same, besides the aforementioned styles. And gear being locked to each. We still have the Living Weapon mode, but it is now called Living Artefact instead. They did add minor spirit skills for the player to use, which was a nice addition, and add more combat variety. Soul Cores have returned, but have also changed how they work. Before, they were stats and skills. Now, when they are placed into Yin/Yang slots, Yin offers you attack and defence buffs, while Yang allows you to summon them. Summoning Yokai is done as an item now when they are selected in the Yang slot, rather than an ability. To add more, you must increase your Omnyo (Magic) attribute.
Not much to say on the red Revenants, as they work like usual. I don’t really play these types of game co-op, so I don’t recall if Acolytes are new? But they are in this game and summons to aid the player. They work like Soapstones found in Dark Souls, so that you can place down your summon sign. This doesn’t actually summon you as a player but your ghost, who will earn rewards on your behalf. This does not mean you are not able to join your friend’s or others worlds, you just need to select it from the shrine. For also a major way to gain loot, is the new Bloodedge Demon, that randomly spawns in areas. I think it beefs up when killing loads of Revenants? But I am unsure.
Graphics & Audio
As per the past two entries, Nioh 3 still looks fantastic. Bright, high-contrast colours, brilliantly designed Guardian Spirits, and beautiful illustrations in the game’s menus. The new Yokai, and bosses are impressive to look at, but one or two of them kinda fade into the background for me. The first area is a pleasant mix of greenery and destruction when it comes to the villages. Character models look clean, and some are well updated, for example Hanzo the ninja looks amazing. But you can also be assured to see a lot of neon colours to help emphasise scenes.
I did start the game in English, but as soon as I heard one of the characters with a British accent, I said nope and switched. The reason for selecting English initially was that ironically I was too lazy to read.
Longevity
So far, I have reached the second time period (if we don’t class the prologue). And my game says I’ve played roughly 24 hours, which was rather surprising. So there is definitely a lot of time to sink in, and I am not even talking about grinding for loot included. The overall hours depend on the player, as I know some love trying various builds and harder difficulties, so there is that too. Anyone, who also has the expansion pass, can expect further content at some point. As the franchise usually releases two DLCs.
Final Thoughts
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.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
