Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo announced Nioh 3 during the PlayStation State of Play event on June 4th. The last game in the series was released initially in 2020 for the PlayStation 4, before being remastered for the PlayStation 5 in 2021. Despite this, Team Ninja has developed several games in the interim that draw heavily from the groundwork set by the series, including Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and last year’s open-world title Rise of the Ronin.
Nioh 3 follows a similar setup to the previous games in the series. Set in a version of Feudal era Japan where Oni and demons exist, the player is thrust into the heart of war, both between clans of samurai and powerful otherworldly elements. The amrita, which acts to help the player level up their stats, and what everybody in this world always seems to be fighting over, also makes a return.
Several changes to the series are set to occur with this entry. The first is that the series will now have an open world, unlike previous entries where levels were self-contained. It does seem we can expect some linear areas as well, such as caves. How all of these will connect together remains to be seen. The series will also feature the ability to swap between two fighting styles, a samurai one and a ninja one. Both styles can be swapped on the fly, similar to the stances of the previous games.
Nioh 3 will release for the PlayStation 5 and PC in early 2026. For fans who cannot wait to try out the game (like me), a demo was made available alongside the trailer and will be available to download until June 18th. Players who complete the demo will be rewarded with in-game armor when they begin the full game next year. In addition, Team Ninja is also working with Platinum Games on Ninja Gaiden 4, set to release in 2025.
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