Nioh 3 Review: Open Worlds and Ninja Stances Elevate the Formula
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
IGN's Nioh 3 review praises the game for its triumphant move to a sprawling open world, best-in-class combat, and a new Ninja Stance, even though the historical narrative remains somewhat dry.
Team Ninja is back with a massive evolution for one of the most respected franchises in the action RPG space. According to a recent review by Mitchell Saltzman on IGN, Nioh 3 successfully moves away from traditional mission select screens and static overworld maps. Instead, it introduces massive open fields that span multiple eras of Japanese history. This structural shift opens up exploration significantly, giving players a much grander sense of scale while keeping the signature high difficulty and punishing boss fights intact. It is a bold change of pace for a series that previously relied on a more segmented level design.
The real star of the show remains the mechanical depth, which continues to set the benchmark for the entire genre. Alongside the classic combat styles, Nioh 3 introduces an entirely new Ninja Stance that completely alters how encounters play out, offering faster movement and fresh tactical options. Enemy AI remains as aggressive and demanding as ever, requiring precise execution and deep engagement with the game systems. While the narrative still serves primarily as a dry vehicle to shuttle players through a fictionalized version of Japanese history featuring yokai and magical stones, the action choreography and pacing ensure that cutscenes never drag down the momentum of the actual gameplay.
For players who treat challenging action games as a primary test of skill and mastery, this release looks to be an essential pickup. The transition to an open structure breathes new life into the formula without sacrificing the intricate weapon variety and combat mechanics that defined the earlier entries. You can read the full review over at IGN South Africa to get a complete breakdown of how the new open world and combat stances come together.
Tags: Nioh 3, Team Ninja, Soulslike, Action RPG, IGN
Original article: IGN South Africa