[h2]A Great Game, but weaker than Nioh 2[/h2]
Nioh 3 expands on the ideas introduced in the previous entry and moves the series into an open-world format, which is by far the biggest and most significant change. Instead of progressing through separate missions, players now traverse large open regions, moving from one key location to another. Initially, the concept works very well. The first map is genuinely diverse and filled with beautiful vistas. Unfortunately, the following three maps (one of which is fairly small and hardly qualifies as a proper open-world area) are much more monotonous, and by the end of the game, exploration had started to became more and more boring. The side activities are highly repetitive, consisting mainly of capturing bases, finding Kodamas, shooting Chijikos, and similar tasks. There are also several small side quests, known as Myths, but in most cases they boil down to simple fetch quests that culminate in fighting several waves of enemies or a boss recycled from the main storyline. There are a few notable exceptions, such as the fight against Minamoto no Yoshitsune. For me - a longtime fan of the series, the encounter felt like a nice callback to one of the best bosses in Nioh 2. Unfortunately, the rather uninspired arena prevents it from reaching the same heights. What could have been a memorable tribute ended up feeling like a missed opportunity.
On paper, the combat system appears to have undergone a significant transformation through the introduction of Samurai and Ninja styles, which can be switched between during combat. The Samurai style functions much like the default combat system from Nioh 2, featuring stance switching and the Ki Pulse mechanic. The Ninja style, on the other hand, focuses on evading enemy attacks, delivering quick counterattacks, and making extensive use of Ninjutsu. Also specific weapons and armor sets are locked to a particular style. Faster, more offensive weapons such as tonfas and kusarigamas are tied to the Ninja style, while slower weapons like spears, hammers, and odachi belong to the Samurai style. The concept makes sense, but in reality I found myself using only one style during most encounters, primarily Ninja, and switching styles only to counter Burst Breaks. The changes are nowhere near as revolutionary as those introduced in Nioh 2. As a result, the core gameplay remains largely unchanged and should feel immediately familiar to returning players. To be honest, I do not consider this a drawback. If something already works exceptionally well, there is little need to reinvent it. Nioh 3 still has one of the best combat systems in action games.
There are several new enemy types, but it must be noted that roughly half of the enemy roster is recycled from previous entries. As is typical for Nioh, all of them are fantastically designed and animated with great attention to detail. What disappointed me far more was the small number of new bosses. Especially toward the end of the game, it is common to encounter bosses reused from Nioh and Nioh 2, such as Kasha, Yoro-Gumo, Enenra, Mezuki, and Gozuki. Reusing bosses in side missions would not have bothered me nearly as much, but the amount of recycling present in the main story is somewhat excessive for my taste. Moreover, while most of the new bosses are interesting and well designed, I found them surprisingly easy. Only three or four bosses required multiple attempts, while the vast majority fell on my first or second try. After finishing the game, I realized that I could even barely remember the names of most of them.
The diversity of weapons and armor remains excellent. On the other hand, there seem to be significantly fewer Guardian Spirits, which is understandable given the relatively small number of major story bosses. Since one of the game's chapters takes place during the Bakumatsu era, I also feel Team Ninja missed an opportunity to introduce additional ranged weapons, such as one-handed firearms.
The story is coherent and, for the most part, engaging. However, because it is split into several separate branches, it feels less cohesive than the narratives of the previous installments. Players should also not expect particularly deep storytelling or complex character development, as the plot primarily serves as a framework for the gameplay rather than a major focus in its own right.
The PC version is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the game is not particularly demanding, and the graphics settings offer plenty of customization options. Visually, it often looks excellent, especially when it comes to character and enemy models, which are highly detailed. On the other hand, the engine is definitely showing its age, most notably because it does not fully support variable frame rates. If you are unable to maintain a locked 60 FPS, which can be difficult in open-world areas on lower-end hardware, the game either becomes noticeably stuttery or literally slows down. The game also lacks support for FSR 4, which is a minor disadvantage for AMD users. Fortunately, this can be addressed through OptiScaler, and the results are excellent.
If you have reasonably powerful hardware, for the best experience, I recommend capping the frame rate at 60 FPS and configuring upscaling aggressively enough to leave a comfortable performance headroom (I do not believe a stable 120 FPS is realistically achievable in open-world areas due to CPU limitations). This helps ensure that frame rates never drop below 60 FPS in more demanding areas, as the game's performance degrades noticeably whenever it cannot maintain its target frame rate. Unfortunately, for players with lower-tier hardware, the game is difficult to recommend, as the experience may end up being more frustrating than enjoyable.
Finally, I am disappointed by the lack of Polish language support. Both previous entries featured Polish subtitles, so it is unfortunate to see them omitted in Nioh 3.
