Nioh 3

Nioh 3's biggest gamble is its open-world pivot, and against all odds, it pays off. Team Ninja took the punishing combat and ki pulse system that defined the series and dropped it into an expansive feudal Japan that actually justifies its size. Each region feels handcrafted rather than procedurally padded, and the yokai encounters scattered across the map are designed with the same sadistic precision as the boss fights. This isn't an open world with soulslike combat bolted on. It's a soulslike that happened to grow a world worthy of exploration.

The combat is still the star. Nioh's stance system returns with new weapon types and a refined ki management system that rewards aggressive play without making you feel invincible. Boss fights are multi-phase nightmares that demand mastery of every mechanic, and the co-op system makes even the hardest encounters feel achievable without trivializing them. Team Ninja understands that difficulty is a design tool, not a marketing bullet point, and it shows in every encounter. Recommended by 94% of critics on OpenCritic for good reason.

Where the open world falters is in the connective tissue between its highlights. Some traversal feels like padding. Running through gorgeous but mechanically empty fields to reach the next shrine or boss. The loot system, while deep, borders on overwhelming with its sheer volume of drops, and inventory management becomes a chore in the late game. And while beating Nioh 2's Metacritic score with an 86 is a victory, the original Nioh's 88 reminds you that sometimes tighter is better. But these are quibbles in what is otherwise the most ambitious and accomplished entry in the series.