Nioh 3 has secured a respectable 86 on Metacritic, garnering praise from critics across the board.

Slated for release on the 6th, this soulslike action title dives into the sibling rivalry between Tokugawa Takechiyo, the heir to the shogunate, and his brother, Tokugawa Kunimatsu. Armed with the power of guardian spirits, Takechiyo must navigate through time to fend off Kunimatsu’s yokai-led onslaught, purifying corrupted lands across the Sengoku, Edo, and Heian periods.

The Metacritic scores dropped on the 5th. The PS5 version holds an 86 based on 77 reviews, while the PC version sits at 84 from 27 participating outlets.

The standout feature is undoubtedly the evolved combat system. You can switch between samurai and ninja styles on the fly, which adds a layer of tactical depth we haven't seen before. It’s punchy, precise, and retains that signature, white-knuckle tension the series is known for. Those punishing boss fights? They are exactly as demanding and rewarding as you'd hope.

The shift in map design is another win. Moving away from the dense, mission-based levels of old, the game embraces a more open approach reminiscent of FromSoftware’s Elden Ring. This seamless open-world structure encourages exploration and lowers the barrier to entry, as you can simply head to a different area to level up if you hit a particularly nasty wall.

It isn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. Technical hiccups have been reported, specifically intermittent frame rate drops on PS5, and there's a sense that the ageing engine is holding back the visual fidelity. Some critics have also noted that enemy variety thins out across the vast map, and the narrative, which starts strong, loses a bit of its lustre towards the end.