Nioh 3 will strike a balance between the series’ hallmark “masocore” difficulty and being more inviting to newcomers. Read on to find out more about what changes are coming in Koei Tecmo’s latest action RPG title.
Nioh 3 Dev Team Wants to Make Difficulty More Consistent
A More Accessible Masocore Experience
Nioh 3 will feature fewer difficulty spikes and a dedicated tutorial, according to director Fumihiko Yasuda and producer Kohei Shibata. The upcoming action RPG will strike a greater balance between the series’ classic "masocore" difficulty, which is an intensely challenging difficulty style featured throughout the series, and a more inviting, consistent experience throughout. This is one of the many changes that Nioh 3 brings to the series, alongside an interconnected open world and a more fluid combat system.
In an interview with Multiplayer.it, Yasuda stated that part of the vision for Nioh 3 was a more gradual increase in difficulty, compared to the older games’ more unpredictable and punishing gameplay loop. Yasuda notes that while the first two Nioh games have cultivated a dedicated playerbase, he would also want newcomers to experience the series in a way that’s more inviting and accessible. According to Yasuda, Nioh 3 will also include a comprehensive tutorial similar to the ones from previous entries that will teach players how to engage in the series’ unique combat.
This doesn’t mean that the classic masocore difficulty will be toned down at all, however, as Yasuda points out that this approach allows players to approach the game through their own playstyles while maintaining the challenge level typical of their games. Yasuda also states that the "key point" of the series’ difficulty is to make players confront adversity and failure while finding creative solutions to overcome them.
A New But Familiar Nioh Experience
Nioh 3 introduces new features to the series, most notably the interconnected semi-open world and the ability to switch between combat stances. While the game maintains a lot of the series’ key features, such as the Samurai combat, Yokai-related abilities, and Japanese feudal setting, these have all been retooled for an updated Nioh experience.
The game’s combat sees the most change, with players being able to freely switch between the more nimble Ninja style and the swordplay-focused Samurai style. While Ninja Skills were available in past games, Nioh 3 adds a dedicated Ninja style with its own expanded moveset and build. Style switching lets players chain attacks and actions together, especially with weapons having style-specific movesets.
It also retains the Yokai abilities from the previous games, but they’ve been retooled as limited-use resources that players must time correctly during combat. Furthermore, Nioh 3 features an interconnected semi-open world that players can explore and progress through further by beating more bosses. This is a big change from the previous games, which utilized a mission-based progression and map system.
The game also features the Bakumatsu period of Japanese feudal history, adding to the previously explored Edo, Sengoku, and Heian periods. This brings Nioh to a relatively more modern time period, where protagonist Takechiyo must venture through different periods of Japanese history to stop The Crucible, a mysterious supernatural force.
Judging from the player feedback received during the limited-time demo available from June 5 to June 18 of this year, these changes seem to be implemented well but require further balancing and fixing before release.
Nioh 3 will be available for PlayStation 5 and Steam on February 6, 2026. For more information on Koei Tecmo’s upcoming masocore action RPG, read our article below:
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Nioh 3: Team Ninja reveals the game's behind-the-scenes details
