Nioh 3
Nioh 3
Game
Game2017
Nioh: Complete Edition
Developer KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Nioh is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Team Ninja and Kou Shibusawa and published by Koei Tecmo for the PlayStation 4. Sony Interactive Entertainment published the game outside Japan on PlayStation consoles. Nioh 2, a prequel to Nioh was released on PlayStation 4 in March 12, 2020. A port to Windows including all downloadable content was released the same year while a remastered version was released… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
454 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
75
LovedLoved
187 positive · 64 negative
95% range 69–79%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 187 | 64 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 49 | 16 | 89 |
| Lemmy * | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 1 | 22 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
9,674 of 11,825 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
75% recommend · 179 yes, 59 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 238 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (30,894 of 39,140 positive).
Players praise the deep, technical combat system but warn it is brutally difficult and punishing. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game has a steep learning curve and requires mastering mechanics like Ki pulsing and stance switching. [4][3][5] A few players criticize the unfair difficulty, poor balance, and technical issues like save data corruption. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
TO BE CLEAR! THIS REVIEW IS MOSTLY FOR DEEP ENDGAME! Ok here's the Deal.... I 100% this game and realized 95% of this game is Unfair and I recommend Nioh 2 over this game. Nioh has some of the best combat ideas in the genre, but the overall experience is unfair in a way that feels unexplainable rather than challenging. The difficulty is artificial enemy tracking, interrupts, and random-feeling outcomes constantly …
- [1]
If Dark Souls is a normal ass gorilla, NIOH is an orangutan that can cast spells and spit out poison mist. It's a crazy game for insane people. There is a vague family resemblance between the two series, but also not really at all. Now that NIOH is at a steep winter discount, I'm afraid lots are going to try it and this game's reputation is going to TANK HARD. This was the most putrid, …
- [2]
A Masterclass in Action Mechanics Nioh is a unique and demanding action-RPG where the brilliant, technical combat is the true star. Let's be clear: its battle system surpasses anything in FromSoftware's games in terms of depth, speed, and mechanical mastery. The game's soul is its brilliant, layered combat system. Fighting is a fast, punishing dance built on a foundation of three fighting stances (low, mid, high), …
- [3]
TL;DR Nioh isn't "Dark Souls in Japan". It punishes Souls habits early on, but once you learn ki pulsing, stance switching, and play aggressively, the combat becomes fast, fluid, and extremely rewarding. The early game is brutal, the loot system is heavily RNG-based, and real builds don't shine until true endgame (after NG+4) - but if you stick with it, Nioh offers one of the deepest and most addictive combat …
- [4]
1. This game is hard, it was made to be hard. If you do not like hard games do not buy this game. 2. If you have a preferred playstyle, you need to invest your skill points into said playstyle. Trying to make a "Balanced" playstyle is very very bad in this game. 3. Expect for things to try and kill you around every single corner and play it as such, this is not a run and gun game. 4. Most enemies are not following …
Summarised from 34 of the 411 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 9, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Nioh: Complete Edition sits at 75% positive across 251 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Nioh received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Most critics praised the combat, difficulty, setting, use of Japanese folklore, and aesthetics as high points, as well as giving players the option to choose different graphical modes for the PS4 version; while the game's story and inventory management were met with some criticism. Eurogamer ranked the game 35th on their list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017", while Polygon ranked it 42nd on their list of the 50 best games of 2017. The game was nominated for "Best PS4 Game" in Destructoid's Game of the Year Awards 2017, and for "Best PlayStation 4 Game" and "Best RPG" in IGN's Best of…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 454 · most liked firstIt's really funny that anyone expected Japanese reviews to be angry about the game. It was already a best-seller on preorders alone. Nioh had an even wilder protrayal of Yasuke and everyone thought it was rad as hell. He had a lightning bear stand. Gettign wacky with samurai & ninja is culture.
neutral · AI labelView post →If Dark Souls is a normal ass gorilla, NIOH is an orangutan that can cast spells and spit out poison mist. It's a crazy game for insane people. There is a vague family resemblance between the two series, but also not really at all. Now that NIOH is at a steep winter discount, I'm afraid lots are going to try it and this game's reputation is going to TANK HARD. This was the most putrid, "I-can't-believe-this-BS-is-actually-happening-on-screen???" experience I've ever had with an action game. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It took me a long time to decide to purchase this game because those negative comments really make this game sound like a garbage. After playing 157 hours, I have a completely different opinion. I enjoy it very much. Some negative comments mention the map design is terrible, but they didn't mention this game gives player markers to identify visited places. They also didn't mention this game gives equipment with abilities to show enemies, treasures, and kodomas on the mini map. Yes, enemies…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You play as Weeaboo Geralt and travel to Japan to rescue your waifu. I'm not even joking. That's the plot. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was my favorite State of Play in a long time. Not every game appeals to me, but it had more than a few really fun surprise announcements. Final Fantasy Tactics, Marvel Fighting Game, Nioh 3, a new game from Suda51 and a sequel to Bloodstained? Well done PlayStation!
neutral · AI labelView post →A new one from me. I reviewed Nioh 3 at Kotaku. It's a good game but talking about it is tricky. This review has some of my highest praise ever (these are the best feeling action games ever) and some of my harshest disapproval as well.. kotaku.com/nioh-3-the-k...
neutral · AI labelView post →Nioh 3 being €80 for the base game or €120 for the special edition is really pricing it out of what I'm comfortable paying for a game, I think I'll be waiting a little on it.
negative · AI labelView post →This game got memed on something fierce by people not realizing that a joke was, actually intentionally a joke. But it's not only a great take on the Nioh formula, but a shockingly good Final Fantasy game in general. As with most Nioh-likes the DLC adds a huge amount. It evolved a lot after release
positive · AI labelView post →Gonna be busy fixing up the discord for a bit but my review for #TheFirstBerserker just dropped. Game is PEAK. Basically if Sekiro and Nioh 2 decided to have a baby together. It's a pure adrenaline filled delight from start to finish. youtu.be/QDjoOc8bVc4?...
neutral · AI labelView post →HAPPY FRIDAY VERY HAPPY FRIDAY Continuing my demo saves for both. DQVII as my treadmill game; Nioh 3 as my home focus game. This treadmill life hack letting me reach for a 2nd game as a traditionally one game at time gamer has been 🔥
positive · AI labelView post →Okay firing up the Nioh 3 demo to make a character and like...apparently you're just textually trans if you play as a woman in this game? Like you're meant to be Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandson and the game starts you as that before you turn to a mirror and be like HRT time bby
neutral · AI labelView post →A Masterclass in Action Mechanics Nioh is a unique and demanding action-RPG where the brilliant, technical combat is the true star. Let's be clear: its battle system surpasses anything in FromSoftware's games in terms of depth, speed, and mechanical mastery. The game's soul is its brilliant, layered combat system. Fighting is a fast, punishing dance built on a foundation of three fighting stances (low, mid, high), meticulous stamina (Ki) management, and precise dodging. The weapon variety is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TO BE CLEAR! THIS REVIEW IS MOSTLY FOR DEEP ENDGAME! Ok here's the Deal.... I 100% this game and realized 95% of this game is Unfair and I recommend Nioh 2 over this game. Nioh has some of the best combat ideas in the genre, but the overall experience is unfair in a way that feels unexplainable rather than challenging. The difficulty is artificial enemy tracking, interrupts, and random-feeling outcomes constantly override skill. Progress rarely feels rewarding because you don’t truly feel…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nioh 3 seems like the perfect kind of game to get you into Nioh 2
positive · AI labelView post →1. This game is hard, it was made to be hard. If you do not like hard games do not buy this game. 2. If you have a preferred playstyle, you need to invest your skill points into said playstyle. Trying to make a "Balanced" playstyle is very very bad in this game. 3. Expect for things to try and kill you around every single corner and play it as such, this is not a run and gun game. 4. Most enemies are not following the same rules as you and attack faster than you do in a lot of cases. Do not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One thing that people may not know is that Yasuke already appeared in a game as a samurai & as Nobunaga’s retainer along with the entire Honnoji incident. It was in a stellar game called Nioh. Ironically this game also starred a historical foreign figure who rose to samurai class, William Adams.
neutral · AI labelView post →If you play with mouse and keyboard, there is a bug that the game tries to look for a controller every 3-4 seconds causing lag. You can bypass this by connecting a virtual controller. You can then still play with mouse and keyboard but without the lag. I've used DS4windows.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GE-Proton10-31 Released. >HOTFIX: > >* reverted/disabled winewayland systray icon patch introduced in 10-30 (it caused a lot of breakage in multiple games, as well as breaking in gamescope session on steam deck. no bueno.) >* fixed video playback regression introduced in 10-29 (fixes video playback in Nioh 3 and a few other games) >* fixed Warhammer 40k Darktide crashing on opening (issue introduced in 10-29) > >Fixes: > >* fixed Arknights Endfield anti-cheat triggering if wayland wasn't…
neutral · AI labelView post →Holy shit I’ve been sleeping on Nioh 2. I’ve never played these games before and I have to say this game is incredible! 😭💯
positive · AI labelView post →It's not even the first time Yasuke has been depicted in sengoku-era video games. It's not even the -second- time. I could understand folks missing Samurai Warriors 5 since not everyone's a Musou game lifer, but dude was in Nioh! Both Niohs!
neutral · AI labelView post →You know how every Koei game is ultimately historical simulation, even Nioh? Well the Koei mj game, "Mahjong Taikai (tournament)" has you playing with historical figures. DC port of Saturn game has tiny hard-to-read tiles and massive, somewhat disturbing, animated faces. Nostradamus bankrupted me.
neutral · AI labelView post →I deleted Nioh 3. I know when burnout is creeping in, and a punishing game is not what I need right now. Do plan to go back to it at some point as I enjoyed it plenty.
neutral · AI labelView post →Gone are the staying up late to start the new game days. 👴🏼 But Nioh 3 tomorrow aaaaahhh!!! I'm so excited. 😭😭
positive · AI labelView post →I seriously cannot wait for Nioh 3. It is my most anticipated game of all-time. After struggling to no end with both Niohs to eventually loving their punishing difficulty, I never thought Team Ninja would come back to this series. Not long now.
positive · AI labelView post →There is a character in Nioh 2 (game about cutting up horrific demons) who will delicately appraise tea vessels you find as you play, sometimes casting them aside as rubbish after viewing them carefully on a purple cushion.
neutral · AI labelView post →TL;DR Nioh isn't "Dark Souls in Japan". It punishes Souls habits early on, but once you learn ki pulsing, stance switching, and play aggressively, the combat becomes fast, fluid, and extremely rewarding. The early game is brutal, the loot system is heavily RNG-based, and real builds don't shine until true endgame (after NG+4) - but if you stick with it, Nioh offers one of the deepest and most addictive combat systems in the genre. Review A lot of people jump into Nioh after clearing a pile of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nioh 3 is everything I love in a video game already. There's stealth big damage/kills take downs. The exploration has hidden stuffs. The git gud. (Obviously) All the loot is throws at me. I am John nioh! It's peak. 😭
positive · AI labelView post →Insane how good the Nioh 3 alpha demo is. It's everything I ever wanted as a sequel already. Nioh 2 gameplay, with added variety in the form of a ninja stance which add a 2nd loot set to manage + an amazing open world, with more custom linear mission in between It's like they made my dream game.
positive · AI labelView post →Okuni sketch. 💖 I want to play Nioh. Does it matter which game I start with story wise? #okuni #quicksketch #nioh #fanart #art
neutral · AI labelView post →Dark Souls 2 had one of the best new game pluses ever, so good that the Nioh series copied it. It's even more striking a feature of Nioh than the superficial souls elements like bonfires, souls, and death markers. The whole idea is that NG+ isn't simply fucking with damage numbers, but adding shit.
neutral · AI labelView post →Mm. It might adversely impact my experience if I hit level 60 in the Nioh 3 demo before the game comes out
neutral · AI labelView post →Nioh 3 Review: Team Ninja is on top form with one of its best ‘masocore’ games yet. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ www.videogameschronicle.com/review/nioh-...
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm super excited to announce that I've been given an early access code for Nioh 3! I'll be playing the game for as long as I can tomorrow, so please come check it out! Huge thanks to Koei Tecmo for the game key!
neutral · AI labelView post →[Discussion] Which Soulslike will you be playing this weekend and what's your preferred platform to play Soulslikes on?. Sorry for missing last weekend's post. I've got exams coming up and haven't been playing too much lately, so it just kinda slipped my mind. I am yet to play any soulslikes right now. Don't have a lot of mental capacity for anything other than League of Legends. I've been a console gamer ever since ~2017 when I bought my first console(s) and have been playing on them…
neutral · AI labelView post →Since finishing the plat for The First Berserker: Khazan, I made a TLDR review for it! Plus I put some extra thoughts in the official DG post (linked below) with how I think the game ultimately holds up, especially with how it compares to its Nioh inspirations: www.deargamers.net/reviews/the-...
neutral · AI labelView post →I will start by saying that combat is where Nioh shines the most. Switching between high, mid, and low stances mid fight adds a layer of tactical depth that keeps encounters engaging. The Ki Pulse mechanic lets you recover stamina with proper timing and turns defense into an active skill rather than a passive wait. It’s demanding but once it clicks it’s incredibly satisfying. The difficulty is unapologetically steep. Early on enemies and bosses can prove difficult if you’re careless. Late…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I do not have the words to properly articulate what this means but I appreciate how much Nioh 3 is just a video game ass video game
positive · AI labelView post →Let's check out Nioh 3 today! Huge thanks to Koei Tecmo for the early access game key! twitch.tv/auroralvisage youtube.com/auroralvisage
neutral · AI labelView post →Nioh 3 has me back into souls like mode. I am just thrilled at how good this game is.
positive · AI labelView post →Game #9 of 2026 completed: Nioh 3 My first 3D Soulslike completion. Phew. I literally chuckled after the final blow, because I never thought I'd have the patience to do it. But Nioh 3 earned my time with its fantastic combat and incredibly rewarding open world.
positive · AI labelView post →9th game beaten of 2025: The First Berserker Khazan 😈 Nioh-lite may sound reductive, but it is 100% apt. While Khazan doesn’t meet or exceed that high bar, it is a solid, challenging game. They need to fix the crashes & trophy bugs, otherwise it’s a great entry in the genre
neutral · AI labelView post →Playing my first ever Nioh game!! Nioh 3 just came out so I’m very interested in the combat. My only curiosity is… parrying? 👀
neutral · AI labelView post →Coming up on the end of the first world in Nioh 3. This game is much prettier than I expected.
positive · AI labelView post →Instead of running out and buying Nioh 3, I decided to sit down and actually finish Nioh 2, starting from the beginning. And man this game just rips
positive · AI labelView post →I LOVE soulslike games, but this game has not been fun so far. It started out okay, and I really like the feel of the combat. There's a lot of interesting mechanics that make it stand out and not just feel like a Dark Souls clone. I really wanted to like this, but the balance is horrible. Actually, it's non-exixtant to the point that it feels like they didn't play test this at all before releasing the game. I'm getting one shotted by almost every enemy in the game, and attacks are not often…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tried the Nioh 3 Demo. Yeah it's crack. Nioh 1 & 2 are phenomenal games. Games that if you haven't played, you should, as even the first game holds up with today's Souls-esque games & each subsequent sequel (from what I can tell with the 3rd's demo) progresses the game in extremely satisfying ways.
positive · AI labelView post →I really wanted to like this game, but it failed to meet my expectations in almost every aspect. The combat is the only thing carrying the entire experience, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but every other part of the game feels weak in comparison. I'm writing this review after completing all side quests and fully learning the combat system, including stance switching, Ki Pulse recovery, and different builds. Before anyone says I didn't play the game properly, I've explored everything the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →300+ hrs and 100% achievements and I'm just now doing a review. I really didn't want to stop playing this game and move onto to Nioh 2 because I was still enjoying the experience. For 2 weeks all I needed to do was 20th floor of the abyss to 100% the game. After starting Nioh 2, I don't know if I'll ever come back to this game, but damn if I didn't have a fantastic time despite smashing one of my controllers. This game will beat you down. Again and again. There will be moments though.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: Walks a fine line between frustrating and fun, but goes further into frustration for me. PROS: ➕Soulslike feel with big emphasis on loot ➕Stat tracking….so you can see exactly how many times you died (172 for me!) ➕Variety of weapons, each with a different feel/playstyle ➕Mechanically diverse and deep NEUTRALS: 🔹THREE tutorials at the start?? 🔹Segmented mission structure means that it's much easier to not get lost like in Souls games, on the other hand, the level design isn’t as…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Discussion] Which Soulslike will you be playing this weekend and what's your stance on spoilers in Soulslikes?. I'm playing anything but soulslikes currently. Overwatch just got a pretty big update and got five new heroes added in one patch, so that's been quite some fun. Been thinking about continuing my LoP DLC playthrough, but we'll see if it comes to that. Got some work to do for school. With Nioh 3 having just dropped, I thought about my stance on spoilers in soulslikes but also in video…
neutral · AI labelView post →I beat a game for once!! The base game of Nioh has been completed :D There's.. 3 dlc's I think?
positive · AI labelView post →every now and then i think about how Stranger of Paradise has one of the best feeling combat systems in an Action RPG i've ever played and how the game itself is so close to being perfect if it were to get a sequel like Nioh to Nioh 2
neutral · AI labelView post →Koei Tecmo's rock hard samurai action game, Nioh 3, has set a new series record as it passes impressive sales milestone www.eurogamer.net/nioh-3-milli...
neutral · AI labelView post →if you like dark souls and sekiro you will absolutely love this game also playing with keyboard and mouse isnt that difficult
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. Got to region 3 when Error 30 happened and all my data was deleted. Not restarting. Very upsetting.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay: - General: The game does get better as you play, because you get afforded more tools that other soulslikes would never dream of. But it's super easy to completely destroy any semblance of challenge and you have to be cognizant of that and purposely make yourself weaker by using suboptimal gear and/or moves. The game ranges from way too easy to wayyyy too difficult depending on the missions you pick and your character's build. Those double-boss side missions at the end are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best game. I also play this to honor my uncle who passed away and he gave me this game on ps4. He told me that he could not pass the game and asked me to pass it for him.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After giving Nioh two separate attempts, the overall experience game falls into the "okay-ish" category. It has some bright spots, but it is ultimately weighed down by tedious design choices and a lack of flow. The combat resolve around 4 stances, it's an interesting concept but often feel useless as you will be playing mostly in one stance and maybe switch to another. The annoying part is that you cannot combine heavy and light attacks (at least not for the first 3 regions/chapters - got used…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →'Nioh 3' reveals Bakumatsu period. The game also features other periods like Edo, Sengoku, and Heian period. www.gematsu.com/2025/11/nioh...
neutral · AI labelView post →Anyway, NIOH is a game series I highly recommend. I also recommend you play Nioh 1 and then Nioh 2. Nioh 1 is one of the most polished soulslikes ever made. It’s great from beginning to end. It’s very much worth playing. And Nioh 2 improves *every* aspect of it.
positive · AI labelView post →
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