Fraser Brown, Online Editor
Last week: I had a miserable time trying to mod Fallout: New Vegas on my Steam Deck, all because I really like a silly TV show.
This week: It’s yokai hunting season, baby.
Nioh 3—perhaps in response to Elden Ring, or perhaps reflecting Team Ninja’s own foray into open worlds with Rise of the Ronin—has pivoted away from the structure of its predecessors and embraced openness, with a handful of densely packed and massive maps primed for exploration.
I found it impossible not to make mental comparisons to Elden Ring as I slaughtered yokai or fell to their savage attacks. But rather than feel the impulse to pit them against each other, I found myself appreciating their differences—a multitude of them, some vast—and how both games complement each other.
Elden Ring’s open worlds, divided into the Lands Between and the Land of Shadow (from the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion) represent a singular open-world design philosophy, one that rejects the traditional approach typified by the likes of Assassin’s Creed.
These realms are alien enigmas that must be rigorously explored before you can unravel them, steeped in mystery and myth. Where there are secrets and discoveries, it’s up to you to find them, unable as you are to rely on the map to point you in the right direction. This is not a map-clearing game.
Elden Ring is one of those increasingly rare games that thrives on discovery. If I could only point to a single game that captures the essence of adventure, that glorious fantasy of striding out into the unknown on some great quest, it would be Elden Ring.
Charting every new region is a genuine thrill, totalling a game that spits out infinite surprises. I’ve never been so enamoured with an open world before. Its closest comparison is probably Breath of the Wild, but they are distant relatives at best. One thrives on playfulness and experimentation. The other is a dark mystery desperate to kill travellers.
Nioh 3, meanwhile, has taken a decidedly more conventional approach. What we have here is simply another open-world videogame eager to spill its secrets. Each region of Nioh’s vast open-world areas has a suggested level, but otherwise you’re free to explore them, hoovering up collectibles and tackling challenges that all appear on your map.
By exploring a region and dabbling in its myriad diversions, you’ll increase its exploration level, in turn revealing every single point of interest on the map. It’s undeniable, then, that Nioh 3 is a map-clearing game. This exploration system is taken from Rise of the Ronin, and it’s fair to say that Nioh 3 owes much to Team Ninja’s previous game—it effectively smashes Nioh and Rise of the Ronin together.
I have played too many of these games. I couldn’t even finish Rise of the Ronin, my open-world malaise was so great. And this may end up happening with Nioh 3 as well—there’s still plenty more game for me to chew through. But right now, though? I’m loving it.
Nioh 3’s density of systems and soulslike challenge recontextualises its open world. In Assassin’s Creed and Rise of the Ronin, you’re just killing people. Some of them are very good at fighting—especially in Ronin, which has a complex combat system that I never quite vibed with—but a dude’s a dude, right? Nioh 3’s monsters are not such simple prey. There are so many threats you’ll encounter, so many patterns to learn, that fighting your way through a map doesn’t start to feel like repetitive busywork.
A very early encounter with a wandering demon encapsulates this. He was a big lad. Very big. And I had an inkling that he would kill me. But not how. And I certainly didn’t expect him to comically deflate when I shot his eye with my arrows. Nor that he’d get his revenge by summoning one-hit-kill bolts of lightning. He did kill me, by the way. But I got some licks in.
Instead of revelling in the obtuse, hiding its systems and secrets until they’re revealed in subreddits or by diligent guide writers, Nioh 3 flings its novelties as you, constantly keeping you busy as you try to untangle a new mechanic or fool around with a new build—the latter of which is more overtly encouraged than in Elden Ring, thanks to the simple ease of the respec system.
My growing love for Nioh 3’s open world mostly stems from one broad concept, though. That it’s totally OK to be a power-hungry basic bitch.
There’s no denying that Elden Ring is one of FromSoft’s easier games, and much of that is down to its open-world structure. You can walk away from a challenge that’s kicking your ass and just come back later, more powerful, better equipped, and spank your one-time nemesis. Dark Souls lets you grind your way to victory, of course, but that’s dreadfully dull. Elden Ring gives you so many more paths to success.
Despite this, Elden Ring isn’t a power fantasy. It gets close sometimes, sure, and yes, you’ll certainly feel powerful with certain fun—arguably cheesy—builds; but you’re just as likely to be punished for your overconfidence. And its enigmatic nature keeps you at arm’s length, always slightly nervous, slightly clueless, waiting for your next death.
Nioh 3, on the other hand, is more laissez-faire. You are a time-travelling samurai with magical abilities—of course you can slaughter demons and grasp at the power of gods. You’ll still get murdered a bunch, naturally, but you’ll never stop feeling strong, and growing stronger.
And if you want to get stronger right now, you can just look at the map and find opportunities. Along the way you’ll almost certainly find some fancy new gear, or perhaps an entire set, with the extra bonuses that come with them. At the very least you’ll be able to restock your healing items by looting your victims.
I’m yet to feel stumped or lost or weak. There’s always a clear route I can take to tackle any challenge thrown my way. But because this is a soulslike rather than another Assassin’s Creed, that sense of power never gets dull. I’m still being tested. There’s too much to do, too many tense fights, to get bored.
Because Elden Ring is such an incredible achievement in open-world design, it almost feels wrong to look at what Nioh 3’s doing and say “No, this is just as good.” There’s a level of artistry and thoughtfulness in the Lands Between and the Land of Shadow that no other open world can hope to match. While Nioh 3 is just doing stuff I’ve seen a million times before.
In the context of a soulslike, though, this style of open world feels like it still has more to offer. What might feel staid in another game is exciting here. In Rise of the Ronin, it felt bloated, with too many diversions and so many quests. Nioh 3 takes the density of systems but applies a stronger level of focus—every diversion is designed to grow your power, and quickly.
Team Ninja’s played a smart game here. Instead of coming for Elden Ring, it’s made something so different that Nioh 3’s able to stand apart, all without running afoul of the problems that have come to make me tired of open worlds.
Sometimes, playing it safe is the perfect approach.
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