'Nioh 3 Slices Into 2026 With Open-World Samurai Action on PS5, PC: What's the Dual Combat Styles?

The dark fantasy RPG will give you a new meaning to the combat system.

If you're gaming library is mostly samurai games, you can add "Nioh 3" soon to your growing collection. Thanks to Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo, the open-world role-playing game is back on its third installment next year for PlayStation 5 and PC.

Those who enjoy brutal fighting and creepy yokai battles can already get an initial bite with a free PS5 demo now running through June 18, revealed during Sony's recent State of Play event.

'Nioh 3' Now Comes With New Setting and Bigger Threats

PlayStation/Team Ninja/YouTube

"Nioh 3's" explosive debut trailer reveals the series' trademark synergy of rapid sword combat and dark mythological terror. Taking place in Sengoku Japan in the 15th century, the game is set to deliver a blood-drenched experience through haunted villages and fields overrun by supernatural enemies.

This sequel takes things even further with enormous demonic bosses, mad combat, and beautifully rendered landscapes all courtesy of next-gen hardware.

Here Comes the Dual Combat Styles: Samurai vs Ninja Mechanics

Central to "Nioh 3's" gameplay innovation is its new dual-style system. According to Engadget, you can freely switch between two extreme forms of combat:

Samurai Style

A return to traditional Nioh gameplay, close-quarters combat, reticent swordsmanship, and stamina-determined dueling.

Ninja Style

Quick, nimble, and evasive. A perfect fit for those who love acrobatic dodging, wall-flipping, and precision attacks.

You don't have to stick to a single combat style anymore. This kind of switchability will help you improvise in real time, so each battle is more customizable than before.

'Nioh 3's' Open World: Discover the "Open Field" System

Unlike the previous installments, "Nioh 3" features an open-world experience, or at least according to Team Ninja, an "open field." It's a larger and more exploratory design that challenges players to explore cursed shrines and haunted ghost towns, beat side quests, and environmental storytelling, and discover secret Yokai dangers.

According to Fumihiko Yasuda, leader of Team Ninja, this development "provides new freedom of exploration. This adds to the game's trademark balance of intensity and strategy.

New Endgame Challenge

For veteran combatants looking for even more of a challenge, The Crucible will be Nioh 3's greatest test. This brutal game mode sees players confronting wave upon wave of vicious yokai in progressively mounting difficulty. Adapting to both fight styles and using your build to your advantage will be crucial to making it out alive.

Demo Now Live: Slash Into the Action Early

PS5 owners can download the "Nioh 3" demo now from the PlayStation Store. It's available until June 18, giving players a limited-time chance to test-drive the dual-style system and get an early look at the open-field design.

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