Review Nioh 3: The Katana Engine Lacks A Cutting Edge

In many ways Nioh 3 is an ultimate encapsulation of Team Ninja's strengths as a developer today. The developer's Ninja Gaiden pedigree still shines through and while the Dark Souls influence is clear, the Nioh series trails its own unique path. One big twist for this third outing is the ability to instantly flip between two move-sets in combat - between samurai and ninja - with a tap of the R2 button. Combined with the huge scale of upgrade options - skill trees and weapon load-outs - the game offers a vast amount of flexibility to tailor your character's combat style.

The second twist for Nioh 3 is its world design. Team Ninja pushes for what it describes as an "open-field" layout this time round: not quite a seamless, loading screen-free open world, but still much broader in its structure than the first two Nioh titles. And as ever, its unique Katana Engine technology is used to realise it all, following on from its use in 2023's Wo Long Fallen Dynasty and 2024's Rise of the Ronin.

The setup is promising then, and there is a real artistry to Team Ninja's mythological take on Japanese history here. In terms of style, Nioh 3 trends towards the comic-bookishly over the top; a blending of traditional Japanese history with myth - fact with fantasy - settling on this nightmarish backdrop filled with demons.

Sadly though, the Katana engine behind Nioh 3 produces results that are at times rough around the edges. It's not a deal-breaker - and the sheer depth to its combat steals the show - but looking at the PS5 and PS5 Pro the open-field design is blighted by visual bugs. For a start, sprinting at pace, you'll catch geometry and shadow maps popping in and out. Even using the 30fps quality mode on either machine doesn't nip these odd visual issues in the bud. It's something you'll just have to grin and bear to enjoy the action.

From a technical perspective, both the base PS5 and PS5 Pro offer two modes: Prioritise FPS and Prioritise Resolution, aiming for 60fps and 30fps respectively. Visual settings like textures and shadows are mostly identical across machines. However, the Pro's resolution mode features superior screen-space reflections and slightly better shadow distance. Notably, the ray-traced reflections from Rise of the Ronin are absent here.

The PS5 Pro version appears to use Sony's PSSR upscaler rather than the base PS5's AMD FSR. This results in significantly better clarity and stability in motion. Fine details like hair, armour, and foliage flicker much less on the Pro. Additionally, the Pro eliminates ghosting trails seen on the base console.

That said, the Pro implementation has three drawbacks. Similar to other implementations of PSSR, still images can look slightly blurrier at rest. Meanwhile, although the Pro has improved screen-space reflections, they appear to exhibit more shimmer and break-up compared to the base PS5 - which, again, may be down to PSSR artefacting. Finally, in the prioritise FPS mode, there are pixelation and flickering issues as the resolution shifts - something that doesn't apply to the base PS5 version.

Moving on to performance tests, for Nioh 3's fast-paced combat, the 60fps Prioritise FPS mode is essential. Both consoles mostly maintain 60fps, though heavy effects can cause fleeting drops into the mid-50s, accompanied by mild v-sync judder. Using a VRR display is the best way to mask these dips.

The 30fps Prioritise Resolution mode is hard to recommend. Of course, the action is choppier when frame-rate is effectively halved, while input lag rises - but unfortunately, this is yet another game with a 30fps cap accompanied by inconsistent frame-pacing, meaning Nioh 3 presents as though it's actually running at a lower level of performance that it actually is.

In terms of its overall presentation, Nioh 3 is a mixed bag on console. Despite being a PS5 and PC exclusive, the Katana engine is behind the curve in producing what you might call a "modern" experience. Issues with SSR flicker are there on both PS5 consoles, while materials often look rather low quality for a current-gen title. Add in the shadow map and geometry pop-in issues - seen in Rise of the Ronin as well - and the technical aspects of Nioh 3 are far from its strongest suit.

Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro version addresses some image quality issues at least, but in the process, introduces its own unique quirks - notably on the 60fps mode with that additional flicker on DRS changes.

Still, technical points aside, the saving grace is Nioh 3's combat and its creative enemy designs. The difficulty curve is a steep one - as fans of the Nioh series will expect - but that challenge can be overcome via a huge choice in character upgrades. If you're ready to put the time in to tinker both the samurai and ninja move-sets, there's a satisfying route through. Developer Team Ninja deserves credit for delivering here at least. The 60fps mode works well enough too, but as was the case with Rise of the Ronin two years ago, it's worth bracing yourself for a similar level of rough edges as you explore its world.