Your progress carries over to the full release once it drops next week, so you might want to make the most of the head start that this demo offers. If you haven’t played this classic back in the day, it’s quite the trip. Blending chills and thrills as you step into the shoes of Mio and Mayu Amakura, this one had us quite hesitant to turn the lights off. Narratively, it’s as morbid as the abandoned village you explore, its inherent eeriness seeping into every moment you spend navigating the alleys and dilapidated buildings.

The remake has made several changes to the original experience, though, and series producer Makoto Shibata was happy to outline some of them in this interview from last month. A brand-new perspective and reworked approach to the story and side content should make this one a surprise for franchise veterans and newcomers alike. You can also check out our impressions from a preview build here.

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake launches on March 12th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

https://x.com/KoeiTecmoUS/status/2029557698606276839

That’s not to say my playthrough has been flawless. There are compromises, yes, but they make sense in the context of a game that’s clearly aiming high, with smarter level design and a combat loop that’s hard to put down. More than once, I told myself I’d stop after “one last run,” only to lose another hour to a nasty group of yokai that sent me to the grave far more times than I’d like to admit. In short, Nioh 3 is downright addictive.

"Team Ninja clearly chose to focus its efforts on gameplay, which is arguably the more important part of the experience, and the narrative feels like a sacrifice made in service of what the game does best."

Let’s talk about the bad and mediocre parts, starting with the story. The story is just there, and there’s no sugarcoating that. I won’t go into spoilers, and I assume most players won’t be playing Nioh 3 for its narrative, but characters come and go, and the beats are so jumbled that it’s hard to care. At times, it feels like the game has the ingredients for a strong central hook, something that could tie its many battles together, but it never quite lands.

That’s been the case with past entries, too, but I still hoped things would be better this time and that the narrative would feel more elevated. Sadly, that isn’t really the case. To be fair, it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me. Team Ninja clearly chose to focus its efforts on gameplay, which is arguably the more important part of the experience, and the narrative feels like a sacrifice made in service of what the game does best.

One other potential annoyance is the heavy emphasis on loot. The sheer abundance of drops can be overwhelming, and you pick up gear at an alarming pace. With two loadouts (Samurai and Ninja) to manage now, things can get messy fast.

I also encountered a few glitches, such as enemies getting stuck in objects or the environment, bosses refusing to follow you out of their arenas and instead running off with their backs wide open, or enemies simply failing to notice you. Oddly enough, these moments were more amusing than frustrating, especially given how serious the game usually is. Still, the glitches are there and worth keeping in mind, even if they feel like the sort of issues that could be ironed out with updates.

"The sheer abundance of drops can be overwhelming, and you pick up gear at an alarming pace"

That’s about it for my complaints, and that’s a good thing. The rest of what Nioh 3 offers is so well done that I was itching to get back to playing it the moment I finished writing this.

Let’s start with the combat. If you’re a Nioh veteran, you’re going to feel right at home in the opening tutorial that lets you take your pick from four familiar weapons before you’re given a brief rundown of the Ki Pulse, Guard, and other mechanics, all of which are cleverly framed as an introduction to the Samurai fighting style.

One lengthy cutscene later, you’re being introduced to one of my favorite parts of what’s new this time around: the Ninja style. While you must get up close and personal with your foes as a Samurai, you get to keep your distance as a Ninja, using a range of nifty tricks to keep the damage coming in a myriad of ways.

There are shurikens you can throw out, bombs you can lob at large groups for some heavy damage to health and Ki bars, homing elemental spells, and a range of evasive abilities that allow you to position yourself behind enemies for a damage boost on your attacks. And all of that’s just the beginning. With a few skill points invested in the Ninja skill tree, you unlock even more ninja-specific ranged attacks, and it quickly becomes clear why this addition significantly extends the versatility of Nioh 2’s combat system.

"The parry from Wo Long is an easy unlock, and it immediately changed how I approached fights"

That’s not to say the Samurai tree is lacking in what it lets you do. The parry from Wo Long is an easy unlock, and it immediately changed how I approached fights. You can parry almost anything short of a Burst Attack. For anyone unfamiliar, Burst Attacks are massive unblockable moves that can only be countered with Burst Counters. They’re an absolute blast to pull off, but they do demand practice and careful attention to enemy patterns.

Good luck nailing the timing on your parries, however. It’s quite a tight window, and getting it right every time is going to take a lot of practice. It’s well worth the effort, though, and you’re going to devastate enemies unfortunate enough to raise a blade against you once you get the hang of it.

Of course, the Samurai style also comes with the usual stance-switching shenanigans from the previous games, allowing you to switch up your moveset based on the enemy you’re up against. But it’s when you start seamlessly switching between the Samurai and the Ninja that the combat begins to click.

The change is so seamless, and the choice to have separate loadouts for the two styles meant that I could rock a pair of uchigatanas on my Samurai for some dual-bladed devastation while using a very potent kusarigama on my Ninja for some crowd control and damage. It’s also very helpful in letting you know which style you’re currently using, with the distinct visual differences in your gear and the accompanying UI changes working well to convey that information in the heat of battle.

"Nioh 3 refuses to pull its punches, and you’re going to be dispatched to the nearest respawn point quite often"

Between the Samurai’s stances and the Ninja’s excellent ability to weave in and out of attacks, switching between the two is a symphony that becomes second nature quite fast, thanks to how Team Ninja has structured the rhythm of each fight around it. Enemies whip out burst attacks quite often, and countering them with a style switch makes you get used to both styles quite quickly as you try to gain the upper hand in battles that test your skills.

Believe me when I say that even the weakest of foes can have you grinding your teeth in frustration. Like the previous titles in the franchise, Nioh 3 refuses to pull its punches, and you’re going to be dispatched to the nearest respawn point quite often. However, trying out different weapons and loadouts is heavily encouraged, with no penalties for reallocating your hard-earned stat points. Player agency and experimentation are central to the experience, and they shine in Nioh 3.

However, if you’re like me, you might prefer to pick a weapon and stay with it, and that’s totally fine too. Whatever you choose to do, Nioh 3’s Soulslike trappings are an absolute blast, and it’s so addictive that you may want to free up your schedule before jumping in. And that brings me to the personal highlight of my time with the game.

I’m talking, of course, about the open field design that Nioh 3 introduces to the series for the first time. Gone are the linear main levels and the blocked off pathways seen in the series’ predecessors. This isn’t a true open world, but rather a set of massive, interconnected zones with new areas becoming accessible as you progress. Exploration plays a key role in the game’s mechanics, with your character gaining tangible benefits from carefully uncovering the map and clearing a wide range of objectives, each rewarding you in its own way.

"Nioh 3’s map is smaller and far denser as a result, which means it’s never long before you’re pulled into a fight with an unfamiliar enemy or stumble onto a new activity that demands your attention"

It follows some familiar open-world tropes, with enemy camps that have you wiping out groups of foes to gain access to chests filled with valuable loot. There are also minor Crucibles that call back to Nioh 2’s side content, pitting you against varied and increasingly difficult enemy groups in cramped spaces where the environment often works against you. The collectible Kodama return as well, and they’re much easier to track down this time, thanks to the map clearly showing their locations once you begin exploring an area.

The Scampusses don’t just sit around and wait for you to pet them; instead leading you on a chase to win their affections. Another benevolent yokai type potters around in the sky until you manage to shoot it down, dropping valuable loot when you do so. Field bosses can put up a brutal fight, and they’ll often push you to step away, do a bit more exploring, gain a few levels, and return for another round. That’s the beauty of the open field design in Nioh 3. There’s always something meaningful to do, and it’s usually close enough that you never lose sight of why you started wandering in the first place.

It worked in Elden Ring, and it works here too. However, Nioh 3’s map is smaller and far denser as a result, which means it’s never long before you’re pulled into a fight with an unfamiliar enemy or stumble onto a new activity that demands your attention. There’s very little downtime, just a near continuous chain of action, and I loved it for that.

With respawn points doubling as fast travel locations and the new Gale Sprint ability removing any real need for a mount, you’ll be zipping around the map with reckless abandon fairly early into the experience.

"The map clearly displays recommended levels, which is a great addition and encourages you to dip into lower-level zones instead of avoiding them outright."

Talking about mission structure, most objectives follow a familiar flow of pushing through a specific zone, reaching the other end, and unlocking further portions of the map. It’s fairly typical and expected, but the open-ended nature of the levels adds welcome flexibility in how you approach them, whether that’s leaning into stealth or going in headfirst. The stealth mechanics are simple and effective, and I found them especially useful for cheesing my way through a few boss encounters.

There are also several side missions, and while they mostly boil down to familiar objectives like fetching items or taking down specific bosses, they work well as brief diversions before jumping back into the main story content. The progression systems are exactly what you’d expect from a Nioh game. You level up across multiple categories and explore areas based on your existing character level.

The map clearly displays recommended levels, which is a great addition and encourages you to dip into lower-level zones instead of avoiding them outright. Beyond that, you can unlock a wide range of buffs and parameters, such as reducing enemy detection while sneaking or boosting melee damage. All of this feeds directly into the strong level design, encouraging exploration and pulling you into a consistent loop of rewards and progression.

"The bosses I’ve seen in my 30 hours with the game are all phenomenally designed, forcing you to use all of the tools you have available"

Yokai Cores are now the sole source of Onmyo magic in a change that simplifies spells. You slot your Soul Cores into your Onmyo Box, choosing either Yin or Yang to equip a spell or a summon. That’s a nice way to give players more control over what they want to do in the field, or against a deadly boss.

The bosses I’ve seen in my 30 hours with the game are all phenomenally designed, forcing you to use all of the tools you have available to try and keep the momentum of each fight in your favor. The animations are tight and very readable, although it’s all so fast you’re going to have your reflexes tested time and time again until muscle memory gives you a modicum of confidence in your own ability to survive.

The enemy designs are a sublime balance between familiar ones from past titles and new creatures that require a bit of learning before you begin to tear through their ranks in the field. It’s all presented so well and integrated so seamlessly that Nioh 3 feels like a title that the franchise had been building towards over the years.

The audio design deserves a special mention, with excellent cues communicating a variety of events. For instance, I equipped a Charm that granted a bit of life every time I used my bow on an enemy, and a distinct heartbeat would sound whenever the effect triggered. These cues make exploration far more engaging. I often found myself hitting the brakes during a long sprint simply because I heard a Kodama nearby. In a world as large as this one, they’re an invaluable quality of life feature.

The visuals and performance are equally good, with a layer of polish slapped on to Nioh 2’s already immersive art style, and the game runs buttery smooth in Performance mode on a base PS5. I did notice a bit of stutter in intense cutscenes and crowded environments, but it’s nothing to worry about, as it doesn’t affect gameplay in the slightest. I wouldn’t recommend running the game in Quality after experiencing Performance. My eyes simply couldn’t adapt, and I also noticed stutter on the PS5 Pro while playing in Quality mode.

"The audio design deserves a special mention, with excellent cues communicating a variety of events."

Would I recommend Nioh 3 to you? Absolutely. If you love an action RPG that doesn’t hold your hand, you’re in the right place. Just know this is the kind of game that can take a while, because it will challenge you again and again. I wouldn’t be surprised if many players tackle it in smaller chunks, knocking out a couple of missions or objectives a day before powering down and slowly chipping away at a map that can feel overwhelming at first, until you find your rhythm and develop your own way of tackling it.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

In the interview, Sho revealed that work on the game started at around the same time as work on Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires was coming to an end. Part of the design decisions made for the upcoming game revolved around bringing the franchise back to its roots with a “back to basics” approach.

Interestingly, the studio also revealed that Dynasty Warriors: Origins was the latest in a number of games that were in development. Oba stated that he worked with Oshima on a new numbered entry in the Dynasty Warriors franchise.

Among other things, the now-cancelled project would have had similar features as Dynasty Warriors 7, including a big roster of playable characters. Some of the ideas from these games made it into Dynasty Warriors: Origins, however, including a more approachable story that still manages to keep its depth, as well as its world map.

“It was a little disappointing to stop development, but it doesn’t mean that the ideas we had at that time were completely wasted,” said Oba, according to a DeepL translation. “For example, the direction of “making people who are not familiar with [Romance of the Three Kingdoms] understand the story” and “delving deeper into the story” were carried over to “ORIGINS,” and the “continental map,” an overall map that the main character can move around freely, was something we had in mind when we were working on the [the working title].”

Dynasty Warriors: Origins was originally announced back in 2024, and has been developed to be the perfect entry point to the franchise and its overarching storyline for new players. The game also got a demo back in November allowing players to get some hands-on experience with its gameplay.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on January 17. For more details, check out our review. And here is everything you should know about the game.

Nioh 2 is a follow-up to the original (though some parts take place before the first game’s story). It sees a new protagonist Hide who is half-yokai. While venturing across Sengoku Era Japan and hunts yokai, he constantly crosses paths with the antagonistic Kashin Koji.

Along with the same hack and slash combat as its predecessor, Nioh 2 introduces new Yokai Forms along with the Burst Counter for creating openings. It’s received several free updates and three paid DLC packs thus far. For more details on the base game, check out our review here. You can also learn more about The Nioh Collection on PS5, which includes remasters of Nioh 1 and 2, here.

本日「#仁王」シリーズが5周年、
さらに『#仁王２』の全世界累計出荷本数が250万本を突破いたしました。

シリーズを長年応援していただいている皆さま、誠にありがとうございます。

引き続き「仁王」シリーズやTeam NINJAの作品をお楽しみいただけますと幸いです。#仁王シリーズ5周年 #Nioh #Nioh2 pic.twitter.com/BoYRzcyW4k

— 「仁王」シリーズ公式アカウント (@nioh_game) February 9, 2022

Other titles include Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires which managed to sell 150,000 copies in Japan and Asia. While this may not seem like much, it released on December 23rd 2021 and managed to achieve these sales in about eight days. Blue Reflection: Second Light has sold 120,000 copies worldwide since launching on October 21st 2021.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is currently slated to release worldwide on February 15th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. A free demo is currently available – head here for more details.

The demo offers the chance to experience the improved castle sieges, both the invasion aspect and defending from invaders. Edit Mode is also available, allowing one to create their own officers for battle. These can then be transferred into the full game on release, for those playing the demo on the same platform.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires releases on February 15th for the West. Unlike the open world approach of Dynasty Warriors 9, it returns to a more traditional layout of stages while still focusing on the strategic thinking of the Empires series. In addition to Edit Mode, there are more than 700 Generic Officers to command and 94 Musou Officers. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

https://twitter.com/KoeiTecmoUS/status/1486403142996561922

The publisher announced today that a demo would be coming. It will feature playable scenarios based around the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Battle of Red Cliffs, two well known events in the ever retold narrative. Unfortunately, no date was given for when to expect the demo, but considering how the game is set to launch in just a few months, it should be fairly soon. You will also be able to transfer character customization data from the demo to the main game, which you can see a little of through here. It’s worth note that so far only a Japanese demo has been announced, with no mention of when a western-based version would come.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is set to release February 15th 2022 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and PC. The demo has been announced for all those platforms with the exception of PC. We’ll keep you updated for when more specifics are released.

Coming from the latest episode of Famitsu LIVE, we got to see a lot of the early game, almost a full hour in fact. The video, which you can see below, is in Japanese with both Japanese text and commentary. So you may be a little lost if you don’t know the language, but if you’re curious how the game plays or what the environments will feel like, you can get a pretty solid idea.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will release for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and PC on October 28th, and will include a free upgrade to next gen consoles for those on current systems.

https://youtu.be/p-V14TVRw5U?t=1042

Speaking to Famitsu (and as transcribed and translated by the folks at Nintendo Everything), Keisuke Kikuchi talked about the upcoming remaster. Kikuchi has served as a Producer on the entire series, and he expressed the hope that Maiden of Black Water will be enough to garner interest for a new game. Specifically he said, “That’s what I’m hoping. We’re releasing this game to commemorate the series’ 20th anniversary, and we’re hoping a lot of fans will take take the opportunity to play the game. We’d love this to lead to a new title.”

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water‘s re-release will be the first title in the franchise to not be exclusive to Nintendo hardware since 2008 when the franchise came under the company’s publishing with Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, a game that was never localized outside Japan. In the past, Kikuchi has said a new game in the series was up to Nintendo, but with the new multiplatform release, it’s unclear what the relationship is like now and how much Nintendo will have to be involved with a potential new title. Maiden of Black Water is set to release on October 28th for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and PC.

The game runs flawlessly at a steady 60 fps on both consoles. This is great especially since there can be a staggering number of enemies at a time, but the game holds its own in the direst of situations.

While developer Koei Tecmo hasn’t revealed any plans for dedicated next-gen versions of the game, it shouldn’t have much trouble reaching framerates of up to 120 fps. That’s of course – if they decide to do it. What’s there is great on either platform. Read our review of Samurai Warriors 5 through here.