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Team Ninja\u2019s Nioh series capitalized early on the rising popularity of Soulslikes, establishing itself as arguably the best non-From Software spin on the subgenre. The franchise\u2019s faster-paced, loot-driven formula has earned it a dedicated fanbase, so much so that Nioh\u2019s blueprint has been applied to similarly designed Team Ninja games such as Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty <\/a>and Rise of the R\u014dnin<\/a> to varying results and some diminishing returns. Instead of resting on these laurels, Nioh 3 thankfully shakes up this reliable template with a new ninja-focused class, more open level design, and an intriguing time-hopping premise.<\/p>\n I traveled to Koei Tecmo\u2019s San Francisco office to play roughly four hours of Nioh 3\u2019s mid-game sections and speak to the game’s principal leads. The game unfolds during Japan\u2019s Sengoku period and stars Tokugawa Takechiyo, a warrior positioned to become the nation\u2019s next Shogun. However, Takechiyo\u2019s power-hungry younger brother conspires to overthrow him by leading a force of yokai against the entire country. With Japan now morphed into a demonic hellscape, Takechiyo must make things right in a story that, somehow, spans hundreds of years of Feudal Japanese history thanks to the mysterious presence of time-travel.<\/p>\n