I've only had to wait five years for Nioh 3, which is a very reasonable timeframe – especially considering how good Nioh 2 was. For my money, it's one of very few soulslikes to offer a seriously compelling alternative to FromSoftware's own titles. Except, Ninja Gaiden creator Team Ninja haven't just been cooking this one up. It's released three whole other action games for console between. And it shows in what I've played of Nioh 3. No mere sequel, this flaunts skills Team Ninja have been honing in the gap.
In the time since Nioh 2, Team Ninja also released Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Rise of the Ronin (and also have Ninja Gaiden 4 in the near future). It's no exaggeration to say I can feel the work put into all those titles in my first few hours with Nioh 3. It's not just another game in the series, but represents the continued evolution of Team Ninja. I'm literally able to point at each new addition that changes up everything I thought about the series while playing the Nioh 3 Alpha and see how the dev's ideas have grown from its previous games.
