Nioh 3 Samurai steel, ninja speed

Instead of tight missions, you get open ground to wander. You pick your way through menacing villages where darkness lurks, check side paths for treasure and camps, and run straight into formidable yokai when you get careless. The tension stays Nioh-like: every corner can turn into a fight. Exploration is its own reward, with room to roam and plenty of reasons to look behind the next hill.

You carry both a sword arm and a shadow step. In Samurai Style you meet enemies head-on, trading blows and holding your ground. Then with one input you are in Ninja Style, moving fast and using special techniques to slip around guards and punish openings. The fun is the switching itself: block a big yokai attack as a samurai, flick to ninja to reposition and finish the job. Learning when to change is the whole duel.

The land is a mess of rampant bandits and skulking yokai, with the ominous Crucible hanging over it all. Your struggle cuts through that devastation toward one stark goal: survive it and take power as Shogun. Expect a story-rich, historical dark fantasy with atmosphere thick enough to cut, where human greed and monster hunger feed each other. Bring patience. This is a difficult, third-person hack and slash that does not hand out titles.

You shape your own protagonist, including a female protagonist option, with detailed character customization for face, build and gear. Under the armor it is action RPG systems all the way: loot, builds and hard fights, playable solo or with others. Multiplayer and co-op let you drag a friend into the Warring States chaos when a boss has flattened you twice. Dying together is still progress, just with company.