- Nioh 3 Producer Kohei Shibata says that Team Ninja “never considered” adding easier modes to the series
- He explains that the difficulty level is “one of the core elements of the series” that the studio does not want to change
- Shibata adds that the difficulty and strength of enemies in Nioh 3 will be the same
Nioh 3 Producer Kohei Shibata has explained why the game will continue with the series’ longstanding single difficulty setting and have no easier modes.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Shibata said that Nioh the series’ inherent challenge is a core feature that rewards players for their efforts, which is why Team Ninja has never implemented additional modes to make the series easier.
“It’s something we’ve never considered Nioh series,” Shibata said. “One of the core elements of the series is really giving you that sense of accomplishment. That’s something we really value for this game.”
In contrast to Nioh series, Team Ninja’s other action role-playing games, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originoffers multiple levels of difficulty; However, Shibata explained that this is because the studio wants to bring in a wide variety of players for these titles in particular.
“As for Team Ninja in general, take Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. We’re attracting fans of that IP, so we want to make sure it’s a game those fans can get into,” he said.
“And with Ninja Gaiden series, we’ve always had the different levels of difficulty there. So if it works for the series, it’s something we’re considering. But for Nioh series, we’ve stuck to just one difficulty level.”
But how hard will Nioh 3 be in relation to previous installments? According to the developer, enemies will be similar to the first two games, but the new position switching mode, which lets players switch between samurai and ninja, will open up new ways to approach combat.
“In terms of difficulty and enemy strength, I think it’s stayed the same [as the first two games]. But since there’s a lot more freedom this time around, it gives players a lot more options to find the best way to defeat these enemies,” Shibata said.
“For example, players can choose to play only as a Samurai, or maybe they want to play only as a Ninja, or they can switch between the two. But in terms of the basic difficulty, the way the enemies are, it’s stayed the same. It maintains the high level of difficulty.”
Nioh 3 is scheduled to launch on February 6, 2026 for PS5 and PC.
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