If Nioh 3 is giving you a hard time, know that its creators still see it as the series’ most “accessible” RPG, and they point straight at Elden Ring as a big reason why. Team Ninja has also reaffirmed that an adjustable difficulty option simply isn’t part of the franchise’s DNA.

Even though the Nioh games rank among the toughest soulslike series out there, Nioh 3 has managed to hook both veterans and newcomers, and it could even become the first entry to step outside PS5 console exclusivity and land on Xbox Series X|S, though nothing is confirmed yet. What the studio did make clear from day one is that their RPG would not bend, and they had no intention of putting the comfort of “most players” above their own design values, which is why an adjustable difficulty mode was never on the table for their feudal Japan ordeal.

In a recent Eurogamer UK interview, Team Ninja game director Masaki Fujita emphasized that the franchise’s “masocore” identity will not be softened, not in Nioh 3 and not in any future chapter either. In Fujita’s view, finishing the game is supposed to feel like an accomplishment, and the sheer variety of tools and strategies in Nioh 3 lets players solve problems without touching a difficulty slider.

For anyone who hasn’t heard the term, “masocore” is the label Team Ninja themselves coined, blending “masochist” and “hardcore” to define the core philosophy behind Nioh. In that same conversation, general producer Yosuke Hayashi explained that the goal was never to build a conventional soulslike clone, but to capture the tension and precision of samurai combat, using Dark Souls as a reference point while preserving a distinct identity.

Fujita also argues that Nioh 3 gives players more freedom than previous installments, making a player-selected difficulty option even less relevant. Between magic, ninjutsu, summons, Guardian Spirit abilities, and level scaling, the systems already allow “players to shape their approach and overcome obstacles without needing difficulty levels,” the director added.

Nioh 3 Is “Most Accessible” Thanks to the “Elden Ring effect”

To underline the philosophy – and to explain why Nioh 3 doesn’t need and won’t get adjustable difficulty – its director even framed this entry as a product of the “Elden Ring effect”. He says it’s the most accessible of the three games precisely because, like FromSoftware’s blockbuster, it encourages players to handle side activities and then return to the nastiest encounters better prepared, instead of repeatedly brute-forcing fights until the game swats them down.

That loop already existed in the first installment, and it aligns neatly with Hidetaka Miyazaki’s long-standing view that difficulty doesn’t demand superhuman skill, but learning to adapt, experimenting with weapons and abilities, and rethinking your plan in front of every new wall. In that sense, Nioh 3 follows the same premise, just filtered through its own signature style.

Source: 3djuegos