A dark fantasy that begins with a family feud in a shogun's household—development team behind "Sengoku Basara 3" discuss their vision and highlights
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/916/G091606/20250926054/
Writer: Shinya Yamanoto Camera Operator: Hideto Sasaki | 2025/10/06 02:00 (UTC)
The highly anticipated latest installment of Koei Tecmo Games’ popular action RPG series, “Nioh 3,” has officially set its release date for February 6, 2026, available on PS5 and PC. At the Tokyo Game Show 2025, held from September 25 to 28, 2025, an updated demo version was showcased—many attendees likely had a chance to experience it firsthand.
At 4Gamer, we’ve already published an early impression article based on this demo version. On the same day as that feature, we were also granted an exclusive interview with Fumihiko Yasuda, General Producer of Team NINJA, and Takahiromi Shibata, Producer. We dove deep into topics such as the story revealed in the trailer—its intent and purpose—and revisions made after the alpha demo experience. Be sure to read this alongside our earlier impressions.
Official “Nioh 3” Website
The Story of Shogun’s Family Turmoil: A Time-Traveling Tale Centered on the Third Shogun, Toshitada
4Gamer:
Today we’re pleased to have you here. It’s been four months since our last conversation—back then, before the alpha demo was released, we hadn’t touched upon any narrative aspects of “Nioh 3.” But now, thanks to the trailer, a glimpse into its story has finally emerged.
Fumihiko Yasuda, Brand Director at Koei Tecmo Games and General Producer for the “Nioh” series. Thumbnail image for Gallery No.025 / A dark fantasy that spans time, beginning with family turmoil in the shogun’s household. The development team of “Nioh 3” discusses their goals and highlights
Yasuda (hereafter, Yasuda):
At that time, we simply hadn’t been able to stage the storytelling yet… but in truth, the alpha demo focused entirely on gameplay. We felt it was too early to address story elements.
Shibata (hereafter, Shibata):
Many players assumed the protagonist’s name, Toshitada, meant he was Tokugawa Ieyasu. But actually, this Toshitada is none other than Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun.
4Gamer:
So it’s a different Toshitada after all.
Shibata:
Yes, our story begins before he becomes shogun. As you may know, there was longstanding rivalry between Toshitada and his younger brother Kunematsu (later known as Tokugawa Tadayoshi, the Lord of Suruga). In this game, Kunematsu falls into darkness and uses demon powers to attack Toshitada. Trapped and desperate, Toshitada gains the ability to traverse time—and thus fights demons across various eras.
4Gamer:
What inspired the choice to center your story around Toshitada and Kunematsu’s rivalry?
Shibata:
First, our core concept was “a story that transcends time.” To make this impactful, shifting from a peaceful era into the turbulent Sengoku period offered more dramatic contrast. Furthermore, for a protagonist whose growth we wanted to showcase, Toshitada—the future shogun—was an ideal choice.
4Gamer:
Ah yes. So through his journey across time, he evolves into someone worthy of becoming shogun.
Yasuda:
Exactly. The “Nioh” series has always focused on the protagonist’s personal growth. In this installment, Toshitada meets various characters in different historical periods and builds relationships with them. Through these connections, just like before, he can receive fragments of guardian spirits.
4Gamer:
Toshitada fights using both samurai and ninja styles. Is there a narrative reason behind this dual combat style?
Shibata:
Yes, it stems from his strong spiritual sensitivity to guardian spirits. Having trained in the swordsmanship of Yagyū Munenori and the ninjutsu of Hattori Hanzō, when Kunematsu forced him out of Edo, Toshitada received their guardian spirit fragments. This allowed him to switch between styles. Additionally, obtaining new guardian spirits grants abilities like dashing across fields at high speed, running up walls, or scaling cliffs using acrobatic moves similar to the “Hikari Henshin” from “NINJA GAIDEN.”
4Gamer:
Speaking of time travel—what inspired this central concept?
Takahiromi Shibata, Producer for “Nioh 3,” previously Project Manager for both “Nioh” and “Nioh 2.” Thumbnail image for Gallery No.024 / A dark fantasy that spans time, beginning with family turmoil in the shogun’s household. The development team of “Nioh 3” discusses their goals and highlights
Yasuda:
One reason was to create a larger-scale story while still remaining faithful to history. We also wanted to visually differentiate the vast open-world environments across different eras.
4Gamer:
So scenery changes with each time period? Indeed, during our demo playthrough, the architecture felt distinctly Heian-era.
Shibata:
Exactly. Anyone familiar with Japanese history should be able to intuitively tell which era they’re in just by looking at the environment. Moreover, even the underworld varies across periods. In the alpha demo, we featured a “Scorching Hell” set during the Sengoku period—but in the Heian era, it becomes an “Extreme Cold Hell,” where everything is frozen solid. The snowy field in that version reflects this extreme cold.
4Gamer:
So there’s a clear narrative basis behind these changes. In the trailer, Himiko appeared—will ancient times also be part of the setting?
Yasuda:
At this stage, we can confirm that the game features the Edo period, Sengoku period, and Heian era.
Shibata:
Also keep an eye on Takeda Shingen, who makes his debut in the series. You’ll even be able to fight him at the Tokyo Game Show demo station. Additionally, in the final release, you’ll see Minamoto no Yoritomo from “Nioh 2”’s DLC as well. Fans of the franchise and history enthusiasts should definitely look forward to this.
4Gamer:
The casting of Sota Honjo as Kunematsu and Tao Tsuchiya as Himiko has also been announced. Both are renowned actors—what was the reasoning behind this choice?
Shibata:
For Kunematsu, we wanted an actor capable of portraying a character gradually succumbing to madness—someone like Sota Honjo. For Himiko, her mysterious aura and strong inner core matched perfectly with Tao Tsuchiya’s presence and elegance in traditional Japanese attire.
Yasuda:
The “Nioh” series features monsters—but this installment is also a dark fantasy that spans time. To maintain historical realism, authentic actor performances and their on-screen presence are essential. This time, we used facial capture not only for voice acting but to faithfully recreate both actors’ visual appearances.
4Gamer:
Ah, so Himiko will play a particularly significant role?
Shibata:
Let’s just say that’ll be one of the joys you’ll discover in the final release (laughs).
From Alpha Demo to Player-Centric Design: Respecting Player Choice
4Gamer:
Let’s shift focus slightly from story and discuss the current development status. In June 2025, an alpha demo was released—how did it perform?
Yasuda:
The new features—style switching and open-world exploration—were generally well received. Typically, when we release a demo, feedback often includes “not enough new content” or “new features feel hard to accept.” This time, however, the response was quite the opposite—we were pleasantly surprised.
Shibata:
Both changes are significant, so we weren’t sure how players would react. But we definitely felt positive momentum.
Yasuda:
On the other hand, long-time fans of the previous games gave us feedback like “I’d prefer to keep weapon switching and skill controls as they were before.” In response, we’ve made revisions accordingly—adding options where necessary so that even if certain mechanics can’t be changed, players can still choose their preferred setup during final tuning.
4Gamer:
What specific changes were made?
Shibata:
To accommodate players who want to fight without switching styles, we moved the “Zenin” (style change) mechanic from a skill slot to an option menu. Also, weapon slots have been restored: previously in the alpha demo there was one melee and one ranged weapon each—now it’s back to two of each, matching “Nioh 2.”
4Gamer:
So now players can lock their style right at game start?
Shibata:
Yes. The choice of how to play should be entirely up to the player—not forced by skill mechanics. That’s why we moved it from skills to options. Forcing a specific mechanic always creates trade-offs.
Yasuda:
The Zenin mechanic originally includes “Great Skill Return,” which lets players parry enemy’s big attacks. This feature existed before, but in the alpha demo it was automatically tied to style switching—a deliberate design intended to push players toward using the new mechanics. However, we realized this might have felt too forced.
4Gamer:
I see.
Yasuda:
There were indeed mixed opinions within our team—we debated this for a while. But after receiving extensive feedback from the alpha demo participants, we decided that we should allow more diverse playstyles and be more inclusive.
Shibata:
As mentioned in our previous interview, we never wanted players to feel they had to switch styles or that only one style could work—our goal was always freedom of choice.
[Interview] “Nioh 3” Aims for the Balance Between Freshness and “Nioh” Identity: The Fusion of Samurai/Ninja Zenin and Open World
A dark Sengoku-era action RPG set in Japan, “Nioh 3,” has finally been announced. Fans who’ve waited five years since the last sequel are likely thrilled. We spoke with key figures behind the project—General Producer Fumihiko Yasuda of Team NINJA and Producer Takahiromi Shibata—to learn more about this mysterious new installment.
[September 5, 2025, 10:08]
- Keywords:
- PS5: Nioh 3
- PS5
- Action
- RPG
- Koei Tecmo Games
- Sengoku Period
- Interview
- Writer: Shinya Yajimoto
4Gamer:
From a mechanical standpoint, it makes sense that switching styles would make combat easier—or that certain attacks only work from one style. That feels natural.
Shibata:
Indeed, such ideas did come up internally. But they were based on “forcing” players rather than offering true “choice.” So we rejected all those concepts and consistently prioritized expanding player freedom.
Yasuda:
High freedom in gameplay is a core value of the “Nioh” series. In turn-based RPGs, such mechanics can be enjoyable—but for an action game like “Nioh,” it requires more careful, nuanced adjustments. That’s precisely why maintaining freedom remains so crucial.
4Gamer:
That makes sense—it feels more universally appealing and very much in line with modern tastes.
Yasuda:
If that were the case, Team NINJA games might be even bigger hits (laughs). But we’ll continue valuing these subtle, nuanced aspects going forward.
4Gamer:
Increasing the number of weapons available per style also seems tied to enhancing player freedom, right?
Shibata:
Exactly. While we streamlined the system by removing weapon switching between styles, we received a surprising number of requests from players who wanted to mix and match weapons within a single style.
4Gamer:
I’m personally glad about this change. The special attack “Shiden”, which activates when changing melee weapons, looked incredibly cool in the last game—I spent hours practicing combos with it. I’d memorized those movements—so losing that mechanic felt strange.
Yasuda:
In long-running series like ours, small operational tricks become players’ personal treasures and carry lasting value. We were aware of this—but experiencing it firsthand during this project really made us appreciate its importance.
4Gamer:
Another point from the published feedback report mentions relaxing “health erosion.” This mechanic reduces your maximum HP after taking damage in Hell. Why introduce this change?
Shibata:
Health erosion was designed to differentiate regular areas from high-difficulty zones like Hell, adding extra tension and pressure. While active combat could mitigate its effect, the alpha demo made that pressure feel excessive—almost unfair.
4Gamer:
Indeed, when fighting bosses again, I started with nearly half my HP gone.
Shibata:
So we’ve revised it: now, retrieving your guardian spirit from where you died removes health erosion. Even if retrieval fails, players can restart from full health. Additionally, collecting “Jizō’s Blessing” during exploration allows recovery of erosion using the standard healing item, “Senyaku.”
4Gamer:
That makes retrying much more manageable—so overall, the game leans toward being slightly softer while prioritizing player freedom?
Shibata:
Exactly. As mentioned before, we’re avoiding situations where players must use specific styles or techniques to progress. We genuinely hope you’ll find your own unique way through.
First in the Series! Takeda Shingen as a Boss Character
4Gamer:
Earlier today, we played the Tokyo Game Show demo—and were shocked by how demonic Takeda Shingen looked.
Shibata:
The demo includes two modes: exploring an open field set on a snowy Heian-era landscape, and battling the powerful boss character—Takeda Shingen. Known as the “Tiger of Kai,” his four-armed form is inspired by a lion. He also uses techniques tied to “Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain”—so prepare for a challenging fight! In the final version, you’ll also meet Takeda Shingen as a charismatic human figure—be sure to look forward to that too.
4Gamer:
He was incredibly tough—what percentage of players do you expect to actually defeat him?
Yasuda:
We’re aiming for about 5%, roughly. We always struggle with balancing difficulty when releasing demos—we were surprised how many people beat the boss in “Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty,” which caused our special T-shirt giveaways to run out completely—so this one is intentionally harder.
(Note: Actual number of successful defeats was 289. With a total of 4,424 participants—including those who didn’t attempt the boss—the success rate came to approximately 6.5%.)
Players at Tokyo Game Show who defeated Takeda Shingen received exclusive original T-shirts. Thumbnail image for Gallery No.021 / A dark fantasy that spans time, beginning with family turmoil in the shogun’s household. The development team of “Nioh 3” discusses their goals and highlights
Shibata:
The demo had time limits, and healing items were limited—so the conditions were naturally strict. In the final release, you’ll have time to train properly, so rest assured.
4Gamer:
Understood. Any final message?
Shibata:
Thank you very much to everyone who downloaded the alpha demo or attended TGS! Even if you haven’t played yet, check out our official website and Koei Tecmo’s YouTube channel—there are archives of official videos and various other content available. If anything caught your interest, please take a look.
Yasuda:
As the sixth installment in the series, this is Team NINJA’s first new release in six years. We’re working hard to meet both longtime fans’ expectations and those of players experiencing “Nioh” for the first time. There’s still a little time until launch—please stay tuned for more updates.
4Gamer:
Thank you very much today.