Hell Rising, the new DLC for Nioh 3, is exactly the kind of expansion that I wanted — it’s vicious, uncompromising and rich with the kind of mechanical depth that rewards players who already know how to dance with (almost certain) death. It doesn’t reinvent Nioh 3, but it sharpens it, darkens it, and pushes the boundaries of the already excruciatingly challenging combat beyond what would be reasonable in any mainstream release.
Coming back to Nioh 3 felt like quite the shock to the system. When we reviewed the base game, it was clear that Team Ninja had finally found the perfect midpoint between Nioh’s precision and Wo Long’s aggression. Hell Rising builds on that foundation with the assured confidence of a team that has been doing its thing for years. It’s not a gentle continuation — it’s a plunge into the deepest, most hostile corners of the underworld and a place where even veteran players (of which I am not, not really) will find themselves humbled.
The premise is simple but effective: a tear between realms has unleashed a tide of corrupted yokai, and the only way to seal it is to descend into the infernal layers beneath the mortal world. It’s classic Nioh storytelling — mythic, fatalistic and delivered with the series’ trademark blend of historical flavour, supernatural menace and incredible visual identity. However, as is so often the case in Team Ninja games (let alone DLC), the real draw is the combat.
Hell Rising introduces a suite of new enemy types that feel designed specifically to disrupt complacency. The Oni of Ashi, for example, punishes overly-aggressive styles with brutal counter‑grabs that can take even the toughest builds down to near-death in a single move, whilst a new serpent enemy forces players to rethink spacing entirely due to how it can be. These enemies (and many more) are more than mere reskins; they’re behavioural shifts that demand adaptation which will be well beyond the average player.
There are also (at least) three new bosses, each of which feels like a deliberate test of mastery. The final encounter — no spoilers — is one of the most exhilarating fights Team Ninja has ever designed, a perfect storm of pattern recognition, aggression, and razor‑thin margins. I say that admitting openly that I couldn’t complete it myself, having had to enlist the help of a friend who had to take the controller and do it for me — a bit like we used to do when playing Megaman in the 1990’s. Even with help, this fight took a whole evening.
New weapons and skills bring some balance, and without being considered “inherently more powerful” than the base game weapons, feel more suited to some of the DLC’s specific enemies. The Infernal Chakram is my favourite: a hybrid ranged‑melee option that rewards rhythm and timing, letting players weave in and out of danger with a fluidity that feels balletic when you get it right. It’s a weapon that changes how you approach encounters, especially when paired with the new Hellfire stances, which trade defence for explosive burst damage and allow players to take risks in return for very high output. These additions don’t break the game, but they do enrich it, offering fresh ways to express mastery without overwhelming the existing systems.
The level design is another highlight. Hell Rising’s environments are oppressive in the best way — labyrinthine caverns lit by molten rivers, crumbling temples swallowed by shadow, and open arenas where the sky itself seems to burn. There’s a sense of descent throughout, a feeling that each step takes you further from safety and deeper into something ancient and hostile. Team Ninja’s art direction remains superb, and just as I said about the original game, the graphics here are just fine but the art direction and ambience more than makes up for that to give a lavish, hand-crafted and unique feel wherever you look.
What impressed me most, though, is how Hell Rising respected my time to deliver consistently high quality for a reasonable runtime, rather than a load of sprawling rubbish. The DLC is substantial but not bloated; offering new missions, new gear sets, new yokai abilities, and a fresh difficulty tier, but it doesn’t drown you in grind. Instead, it feels like a curated challenge that focuses on this descent into hell — it’s a gauntlet thrown at the feet of players who already understand the cadence of Nioh 3 and want to push themselves further.
There’s also a subtle narrative thread running through the DLC that deepens the themes of the base game. Nioh 3 has always been about the tension between humanity and monstrosity, and Hell Rising leans into that with new lore entries and character interactions that explore what it means to fight endlessly against corruption. It’s not heavy‑handed, but it adds texture to the world and gives the descent into hell a sense of purpose beyond pure challenge.
If there’s a criticism, it’s that Hell Rising is unapologetically aimed at existing fans. New players will find it punishing and probably even overwhelming. Heck, I found it overwhelming and I’ve been playing hard games since 1990. I completed the NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for God’s sake! Extreme difficulty is part of the DLC’s identity because it’s aimed at hardcore and returning players — it’s an endgame expansion for a game built on mastery. It doesn’t dilute itself to appeal to everyone; it doubles down on what makes Nioh special.
Hell Rising is a superb addition to Nioh 3, a DLC that understands its audience and delivers exactly what they want — harder fights, deeper systems, richer lore, and a descent into darkness that feels both brutal and beautiful. If you loved Nioh 3 as much as I did, this expansion is essential. It’s Team Ninja at their most confident, most vicious, and most creatively unrestrained.
Nioh 3: Hell Rising is available now.
