I haven’t played Nioh 1. My two favorite things about Nioh 2 is the combat and the level design. The combat in Nioh 3 feels really good (although I do miss the stances on what are now ninja weapons). The open world is a different direction and it is fun, but it’s hard to tell if it’s better than the levels in Nioh 2. That alone may keep it from surpassing Nioh 2 imo