Two soulslikes, one idea: a second moveset parked on a single button. Nioh 3 style switching flips you between Samurai and Ninja with a tap of R2. Bloodborne got there first, though it kept the scope far smaller. Press L1 and your weapon folds into a different shape. So both games promise variety without a menu. However, they hand you very different amounts of it.
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The gap is not about speed. It is about how much of the game each button may change.
What Nioh 3 style switching actually swaps
Each weapon now belongs to one style, so your loadout changes the instant you shift. Samurai leans on raw power, stable blocks and the rhythm of a clean Ki Pulse across its low, mid and high stances. It also carries a Deflect that regenerates Ki on a timed guard.
Ninja throws Ki Pulse out completely. Instead you get Mist, a decoy dash that lets you vanish and reappear behind an enemy, plus perfect evasions and aerial strikes. So one press changes your weapon, your defensive rule and your whole rhythm.
Both styles still draw on one shared stat pool, though, so you are not cutting your build in half. Better still, the shift doubles as a panic button. When an enemy glows red for an otherwise unblockable Burst Attack, a well timed R2 neutralises it and leaves them wide open, as Fextralife’s hands-on breakdown lays out.
Bloodborne changes the weapon, not the rules
L1 transforms the weapon in your right hand, and you can do it while attacking, rolling or quickstepping. Each trick weapon holds a base form and a transformed form. Crucially, the transformation carries its own attack, so the change is offence rather than admin.
The Saw Cleaver folds or unfolds with a horizontal swing that chains easily. Swing a Hunter’s Axe and it thrusts as it extends, then smashes the ground coming back. A Threaded Cane lashes sideways as it becomes a whip.
Yet nothing else moves. Your stamina, your dodge and the rally system all stay exactly as they were. So a trick weapon is a second moveset, not a second character. And L1 is never a defensive answer.
Which one asks more of you
Bloodborne asks for depth. Learn one weapon until both halves feel like a single tool, then the game opens up. Nioh 3 style switching asks for breadth instead, because you must learn two defensive systems and read which one the fight wants.
Neither approach is better, but the failure modes differ sharply. In Bloodborne you can finish the whole game leaning on one form. In Nioh 3, ignoring a style throws away your answer to Burst Attacks.
So if mastering a single tool appeals to you, then Bloodborne still rewards that instinct beautifully. If you would rather hold a second option for every fight that turns bad, Team Ninja’s version fits better. For more on that adjustment, our Khazan vs Nioh: Why Your Old Habits Won’t Work piece covers the same muscle memory problem. Meanwhile Wuchang Madness vs Bloodborne Insight: Which Risk System Is Better looks at another borrowed idea.
Frequently asked questions
Can you switch styles at any time? Yes. R2 shifts mid-combo, and both styles feed from the same stat pool.
Does Ninja style keep Ki Pulse? No. Mist replaces it, so your recovery habit has to change with the style.
Does Bloodborne’s L1 ever defend you? Not really. It stays an attack option, so blocking and parrying remain separate jobs.
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