Rise of the Ronin is the latest effort from Team Ninja (Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty etc.). The game is expected on March 22nd exclusively on PlayStation 5. Here is our review.
Rise of the Ronin: Team Ninja rinnova la formula
Team Ninja is absolutely one of the most competent studios on the market, especially when it comes to visceral, deep and technical action. From Ninja Garden to Nioh, we are talking about an infinite number of games that have remained in history, in one way or another. However, his experiments have ranged across different genres, sometimes, while maintaining a focus on Japanese folklore and history.
Rise of the Ronin, however, is perhaps the team's most daring experiment: despite the similarities in the combat system, the game is hardly comparable to the more recent Nioh. The high difficulty is always there (even if this time there is a selector at the beginning of the game), the stamina and the fighting styles too, but the open world approach is something completely new for the team. It almost seems like the transition that FromSoftware had between Dark Souls and Elden Ring, just to make a comparison easier to grasp.
Japan, second half of the 19th century
Set in the period of great change of the Bakumatsu era, Rise of the Ronin puts us in the shoes of a Ronin, a masterless samurai, and his Twin Blade.
With the clan's demise and a new Japan emerging on the horizon, the protagonist ronin sets off in search of revengefinding himself entangled in real historical events and meeting characters who really existed.
In an almost didactic way and making some small changes here and there, Team Ninja once again proves itself to be a master in approaching the history and culture of a nation and presenting it to the world in an interesting combination of fantasy and historical sophistication. Although directorically and technically we are far from the levels achieved by its competitors (just think of the miracle of staging that is Ghost of Tsushima), Rise of the Ronin still succeeds better than the team's previous games in this aspect. Too bad for some small, big stumbles in the last act.
Team Ninja grappling with its first Open World
As Team Ninja's first open-world game, obviously all eyes were on this huge change. In similar cases, when teams so drastically change their genre, or even open up more linear experiences to exaggerated exploration, they often end up losing focus. Rise of the Ronin is a bit of a middle ground. Nioh's loot system is well suited to the repetitiveness of such classic open worlds; on the other hand, precisely, we're talking about a truly classic open world packed with the usual activities you'd expect, between camps to liberate and collectibles to collect. The maps are full of bandit camps, random eventsfighting style training camps and more.
Although it does not have activities, they are not that varied, but their quantity is satisfactory, without inflating the numbers to excess. It does a great service to the combat, the progression system and the feeling of wandering around an open and freely explorable world. This freedom is reinforced by the presence of a grappling hook and a widespread climbing system. Basically, if the first impact is that of a superfluous open world that distances the game from its central focus, in the long run you begin to appreciate the way in which it is intertwined with combat and enhancement. Only to then end up annoying and boring, as often happens in these cases, due to one underlying repetitiveness that begins to appear from the middle onwards.
Rise of the Ronin confirms: Team Ninja's talent is combat
Something the game certainly doesn't falter in is combat. Based on that of the Nioh series and also on the changes introduced in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (here is our review, by the way), Rise of the Ronin offers one of the best, if not the best, Team Ninja combat system to date. With a gigantic arsenal, functional mechanics, martial arts styles and schools that influence the use of each weapon and how it affects enemies, there's a lot to keep track of.
Katanas, odachi, spears, sabers and more complete the rich variety of weapons available. Additionally, there's an increase in unique weapons, thanks to the introduction of revolvers and flamethrowers. Similar to what we saw previously, it is possible to equip two short-range weapons in addition to two firearms. Each main weapon has up to three different styles that can be used simultaneously and, for each style, there are advantages and disadvantages. Styles are the biggest addition to the combat system and will determine much of your success in battle, especially as you begin to understand the usefulness of each.
Biggest distinction here it is no longer the weapon itself, but the way we intend to use it. For example, a staff can be adapted to a style based on close and rapid attacks, even if it was born as a ranged weapon. However, if this style proves to be of little use in a specific arena, you can decide to switch it on the fly to something completely different. Each style also gives the player unique abilities, opening up even more options.
The presence of a parry adds further depth: Landing a precise strike at the right time reduces the enemy's posture and ki. Thus they will be stunned and will show their side to lethal fatalities. However, it will be common to find yourself in situations against 2 or 3 enemies where the best option is to maintain your defense and wait for the opportunity for a precise save, rather than focusing on a quick takedown.
The other gameplay elements
The combination of the style system, a greater variety of weapons, the new parry system and other quick tools, such as the grappling hook and revolvers, they give the combat an incredible dynamic, but which obviously gives its best against bosses and minibosses. LThe absence of magic also gives the whole thing a fairly realistic feelingas well as more visceral.
However, a hint of soulslike nature still remains. Dying at the hands of an enemy means making him the owner of all our experience points. Take revenge and you will get them back; if not, prepare to suffer the loss. Accumulate enough karma through activities in the world and You'll earn points to spend on a wide variety of skill trees.
With a scalable level system, character skills, equipment levels and various bonuses, Experienced Nioh players can feel at home right from the start. Rise of the Ronin definitely is more accessible than the team's older gamesthanks also to the choice of difficulty, but the bosses remain tough and capable of punishing you at the first mistake.
With different options that result in more open gameplay, and activities that enhance combat, the satisfaction of exploring is at least strong, at least in the first few hours. The recommended levels are high, therefore exploring is also almost mandatory so as not to find yourself with fewer resources than necessary. Stealth remains an option, but it's objectively boring to use.
In conclusion:
Rise of the Ronin, in sostanza, it's a good mix between a campaign based on the culture and history of a country and an excellent combat system in an open world which, unfortunately, no longer holds so many surprises.
In many things it doesn't reinvent the wheel and follows the classicism of too many stylistic features of the genre, perhaps a little indigestible in 2024. But everything is always supported by the best and most consolidated pillar of its structure, the combat system. And it's almost a shame that a work like this wasn't offered in a more linear formatbecause ironically it would have also benefited from it.
Too bad about the graphics too, objectively behind today's average, unclear and with low performance regardless of the mode selected. The unclear view of the surrounding environment, combined with strong pop up and the lack of convincing special effects, make exploration even heavier.
Even if there are negative points to highlight here and there, Rise of the Ronin is, at least on the pure action side, Team Ninja's best work to date, together with Nioh. The openness to the open world, however, pays off halfway, and makes the game sink into the predictable meanders of boredom more often than hoped. In the end, the game wasn't worth the candle. With a better technical sector and more differentiated activities today we would be talking about a real pearl.