Rise of the Ronin

Overall

4.0/5

The Good Stuff

Stunning open world with great visuals
Challenging & rewarding combat system.
Great narrative with meaningful choices.
Strong character customization options

The Bad Stuff

Repetitive open-world activities
Limited online co-op
Occasional bugs & glitches

“Rise of the Ronin delivers a captivating samurai experience with its beautiful world, engaging combat, and impactful story choices.”

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Looking to carve your name into the legends of feudal Japan? Then unsheathe your katana and prepare to dive into “Rise of the Ronin,” the latest open-world action RPG by Team Ninja. This review will guide you through the sprawling world, fierce combat, and character-driven narrative to help you decide if this is the samurai adventure you’ve been waiting for.

Table of Contents

Overview

Rise of the Ronin throws you into the tumultuous final years of the Sengoku period. You play as a disgraced ronin, a masterless samurai seeking to forge your own destiny amidst warring clans and rising tensions. Explore a vast open world inspired by historical Japan, forge alliances, hone your combat skills, and carve your legend through a web of choices and consequences.

A Samurai Tale

Rise of the Ronin throws you into the heart of Japan’s turbulent 19th century, during the Boshin War that toppled the Shogunate. The story follows two fictional orphans, survivors of a Shogunate massacre, trained as assassins – the “Blade Twins.”

You customize these blank slates in a detailed character creator, then embark on a daring mission: infiltrate American Black Ships and eliminate Commodore Perry (no kin to the singer). This thrilling opening sets the tone for the game – fast-paced action with a historical backdrop.

The narrative expands beyond the initial mission. You’ll encounter historical figures, choose your allegiance (pro-Shogunate or against), and face tough decisions that shape Japan’s future. While some choices hold weight, others have predetermined outcomes.

Thematically, the story tackles interesting topics – nationalism, resistance to foreign influence, and the clash of tradition with new technology. History buffs will enjoy interacting with fictionalized versions of influential figures like Genzui Kusaka and Sakamoto Ryoma. Think “revolutionary samurai warriors” for a unique blend of history and action.

However, the narrative’s depth resembles a blockbuster movie – entertaining while you play, but details fade quickly after the credits roll. It’s a fun ride, but one that might not leave a lasting impression.

Features

Open-World Exploration: Traverse a meticulously crafted open world brimming with bustling towns, scenic landscapes, and hidden secrets.
Character Customization: Craft your samurai warrior, from appearance and attire to your fighting style and skillset.
Deep Combat System: Master the art of swordsmanship with a variety of weapons, stances, and parrying techniques.
Meaningful Choices: Your actions and decisions throughout the game influence the story’s progression and the fate of the world around you.
Bond System: Build relationships with key characters, unlocking side quests, unique rewards, and potential allies.

Gameplay

The true stars of the show are the missions. Some are open-world encounters, while others resemble classic Ninja Gaiden or Nioh missions, where you team up with AI companions or friends to tackle objectives. Co-op is a fantastic addition, but it’s a shame you can’t always tell if a mission allows it beforehand.

The combat shines! Team Ninja delivers again with a satisfying and flexible system. You can wield various weapons, each with multiple fighting styles and strategic rock-paper-scissors mechanics. Mastering “counterspark” – deflecting attacks and opening enemies up – is key to victory. Enemies are relentless, making battles demanding but rewarding.

Boss fights are fantastic, forcing you to learn patterns and utilize advanced tactics.

Character progression is another highlight. Each stat has a skill tree, allowing you to tailor your playstyle. Side quests strengthen bonds with characters, unlocking dialogue, combat style upgrades, and gear.

The Longhouse, your hub, offers customization, skill point respec, and even time travel via a special book! You can revisit past missions, make different choices, and complete missed content – a fantastic feature. The world is peppered with thoughtful touches, like color-coded dialogue options and character trackers.

You can even see and interact with your friends’ characters in the world, adding a unique layer of connection.

However, Rise of the Ronin stumbles under the weight of its ambition. The open world is stuffed with repetitive activities and generic loot drops. Upgrading and disassembling gear helps, but the sheer volume of mostly useless items becomes overwhelming.

Even some side activities, despite being interesting in concept (finding cats, photography missions), lose their appeal due to the uninspired loot rewards. It feels like the developers were more focused on ticking open-world RPG boxes than creating a truly focused experience.

Imagine this: a more streamlined Rise of the Ronin, ditching the loot bloat and focusing on stellar combat, well-designed missions, and engaging character progression. That could have been a truly remarkable Soulslike. Instead, we’re left with a good game buried beneath layers of unnecessary content.

Rise of the Ronin’s core gameplay loop revolves around exploration, combat, and character progression. Uncover quests in settlements, venture into the wilderness to tackle challenging enemies, and complete objectives to gain experience and unlock new abilities.

The combat is a highlight, offering a satisfying blend of strategic swordsmanship and demanding reflexes. Mastering weapon stances, parries, and timing your attacks is key to overcoming formidable opponents.

Multiplayer

While the focus lies on the single-player experience, Rise of the Ronin offers a limited online co-op mode. Team up with a friend to tackle challenging missions and specific bosses, adding a layer of camaraderie to your samurai journey. However, the online aspect feels like a tacked-on feature and doesn’t significantly impact the core gameplay.

Post-game Content

Once you complete the main story, a decent amount of post-game content awaits. Unfinished side quests, hidden areas to explore, and challenging endgame bosses offer additional hours of gameplay for completionists.

Verdict

Rise of the Ronin is a promising mix. It boasts a fantastic historical setting, Team Ninja’s renowned combat system, and some clever RPG elements that make it instantly engaging, especially with friends. Little details like using the grappling hook to throw objects or gliding onto your horse add a delightful touch.

However, the game stumbles with an overabundance of map markers, overly complex systems, and a ridiculous amount of useless loot. Sorting through this clutter and dealing with unnecessary mechanics made me yearn for a more streamlined experience.

When Rise of the Ronin focuses on its core strength – the challenging and rewarding combat – it shines. But it often feels caught in two minds, unsure of its identity and what it should be. This indecision, unfortunately, weakens the overall experience, even for a skilled samurai.

It delivers a captivating samurai experience with its beautiful world, engaging combat, and impactful story choices. While repetitive open-world tasks and a shallow online mode hold it back slightly, the core gameplay loop and character progression are deeply satisfying. If you crave a thrilling single-player adventure set in the rich tapestry of feudal Japan, Rise of the Ronin is a worthy journey to embark on.

Thanks for checking out my Rise of the Ronin Review. If you like this review please leave your comments below. So what do you find fascinating about Rise of the Ronin? Is it the combat system, the open-world exploration or the character customization system? Is this the ideal game you would play? What other alternative games are you looking at? So, what now? Click on the button above or HERE to get yourself a copy of Rise of the Ronin.