With every game, Team Ninja becomes better at making action RPGs. Although they were once commended for an interesting take on the souls-like formula, their games have evolved into something else. Rise of the Ronin has surprised me in the best possible ways, and I can’t get enough of it.
The Journey of a Lone Veiled Edge
Rise of the Ronin starts by introducing their fictional clan, the Veiled Edge. These are no ordinary warriors. Although often portrayed and referred to as Samurai, Veiled Edges are always trained in pairs and are as skilled in the way of the Samurai as they are in the way of the Shinobi.
Team Ninja made a smart decision in having you create both initial characters. This might help players feel more attached to both Veiled Edges, making them feel the impact of future events and decisions more intensely.
The introductory mission does a great job of showing what you can do in the game, the many ways you can play it, and how no matter what your build looks like, you might have to adapt and come up with different approaches to navigate through certain areas. That said, it doesn’t take long for the game to throw its first major twist at you, changing the dynamics of your character and how they navigate the events of a Japan that is changing due to the constant interference of the Western world.
Another interesting feature of Rise of the Ronin is the Bond system. You can create bonds with characters and regions. The stronger your bond, the more rewards you get. These characters will influence your destiny as much as you’ll influence theirs. In fact, some of these alliances unlock characters and you can bring up to two allies with you on certain missions. You can even switch between characters to try out new playstyles and resurrect your Veiled Edge if you’ve taken too much damage instead of starting over immediately.
Although the story in Team Ninja games is never stellar, Rise of the Ronin is an improvement over Nioh and Wo Long. This plot may not be necessarily memorable, but it does a good job of showing the many sides of the conflict that took place in that era between the pro-shogunate samurai and the Japanese expulsionists. Side quests do a great job of fleshing out the Civil War by showing both sides and helping you understand the characters’ motivations. You even get to pick a side, which will affect how the events play out in your playthrough.
The Land of the Rising Sun
Let’s be honest, Rise of the Ronin is not the best-looking game on the PS5. Many other PlayStation games are much more visually striking than this one, especially those that take place in Japan. Yet, this game doesn’t look bad at all. It manages to deliver graphics akin to the best-looking PS4 action RPGs while also providing features that are only possible on the PS5.
The open areas of this game are vast. The grass moves with the wind, the flowers and trees provide a beautiful landscape throughout most of the surroundings of Yokohama, and the authenticity with which feudal Japan is represented here is absolutely charming. You will be running, riding, and gliding over large areas at 60 frames per second and will barely encounter loading screens.
The truth is, this game would not be possible on a PS4 without some serious downgrades. I just love riding during the sunset looking for trouble in this beautiful land. I also love being a badass samurai facing four warriors at once during the rain in a flower field without frame drops. That’s a commendable achievement by Team Ninja worth mentioning.
Rise of the Ronin doesn’t have a single open world for you to explore. It actually has open areas with villages to save, criminals to hunt, plenty of side quests, and many hidden items. However, each area is large enough to contain an entire game, so moving from one to the next was a pleasant, if not overwhelming, surprise. Thankfully, you can return to a previous area and complete the missions you’ve skipped if you want to. Doing so can even alter the events of the game, which is a neat touch.
The Way of the Warrior
Most people would agree that the most important aspect of an Action RPG is the action. If that’s your primary concern, then you’re in for a treat because this is certainly one of the best combat systems ever made by Team Ninja.
It seems that they took everything they’ve learned from Nioh and Wo Long, combined the best parts of each, and improved it all significantly. The Ki system is back. You spend Ki to attack, dodge, or block, but you can press the R1 button to perform a Chiburi right after an attack. If done correctly, your character will shake the sword to get rid of the blood on it and regain a portion of the Ki you spent.
Additionally, you can hit Triangle to parry attacks. By doing so, you’ll perform an attack that has a long recovery and might make you vulnerable. However, pressing Triangle at the right time will cause you to perform a Counterspark, the game’s parry. It depletes the enemy’s Ki and allows you to attack right after with a full Ki bar.
Once the Ki is reduced to zero, you can perform a critical strike. Critical strikes are often deadly and have awesome, brutal animations that make the idea of living and dying by the sword anything but glamorous. Since hitting attacks also reduces the enemy’s Ki, a skilled player will be quickly performing one critical strike after another. Once you get to that point, I promise this game will have you hooked. It feels amazing to defeat four samurais by parrying three out of four attacks in a row and performing one critical strike after another.
Your character can carry two melee weapons at once, and each has several different styles that you can unlock by completing quests and side objectives. You can equip up to three styles per weapon, and some styles have advantages against others. So, you’ll find yourself constantly changing the way you fight without necessarily switching weapons to gain an advantage against certain enemies.
I’m still impressed by how Team Ninja managed to make combat interesting and keep the enemies always feeling fresh even though you’ll mostly be facing other humans. There are so many combat styles that you will never feel entirely comfortable predicting the timing of an enemy’s attack. If you get too comfortable, the enemies will make you pay by suddenly changing their attack patterns.
On top of that, there are many ways you can build your Veiled Edge. You might want to specialize in a weapon that demands strength, such as a Katana or an Odachi, or you can choose a Dexterity based build and sneak behind the enemies instead of facing them head on. You can also focus on long ranged weapons, or come up with a hybrid build. All those options paired with the many weapons and fighting styles the game provides result in nearly endless ways to experience this game.
An Imperfect Gem
If I’m being completely honest, there’s not much to complain about with Rise of the Ronin. The story is not outstanding, but it gets the job done. The game isn’t the best-looking PS5 game out there, but it has beautiful and immersive landscapes that you can explore for miles without encountering any loading screens. So, although it’s not groundbreaking, I feel like Team Ninja gets the job done where it matters.
As for the side content, it can become repetitive at some point. After all, you’ll be mostly fighting enemies, collecting items, and then reporting them to an NPC. However, the best part of this game is its combat system. I appreciate that the many quests available allow me to frequently put my skills to the test and try new ways to face enemies. I always wanted to fight when I had the chance because the combat is that good.
The worst part of Rise of the Ronin is its loot system. For reasons I’ll never understand, Team Ninja decided to stick with the most criticized design choice of their past games. The loot system is the same as in Nioh and Wo Long. You’ll often find new hidden items that are marginally better than yours, making you not even feel the difference. Sometimes, the weapons you find have far worse stats and are only good for selling.
The only exciting thing about finding items in Rise of the Ronin is the fact that you can then change a new item’s appearance to make your gear look any way you want. That said, I’d prefer not to have so many junk items in my inventory. If they had just one weapon for each skin they’ve made, they’d still have way too many weapons. It’s quite frustrating to loot the enemies only to find three Greatswords that look the exact same way and are worse than my current Katana.
The Verdict
If it seems like the game has a lot going on, it’s because it truly does. There are different builds, playstyles, long-ranged weapons, mini-games, and so much more. If you roam around the map, you’ll soon find yourself saving villagers, petting dogs, parkouring over rooftops, delivering presents to your favorite geisha, and forgetting about the main quest quite often. Even after nearly 100 hours of fighting thugs, I’m still eager to try new combat styles. Parrying a sequence of attacks and finishing off a tough enemy with a critical strike never gets old.
It’s easy to dismiss Rise of the Ronin as a game that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. If you’ve played Nioh, Elden Ring, Wo Long, and Assassin’s Creed, you’ll feel like you’ve seen this game before at one point or another. While it’s true that this game may not be groundbreaking and its mechanics might feel familiar, it doesn’t make Rise of the Ronin a bad game. Team Ninja managed to implement elements seen in different games and blend them masterfully without straying away from the game’s theme and tone.
The more I played Rise of the Ronin, the more I appreciated all the work and effort that the developers put into making this game a reality. Each time I felt the game was becoming stale, the introduction of something new revitalized it, enhancing my appreciation for my journey as a Veiled Edge in 19th-century Japan.
