Spoiler Alert: This review covers minor plot details and gameplay elements of Rise of the Ronin.
Rise of the Ronin, the latest release from Nioh developer Team Ninja, is one of the year's most anticipated game releases, promising an intense role-playing story that combines Eastern and Western combat styles. It has been.
From the moment Rise of the Ronin was announced, comparisons to Sucker Punch's critically acclaimed 2020 release Ghost of Tsushima were inevitable. That's natural. “Ronin” takes place nearly 600 years after “Ghost,” but both follow sword-wielding Japanese samurai in action-adventure open-world settings.
Unfortunately, “Ronin” never reaches the same level of excellence, plagued by clunky combat and an uninspired story.
When the game begins, players will control two characters. The “Blade Twins” of Destiny are a twin warrior unit of Veiled Edge specially trained by the Kurosu clan to oppose the Shogunate overlords. They are brought together when their home village is destroyed by Shogunate spies, and are torn apart again in the tutorial level when an assassination mission goes awry.
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After designing both twins in the impressively detailed character creator, users must select only one to play forward, while the other is gravely injured and taken away. The desire to be reunited with a loved one is a classic trope, but the bond between these twins isn't fleshed out enough for players to really care.
The protagonist you choose is known only as “The Protagonist,” and their nameless nature is the perfect metaphor for their bland journey. I initially believed the warrior was completely silent, but the first time she spoke in a cutscene, it felt like she was actually blinded (which is unusual) (I quickly realized that there was one).
Link from the Zelda series is a prime example, and silent protagonists certainly work. But when the protagonist of “Ronin” is surrounded by her equally unforgettable companions and making meaningless decisions that will affect Japan's future, she only speaks once in a blue moon. Seems appropriate.
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Choice is central to the game, as you must decide whether to side with the pro-shogunate or anti-shogunate factions. The conflict presented to players centers around the idea of Western foreigners entering Japan. From the beginning I decided to support the overthrowing faction, but the game had other ideas as well. While you make hundreds of choices that seem to affect your journey, you can also be forced into dozens of missions that completely contradict your decisions.
For example, you can follow the rebels and immediately jump into the main story mission to defeat them in the name of the Shogunate. When the protagonist can't seem to choose which side to take, it's hard to feel that your choices have any impact.
Let's move on to the battle. The developers seem to have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at this overloaded system. Players can choose from his 10 main weapons and his 6 sub-weapons. Each weapon has a number of customizable fighting styles that can be adjusted during battle to target each enemy's weak points. In theory, this sounds great. However, the actual combat is clunky and extremely repetitive.
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The key to surviving in battle is the parry “Counterspark,” which deflects enemy attacks and depletes your energy meter. When Ki is depleted, you are unable to perform actions and have the opportunity to land devastating critical hits. Players can also use shurikens and handguns to even the odds.
Most fights felt exactly the same as the last. By the end of the game, I found myself simply walking past enemies rather than engaging in the same sword fights I'd spent hours on.
Enemy variety is also severely lacking, with most missions consisting of hordes of two or three sword-wielding fighters attacking you at once. The only variation in the mix is from the Brute type enemies, but I have a bone to pick with them too.
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Of course, other games use Brutes, Heavy, etc. for added challenges, but the “Ronin” equivalent has to be at least 10 feet tall and five men wide. In a game that lacks any supernatural elements, it made me wonder where such superhuman beings came from.
Sorry to jump into the “Ghost” comparison, but I admired its streamlined stance and smooth movements in every battle.
The protagonist can bring a large number of allies into battle, but each companion is less interesting than the last. Maintaining relationships with them outside of combat will boost your stats, but even that falls into another boring equation. So you give them a gift, wait a few hours, and then give them another gift.
I can't say there wasn't a single conversation where I felt drawn to any of the characters. a lot. The third act of the game also throws new companions in front of you. “Ronin” should have considered creating fewer, more engaging characters, with much better voice acting, instead of a wooden, unmanned circus.
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In the open world, players can find citizens in need of help. Completing these encounters strengthens your ties to certain regions, but they quickly become stale. The same variations of three or four scenarios tend to occur over and over again. For example, a man on the street shouts that there is a dangerous thug nearby, but he chases after the protagonist and attempts to rob him. The first time something like this happened I was fine. On the 15th I wasn't so surprised anymore.
To be fair, the game itself isn't bad. Fun side quests like cat collecting (finding and cuddling stray cats) and searching shrines for upgrade points are bright spots in this otherwise underwhelming endeavor. Priced at $70, this AAA game should deliver more than that.
Unfortunately, Rise of the Ronin, a much better game on paper than it actually is, falls short with outdated graphics, clichéd combat, and painfully generic characters.
Rise of the Ronin is now available on PlayStation 5.
Score: 5/10
