Rise of the Ronin is more than just Ghost of Tsushima for Soulslike fans
Team Ninja lends its flair for precision and challenging enemy bouts to a more accessible genre, which so far makes it yet another exciting early PS5 exclusive that's one to watch.
Don’t be fooled by the historical Japanese setting and protagonist with a penchant for different sword stances; Ghost of Tsushima this is not. Because yes, while it’s true that Team Ninja’s first proper soiree into the open-world genre shares a few aspects with Sucker Punch Productions’ PS4 swansong on the surface, is doesn’t take too long for it to become apparent that Rise of the Ronin is a far more technical and nuanced affair – particularly in terms of its combat. No doubt this will be an exciting prospect for Soulslike veterans familiar with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and the Nioh series. From the first few hours I’ve played so far, however, more impressive is just how well this PS5 exclusive has adapted such hardcore ideas to be more accessible, giving it a less daunting appeal as a result.
Rise of the Ronin wastes absolutely no time in thrusting you into the action. Cast in the role of a warrior belonging to an ancient clan called the Veiled Edge, my character’s mission of revenge quickly got underway soon after being hit by a tough and (not entirely) unexpected tragedy. The build up to this epic moment formed the game’s tutorial, where I was able to get acquainted with what Team Ninja had cooked up with its approach to swordplay this time around. As is tradition with its previous Soulslike titles, attacks are performed using the face buttons, where the way to win bouts is to be patient, not to rush in, and to read enemies to the best of your ability.
The two most important factors to this are what’s called Counterspark and Ki. The latter represents a meter present in every foe you come across, which when fully depleted opens them up for a devastating (and immensely gory) blow. The best way to get them into this stunned position is by utilising your character’s Counterspark action, being the main form of parry in your arsenal that sits separately from the conventional block. Being successful in Countersparking is all about timing, requiring you to know exactly when your blade will clash with those of your opponent, so as to catch them off guard and make light work of them during the heat of a confrontation.
Parrying enemy attacks using Counterspark is essential to staying alive and getting the best of your opponent. (Team Ninja)The kicker is, that even in just the first couple hours I’ve played, there have been multiple enemy types that all come prepared with their distinct combat rhythm. A foe wielding a mighty Odachi sword, for instance, will have much longer wind-ups than one who's taking swings at you with a nimbler Katana. Such a technical approach isn’t something we see often within the AAA open-world genre, where the likes of Assassin’s Creed, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – and to an extent The legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – are generally a lot more forgiving when the time comes to trade blows. That said, Rise of the Ronin isn’t fussed about giving you this power fantasy, merging the combat stylings of a FromSoftware game with a more readable world and narrative – a combination that could see it set itself apart from other open-world fare
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Striking swords
Rise of the Ronin isn’t afraid to lean into more familiar tropes outside of its combat though. Upgrading your stats, getting better gear, and gaining materials for crafting all comes down to clearing out regions and settling disputes. I’m sure more of these opportunities will crop up in the mid- and late-game sections, yet for the time being, the tasks asked of me whenever I don’t have a sword in my hand feel rather ho-hum. Or at least they would, had Team Ninja not had the foresight to include a glider, which makes getting to low ground from above an awe-inspiring endeavour as opposed to a hassle; there's some seriously beautiful scenery to take in here when exploring.
Speaking of which, the decision to set Rise of the Ronin during the final days of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan is already paying dividends too. The historic city of Yokohama is the first I came across, for example, where the effects of industrialisation are already taking effect in the form of built-up residential areas, ship ports, and other more modern sights than what you’d see had Team Ninja decided to set it just a couple hundred years before. The 19th century setting even bled into my available arsenal, too, where aiming at rival samurais and ninjas with a rifle to pop off a headshot kill proved a lot more effective than endlessly throwing shurikens or facing them down in a standoff.
Despite only being a few hours in, I can already tell that Rise of the Ronin checks a lot of the open world boxes we’d typically expect. A beautiful location? Yes. A lavish number of side activities? Of course. A tiered gear system and generous skill tree to make it feel like my character is always getting better? You bet.
It’s not doing too much that's new in terms of the template in which its presented, but it’s that oh-so satisfying precision combat – the type that Team Ninja is known for – that has so far prevented it from getting stale. Here's hoping that, as Japan in the Bakumatsu period starts to open up to me more, it can sustain this rather odd yet surprisingly cohesive genre mix for many more hours to come.
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