Rise of the Ronin Review – A Theatrical Journey

Let me state this from the beginning of this review: Rise of the Ronin is a very big game. Its narrative takes place over two decades and weaves an adventure of history and fantasy. The result is almost theatrical. You become the star of the entire performance as in-game actions and decisions are based on your preferences, but the outcomes can be dire. The actors approach their roles with intelligence and passion, allowing you to fully invest yourself in their goals, or perhaps you’ll push back against them. The added layer of evolving action systems only enhances the desperation of this cast to prevail over insurmountable odds, but the veil of open-word exploration and cohesive pacing becomes this game’s biggest enemy.

Narrative Depth and Player Choices in Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin sets the stage with a brief origin story of two twins. Players can customize a male and female character, but the loss that they must overcome only compounds in these early moments. This also marks the beginning of a historical shift as Western influence attempts to establish itself in Edo, Japan. Not everyone is happy with this cultural shift, which creates a divide within Japanese citizens, separated as Pro-Shogunate or Anti-Shogunate. Although some opt to be neutral on the matter, the time will come when your actions fall into one of these camps. As a Ronin, your role isn’t made explicitly clear in the opening chapter, and you’re guided only by your desire for answers. It’s here you meet the other actors, and they play their roles brilliantly.

Rise of the Ronin is a theatrical masterpiece, placing you at the heart of a deeply immersive narrative that spans decades.

The narrative treats the player with respect as you listen to both sides tell you what you want to hear while also showing snippets of how it will benefit their cause. At times, the mission structure allows you to explore each cause where choices dictate which side you end up on, but you aren’t explicitly closed off from switching sides if you find that you align more with their efforts. I appreciated how the narrative always seemed to test my choices. It cleverly showcases both sides of the conflict and even has you take part in missions for the opposition, as long as it aligns with your personal goals. It becomes a test to see how far you’ll go against your own ideals to get what you want, but also understand that your actions carry significant weight. That said, your choices aren’t set in stone, and there are ways to travel back to through the timeline and replay missions for a different outcome. I’d usually say that players should live with their choices for at least the first run, but this is a game where you’ll appreciate this system as it allows you to get additional information that you may have missed.

Although the action systems are the main highlight of any Team Ninja-developed game, the narrative of Rise of the Ronin is the star. The dense political dialog requires the player’s attention to fully invest themselves in the cause of their choice, but this also demands the player’s attention. In all honesty, I could relate some of the Bond mechanics and interactions with characters to an Otome game. No, not just because every male lead in this game has me second-guessing myself, but due to the rich story that each character contains and is seemingly locked behind 1 on 1 interaction. Here, you’re able to give gifts and open up to the cast, which raises their trust and also reveals something more about the character’s past. In this same breath, it should be noted that there’s a lot going on in this narrative that can’t be found on the map. Exploration unlocks unique questlines, and while this may not be seen as “user-friendly” I do feel that it provides a rewarding experience to players who invest the most. These aren’t crucial quests by any means, but they do reveal more of that juicy historical fantasy lore.

The game’s narrative respects the player’s intelligence, offering a complex look at the historical shifts and moral dilemmas of Edo Japan.

I really enjoyed the campaign and the resolution of events. Its depth can’t be spotted in the opening hours, but as the player, you’re able to shape history to the side that you feel most attached to. I do believe that the overall mission structure can be flimsy at times, as there are moments when it feels like you’re playing both sides. That said, you do get locked out of some questlines for choosing to go with the opposition, but that rarely stops you from being in the room of either side when an important conversation is taking place. Some of the more significant choices put a character’s life on the line, and these are all very difficult to make, no matter who is under your blade. Thankfully, the encyclopedia system is accessible at any time allowing you to view the in-scene character bios along with information about the region and scene. You can also bring up the narrative history to read back on any dialog you may have missed.

The beauty of Rise of the Ronin’s design overshadows its minor graphical hiccups, proving that great experiences transcend visual perfection.

Combat Mechanics and Character Interaction: A Closer Look

As you can see, the narrative is a significant part of Rise of the Ronin, but the action systems are just as pronounced. Before I get into that, though, I feel like it’s important to point out that if anyone is looking to only experience the narrative, which I feel like any visual novel fan of Hakuouki should, you are able to adjust the difficulty of the game, with further options to make combat more or less challenging. That being said, Rise of the Ronin is a very challenging action. The swordplay action is top-notch and punishing at the same time. Although I wouldn’t compare it to the strategical matches found in Wo-Long Fallen Dynasty, I’d say that it presence a very unique combat control scheme that takes some getting used to. Depending on the weapons your character excels at, which can be changed, you’ll master new skills and abilities that are attached to learned stances, which are unlocked through completing missions. However, the rhythmic systems of the action dwindle it down to timing a deflect action known as counterspark, which mitigates all damage, no matter what you have equipped, yes, even bare hands. It reduces the actual benefits of weapons to the core power level to make the fights go by quicker. Basically, if you’re really good at timing, you can realistically get through any fight without taking any damage, but this requires you also to maintain your stamina.

Alternatively, this is very difficult, so expect to get wrecked while you master the various abilities. Exploring weapon types and stances also becomes something you need to pay attention to, as enemies are weaker against specific loadouts. Equipment is all upgradable using found materials, and crafting includes an added mechanic where you can easily purchase missing materials if you’re short. I applaud the developers for making sense of these equipment stats and conveying how to get the most from your loadout. Rarer equipment typically comes in a set, which adds further benefits, but it’s all pretty straightforward.

Exploring Edo Japan: Open World and Historical Accuracy

Given that this is the first open word developed by Team Ninja, a lot rides on this debut reveal. From a layout perspective, Team Ninja has crafted a beautifully large area to explore that expands to new regions in later chapters across multiple seasons. However, I’d say there’s room to improve traversal. The best example I can give is a side mission where a girl standing on an edge lost an item in the ocean, so I jumped in and retrieved it, but to bring it back to her, I wasn’t able to jump high enough to pull myself up the cliff edge so I had to walk all the way around, which, as one of the last of the Ronin, hurt my ego. There are plenty of strange layout issues like this scattered throughout the map, but there are also some pretty fun moments of using the environments as your own personal playground, grappling up to roofs, and gliding from a tall tower, only to call your horse before you hit the ground to keep the pace. It’s always satisfying, which makes the issues with environmental traversal in some areas so disappointing. Still, you can easily travel across the map to campfires or your longhouse, which you will get into soon.

Interestingly, the missions themselves don’t take place on the open-world map. Instead, Team Ninja has crafted a hybrid mission setup where you are met with a menu that allows you to set up your team, which includes inviting online friends to the fight. This structure allows for more creative scenarios to take place, and it allows for the option to possibly revisit missions and change your choices. I didn’t mind this structure, but I thought it should be pointed out that not everything happens in the open-world in real time; I would say that when it comes to the campaign, the optional open-world missions and story missions are independent, especially since they rely so heavily on player choice. Regardless, it works.

Outside of the action and combat, there are various mini-games and extra missions to take on. It isn’t required, but if you’re trying to find the best equipment or improve your skills, you should definitely invest your time in these quests. Bonds can also be considered a side-quest and improving the bonds with characters earns access to new stances, technology, and weapons. Again, the gameloop is extensively rewarding, giving players the chance to enjoy something no matter where they invest their time. There’s also the Longhouse, where you can do basic cosmetic customizations and change your character’s traits; you can also reassign all skill stats here, which I suggest first paying attention to the persuasion and intimidate nodes, as they will allow for specific dialog choices. Other actions like pickpocketing and improved crit damage can also be found here.

Comparative Analysis: Rise of the Ronin vs. Other Historical Fantasies

The most prominent issue with Rise of the Ronin is the graphics. And that’s stretching because this is a very pretty game. I’m only pointing this out because you may compare it to Ghost of Tsushima, which is arguably one of the prettiest games I’ve played. However, Rise of the Ronin has significant pop-in when traversing the environments, and the camera doesn’t always cooperate in fights, especially when you’re fighting a boss and somehow end up behind a pillar or in the corner, making the enemy hits tough to read. Still, I found beauty in the design, and I don’t think a great experience should be overlooked for graphics alone, but I know many will draw up these comparisons. Perhaps all the budget went into making all these Anti-Shogunate hotties.

Rise of the Ronin masterfully combines a rich historical fantasy narrative with intricate combat mechanics, creating an immersive experience that respects and challenges player choices. Its expansive world and character-driven story offer a depth that goes beyond traditional action games despite minor traversal issues and graphical hiccups. The game’s strength lies in its narrative, testing loyalties and allowing for genuine exploration of its thematic divides. Team Ninja’s venture into open-world design showcases their prowess in blending engaging storytelling with rewarding gameplay. Although it faces comparisons to visually stunning titles like Ghost of Tsushima, Rise of the Ronin stands out for its compelling narrative and strategic combat, making it a significant achievement for players seeking depth and complexity.