With a development that began about ten years ago, Rise of the Ronin was born with the aim of depicting Japan in its darkest times, during the last years of Edo periodgiving life to the most ambitious project that the Team NINJA has ever developed in the words of Fumihiko Yasuda, director of the title. The next one is out March 22 on PlayStation 5we had the opportunity to try the title in preview and, while waiting for the complete review, we will talk to you about everything that the title offered us in the first two hours of the game, already expressing some of our first impressions on the combat system, the open world, the growth of the character and his nature soulslike. Before continuing, we warn you that there will be no plot spoilers on the first few hours of the game in any way, so as not to ruin your future experience.
The game is set in Japan during the period Bakumatsu, famous for having marked the end of the shogunate, as well as the beginning of a new era in the clash between East and West. Within this revolution, we will meet key figures from both sides, helping them shape the course of history and guide citizens who seek a source of hope within this tumultuous darkness. The title begins by allowing us to create our own character, or should we say “characters”, seeing as how we will also have the opportunity to create our male/female counterpart depending on the sex we choose as the protagonist. The customization is deep and accurate, and there is no shortage of references to other works of the software house, such as the features of the famous man William Adamsprotagonist of the very first Nioh.
The tutorial immediately reveals how the adventure will be based on all the key points of the software house's previous titles, especially in combat. In fact, we find the deviation seen in the most recent one Wo Long: Fallen Dynastythe regeneration of Ki and the fighting styles already appreciated in Nioh, as well as the equipment provided by enemies and chests which remains on a line much more similar to loot games. Initially we will be able to have access to more Japanese-style weapons, such as katana, double swords, ōdachi, spears and oriental halberdsbut already in the first hour of play they will also become available American sabers, broadswords or bayonets. There is also no shortage of ranged weapons, such as the most common ones bows and riflesbut Western-made and lethal guns also make an appearance shuriken. The more cautious will also be able to face the adventure with a more stealth approach, with the possibility of crouching and hitting the enemy with lethal critical attacks from behind, but also using the formidable grappling hook to reach high points and throw explosive crates at the enemies. Combat is fast-paced and action-packed, allowing you to attack with squaredodge with circleparry with L1deviate with triangle and use R1 to change weapons or styles. We will also be able to exploit particular techniques with the combination R1 + square or R1 + trianglewhich will aim to exhaust the opponent's Ki to inflict a powerful critical attack.
The open world offered by Rise of the Ronin however, it will not be atypical, presenting game design choices very similar to the well-known one Ghost of Tsushima. The game is characterized by a map divided into areas, each with its list of collectibles and red icons that indicate locations occupied by enemies. We will be able to move on horseback or across thegliderwhich has intrigued most players since the first trailers. The latter resembles a more agile version of the parasail seen within the latter two The Legend of Zeldaand we can use it by pressing the button X during the jumping phase, thus starting to hover in the air and consume Ki (i.e. the stamina bar) for the entire duration of the flight. If we run out of strength, we will face a sudden fall, but nothing will stop us from reopening the glider at the last second to avoid damage. However, its usefulness is not limited to just moving, but we will be able to use it to silently kill the enemies we fly over.
The open world offers the ability to collect different materials (some unique to certain areas) to craft consumables from the apothecary or merchants, such as medical pills, fire/poison arrows, or explosive/blinding jars. The game features several side activities and short sub-plots, but also the possibility of participating in random events such as helping people in danger or donating a few coins to poor beggars. However, if a real main or secondary mission is activated, we will have the possibility to organize our inventory, review our equipment and choose our allies before continuing. Once the mission has started, the open world will disappear, reducing portions of the map to a small objective area.
Rise of the Ronin However, it does not only take inspiration from its predecessors, but manages to find its own soul from the first hours with new mechanics, such as character swapping. In fact, if we wander alone within the vast open world, we will be able to rely on the help of various companions while carrying out the missions. These will be controllable by the player, and their unique (and non-modifiable) sets of equipment can be used to try different approaches to the proposed mission. We will be able to bring a maximum of two companions with us and, if we are defeated, control will immediately pass to one of the other characters. Furthermore, each ally will have a unique level of bond that will increase depending on the relationship and the time spent together on a mission.
Strength and speed will not be enough to survive, but technique will overcome the most difficult challenges, through the different fighting styles. We will only be able to equip three at a time for each primary weapon and, through a small arrow on the enemy's life bar, we will be able to realize its real effectiveness (effective blue arrow, ineffective red arrow, balanced white arrow). Each weapon class also has its own proficiency level, which will increase based on the frequency of use of the respective weapon, granting various passive bonuses when equipped. We will be able to carry with us two primary weapons, two secondary weapons and twelve consumables (one type per slot). The armor will instead cover the helmet, torso, arms, legs and accessory slots. Both weapons and accessories will have their own equipment level, but can be used even if we are of a lower level, with an increase in the statistics of the weapon or armor when the required level is reached. Each piece of equipment will also have a rarity level influenced by the number of passive bonuses present on it.
However, the question that has been echoed since the announcement is one in particular: “Is Rise of the Ronin a soulslike?“, well the answer is a sound “no”but let's see why. Rise of the Ronin features soulslike mechanicsin the strict sense of the term, only while carrying out missions, where we will find flags to act as the most common bonfire, allowing us to recharge our HP and bring previously defeated enemies back to life. In the event of death we will lose our souls, which here take the name of Karma, and we will be forced to defeat the enemy who killed us to get it back. The difficulty has a high rate of challenge and progressing may require more than one attempt, especially during boss battles. But then why do we say “ni” in response to its “soulslike” nature? The answer lies in the open world and progression mechanics. In fact, you will also find all the mechanics that I mentioned above in the open world made available by Team NINJAbut forget an open and brutal world like the one seen in Elden Ring. Outside of missions, the life bar will recharge automatically after battles and the flags will no longer have the function of bonfires, but rather that of rapid movement points.
The title also allows you to choose the difficulty with which to face the adventure, so you can also opt for the easy difficulty. Finally, what differentiates it most is the character advancement system. The Karma it will serve to acquire talent points, with which to progress in one of the four skill trees (Strength, Dexterity, Charm and Intellect). By completely clearing areas of the map and completing certain side missions you will be able to obtain unique skill points, which will allow you to unlock much rarer abilities, such as the possibility of persuading or intimidating your interlocutor. By defeating enemies and completing missions you will also obtain experience points that will level up the protagonist, rewarding you with talent points and an increase in statistics. The latter will be able to prefer a certain branch depending on the class choice made at the beginning of the game, after character creation.
The title is surprising us for the moment and a note of merit goes to the possibility of setting the dubbing completely in Italianbut for our final opinion on Rise of the Ronin we'll have to wait a little longer. As already reiterated, the release date of the title is set for next year March 22where the latest effort by Team NINJA will see its debut only on PlayStation 5.
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