Rise of the Rōnin is a 2024 action role-playing video game developed by Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5.
Rise of the Rōnin takes place during the Bakumatsu era of Japan in the 19th century, at the height of a civil war waged by various local and foreign factions that support or oppose the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate. The game's player character is a customizable rōnin, and part of a samurai duo called Veiled Edge, tasked with various missions and assassinations. Gameplay is presented from a third-person perspective and takes place in an open world environment based on several feudal Japanese cities and their outskirts. Combat features a variety of different weapons with their own unique fighting styles, and focuses on parrying as a core mechanic. Role-playing mechanics affect player progression and potential narrative outcomes. In addition to its single-player mode, Rise of the Rōnin includes a limited online function for cooperative gameplay in select story missions.
Team Ninja began work on Rise of the Rōnin in 2015, during the advanced stages of Nioh; it is the third partnership between Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja and Sony Interactive Entertainment, following Nioh and its 2020 sequel. Development progressed slow as the studio prioritized other projects, and Team Ninja experienced various challenges with Rōnin as the studio's first open world project. The game's setting of the Bakumatsu period was chosen due to its obscurity in the gaming industry, and Koei Tecmo's general expertise with historical settings. Rise of the Rōnin was announced in September 2022 at Sony's State of Play presentation, and released in March 2024.
Rise of the Rōnin received generally favorable reviews. It received praise for its historical setting, combat system, weaponry, traversal mechanics and soundtrack, while criticism was pointed at the graphics and the open world design, both which were considered outdated or subpar at the time of the game's release. The story was met with mixed opinions, with some critics enjoying its drama, player choices and characters, while others faulting the pacing and the cast. Commercially, Rise of the Rōnin surpassed the launch period sales of the Nioh games.
Gameplay[]
In combat, players can use a variety of weapons such as swords and are encouraged to shift stances (depicted via heads-up display on bottom right) against certain enemies.
Rise of the Rōnin is an action role-playing video game played from a third-person perspective in which players control a nameless rōnin dubbed "Veiled Edge" in an open-world environment. While Veiled Edge possesses a backstory and personality of their own, player decisions can influence their portrayal throughout the game.[1]
The open world of Rise of the Rōnin consists of several rural areas and three major cities: Yokohama, Kyoto, and Tokyo (referred in-game by its former name Edo). Players can engage in combat with hostile enemies such as bandits while exploring the countryside or complete different side missions. Navigation can be performed by foot, on horseback or with a gliding device called "Avicula". The player also possesses a grappling rope to climb on high structure, which can be also used for combat and stealth.
Synopsis[]
Setting and characters[]
Rise of the Rōnin takes place during the bakumatsu (1853-1867), which marked the end of the Edo period (1603 - 1867) in Japan. Team Ninja has described the setting as Japan "facing the darkest of times as it struggles with its oppressive rulers and deadly diseases while western influence permeates as civil war continues to rage between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Anti-Shogunate factions". The lead character is a rōnin, a masterless samurai who finds themselves embroiled in the chaotic events.
Plot[]
Development[]
Rise of the Rōnin was developed by Team Ninja and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for its PlayStation 5 release; Sony and Team Ninja have previously collaborated on Nioh (2017), and its sequel Nioh 2 (2020). PlayStation Studios production studio XDev was also involved in the game's production.[2]
According to director and producer Fumihiko Yasuda, Rise of the Rōnin began production circa 2015, while Team Ninja was working on Nioh at the time. Yasuda described developing Rise of the Rōnin as "slowly and freely", with the game enduring development while the studio was prioritizing other titles such Nioh 2, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (2022) and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (2023). Yasuda and Koei Tecmo see Rise of the Rōnin as "taking things to the next level" in regards to the company's long-running production of games set in historical time periods, calling it Team Ninja's "most ambitious and challenging project" at the time of its announcement while taking influence from the studio's experience on games such as Nioh and Ninja Gaiden.[3]
Design[]
Scenario[]
Unlike the Nioh duology, which was set during the Sengoku period, Team Ninja chose to set Rise of the Rōnin during the Bakumatsu - the end of the Edo period - as producer Yosuke Hayashi believed its more modern timeframe allowed for a unique setting.[4] As a result, Rōnin was also developed to omit the fantastical nature of Nioh and Wo Long, as Yadusa believed it was a necessary choice to emphasize the historical drama of the game and better allow players to be immersed in the setting and story. Team Ninja implemented historical figures such as Sakamoto Ryōma and Yoshida Shōin, but otherwise decided to tell a fictional narrative to allow the players an element of choice.[5]
Music[]
The score for Rise of the Rōnin is composed by Inon Zur.[6]
Marketing and release[]
Rise of the Rōnin was announced in September 2022 during Sony's State of Play presentation prior to Tokyo Game Show 2022, with a tentative release window of 2024.[7] Story, gameplay and release details, as well as screenshots, of Rise of the Ronin were leaked in July 2023.[8] A second trailer premiered during The Game Awards 2023 ceremony in December 2023, with pre-orders prepared to begin on December 14, 2023, and a release date scheduled to March 22, 2024.[9] A gameplay trailer narrated by Yasuda premiered at Sony's State of Play presentation on January 31, 2024.[10] A video examining the game's world and traversal was released on February 21, 2024.[11]
Starting February 8, 2024, Sony and Team Ninja began publishing a behind the scenes series of videos. The first episode, titled "The Beginning", focused on the work put into the game's main setting and the locations that form its open world map.[12]
A demo for the game, consisting of the first chapter and allowing to transfer its data to the full product, was released to PlayStation Store on July 24, 2024.[13]
Release editions[]
In addition to the standard physical and digital releases of Rise of the Rōnin, the game will also have a Digital Deluxe edition, which includes two outfit sets, two weapons, a digital artbook and the soundtrack. Pre-order bonuses include an armor set and a weapon based on Team Ninja's previous series Ninja Gaiden, and four combat styles inspired by Ninja Gaiden and Nioh.[14]
Reception[]
Pre-release[]
In a hands-on preview, IGN's Destin Legarie favorably compared the game to the likes of Assassin's Creed II, Dark Souls and Team Ninja's own Ninja Gaiden games, enjoying it as a "perfect mix of gameplay ingredients".[15] GameSpot's Richard Wakeling also offered positive impressions, and felt that Team Ninja's attempt to combine its combat systems with a more open-ended design might yield a "winning formula".[16] While largely positive of what he played so far, VGC's Jordan Middler felt that he hadn't encountered the game's "standout moment" during his time with it, and while "very element of the game is fine to great", he didn't feel any individual aspect of the gameplay was "best-in-class".[17] Push Square's Liam Croft shared similar sentiments to Middler, noticing that while Rise of the Rōnin was "bigger, grander, deeper" than previous Team Ninja titles, he found his time with the game to lack an impactful sequences to "knock our socks off". He concluded his thoughts by summarizing that the game "is good. But it isn't great" by the end of his four-hour experience with it.[18]
Reviews[]
- Metacritic: 76/100 (based on 103 scored reviews)
- Eurogamer: 4/5
- Game Informer: 7/10
- GameSpot: 7/10
- GamesRadar: 3.5/5
- IGN: 7/10
- PlayStation Universe: 9.5/10
- Polygon: Recommended
- Push Square: 6/10
- Screen Rant: 9/10
- VGC: 3/5
- VideoGamer: 6/10
Rise of the Rōnin received generally favorable reviews upon release. On review aggregator site Metacritic it holds a score of 76/100 based on 103 scored reviews, classified as "generally favorable reviews" by the site.[19]
The combat system was highly praised. GamesRadar's Joe Donnelly described the combat mechanics as "tight", and praised their depth and options. IGN's Will Borger compared the combat system favorably to Team Ninja's Nioh games, but also praised the added flexibility thanks to various weapons, stances and secondary items. Eurogamer's Alan Wen noted that in comparison to Team Ninja's previous titles, the combat system of Rōnin was "simplified", but its parrying mechanic kept the game from "just devolv[ing] into a hack-and-slasher" even on easier difficulties, which he appreciated. Game Informer's Imran Khan felt that the parry mechanic was "consistently exciting", but criticized the game's reliance on it. Push Square's Liam Croft praised the various difficulty options offered.
Sales[]
Following its announcement, Koei Tecmo expressed its hope that Rise of the Rōnin would manage to sell 5 million copies in its lifetime, describing it as "strategic pillar" to the company's mid-growth strategy.[20] On April 30, 2024, Koei Tecmo announced that launch sales for the game surpassed those of the Nioh titles.[21]
In Japan, Rise of the Rōnin debuted as the third best-selling boxed title of its debut week, with 64,646 copies.[22] In the United Kingdom, physical sales of the game reached fifth place in debut week.[23] In its debut month, it was the fifth best-selling title of the PlayStation Store in Europe, and the ninth best-selling in the United States.[24]
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Trailers[]
Related videos[]
References[]
- ↑ Stewart, Marcus. December 19, 2023. Rise of the Rōnin: Team Ninja Discusses Crafting Its First Open World Where You Shouldn't Kill Everything On Sight, Game Informer.
"Team Ninja describes him as a fully realized character with a fleshed-out backstory, but making decisions allows players to decide how he’s depicted in the story. The studio wouldn’t divulge much more into his personality or ultimate goal, but players will have plenty of time to get to know him while roaming Rise of the Rōnin’s freely explorable Japan." - ↑ https://www.thegamer.com/europe-based-sony-xdev-is-helping-team-ninja-develop-rise-of-the-ronin/
- ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2022/09/13/revealing-rise-of-the-ronin-a-new-action-rpg-from-team-ninja/
- ↑ Stewart, Marcus. December 19, 2023. Rise of the Rōnin: Team Ninja Discusses Crafting Its First Open World Where You Shouldn't Kill Everything On Sight, Game Informer.
Yosuke Hayashi: "But we wanted this new Bakumatsu, which is sort of the end of the Edo era, …it's a lot more modern, so we thought it allows for a unique setting when we were thinking about creating a fiction story inspired by a certain moment in time. It allowed for a very unique setting for us." - ↑ Stewart, Marcus. December 19, 2023. Rise of the Rōnin: Team Ninja Discusses Crafting Its First Open World Where You Shouldn't Kill Everything On Sight, Game Informer.
"Unlike the fantastical Nioh and Wo Long, Rise of the Rōnin shuns those supernatural elements in favor of telling a more grounded historical drama. Yasuda believes this is necessary for players to fully immerse themselves into the story and setting. Expect to encounter several real-life figures of the era, such as Sakamoto Ryōma and Yoshida Shōin. Though the narrative weaves in real-life events, it’s a fictional tale that players have the freedom to mold thanks to the inclusion of choices. " - ↑ https://twitter.com/InonZur/status/1755635780557697359
- ↑ https://www.shacknews.com/article/132271/rise-of-the-ronin-from-team-ninja-coming-to-ps5-in-2024
- ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/07/rise-of-the-ronin-leak-suggests-a-q1-2024-launch-on-ps5-more-details
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/the-game-awards-2023/2023/12/07/team-ninjas-rise-of-the-ronin-gets-march-release-date-in-new
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/state-of-play/2024/01/31/get-another-look-at-rise-of-the-ronins-bloody-gameplay-in-new-trailer
- ↑ https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/rise-of-the-ronin-world-vignette-trailer
- ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2024/02/08/inside-look-rise-of-the-ronins-recreation-of-late-1800s-japan/
- ↑ https://www.gematsu.com/2024/07/rise-of-the-ronin-demo-now-available
- ↑ https://gamingbolt.com/rise-of-the-ronin-digital-deluxe-edition-and-pre-order-bonuses-revealed
- ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/rise-of-the-ronin-the-final-preview
- ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rise-of-the-ronin-blends-team-ninjas-combat-with-open-world-freedom/1100-6521756/
- ↑ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/so-far-rise-of-the-ronin-feels-like-a-lot-of-games-we-love/
- ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/features/preview-rise-of-the-ronin-shows-promise-but-its-no-showstopper-yet
- ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/game/rise-of-the-ronin/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5
- ↑ https://gamingbolt.com/rise-of-the-ronin-koei-tecmo-hopes-to-sell-over-5-million-copies
- ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/04/rise-of-the-ronin-ps5-sales-beating-the-nioh-series
- ↑ https://www.gematsu.com/2024/03/famitsu-sales-3-18-24-3-24-24
- ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/03/uk-sales-charts-dragons-dogma-2-rise-of-the-ronin-off-to-a-weak-start-at-retail
- ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2024/04/12/playstation-store-march-2024s-top-downloads/