Rise of the Ronin is a challenging and gripping adventure through Edo-period Japan with an open world and the all important ability to pet cats

How enjoyable it Rise of the Ronin, Team Ninja's newest action RPG? Well, I'm writing this review and I can't wait to finish it so I can go back to playing the game. That's how intriguing the game is to me.

Developed by Team Ninja, this action RPG sets itself apart with its ambitious scope and engaging gameplay, although it occasionally sacrifices the rough charm of its predecessors for a more streamlined experience.

With Rise of the Ronin's brutal gameplay, challenging rhythm-based combat, engaging plot, gripping replayability, and the very important ability to pet cats, exploring Japan in the Bakumatsu period has never been so fun.

Rise of the Ronin gets an 'A' for plot

One of the game's best aspects is the plot. The storyline hooks you right from the get-go.

In the game, you take on the role of part of the Blade Twins, a brother-sister duo with a tragic past, plucked from the ashes of a burned-down village and trained to be swordsmen under the Veiled Edge banner.

One of Rise of Ronin’s weaker points though would be its graphics. It isn’t the most stunning nor the most polished and realistic, and definitely does not beat the likes of Ghost of Tsushima.

Don't get me wrong, the game has visually appealing graphics and definitely a step up from the Nioh series, but it's simply not the best.

But it does a great job of depicting what Japan was like in the final years of the Edo period.

The player will get to explore and experience the different seasons, enter a Geisha house, liberate poverty-stricken towns, walk through Western-influenced cities, and more.

What the gameplay in Rise of the Ronin is like

Although an action RPG, the game takes inspiration from Team Ninja games like the Nioh series and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

It is not a Soulslike but the game also takes a few notes from games developed by FromSoftware like Dark Souls in terms of difficulty, that requires you to master its intricacies.

Rise of the Ronin borrows elements from Nioh and Nioh 2, where players have Ki gauge players have to watch out for.

Just like a stamina gauge, when your Ki is depleted, you’re more susceptible to enemy attacks. Blocking too much will also deplete your Ki, but parrying or doing counterstrikes will deplete the enemy’s Ki.

Generally, taking down even regular enemies would require mindfulness in your positioning and good timings for a counterstrike.

While you will be choosing a “blade of origin” (fighting style) during character customization, you can learn different fighting styles by forming bonds, defeating certain bosses, and by simply using the weapon to raise your proficiency.

I was drawn to the dual blades in the beginning, because it has many similar moves to Arnis, a Filipino martial art I learned in college.

But certain situations would call for a Katana or a Polearm, and I found that later on, I immensely enjoyed using the spear to decapitate defeat enemies.

I also love that you have a secondary ranged weapon that you can use to assassinate enemies from afar. Firing guns, using a bow or shuriken, and using smoke bombs to distract the enemy all make combat quite varied.

What the open world in Rise of the Ronin feels like

After the introduction, the world opens up to the player in Rise of the Ronin. The open world is vast enough that there’s always an opportunity for a new encounter and you can stumble upon various towns along the way and take on different missions.

Taking on different missions can help you form bonds with towns and people, and these bonds give you benefits.

On top of this, some missions might seem like random errands by people you meet on your way, but somehow, some interesting characters you meet along the way turn out to be important later on.

I also love the element of replayability the game has. You can go through different levels of difficulty: Dawn, Dusk, and Twilight.

After failing miserably with Twilight, I also tried both Dusk and Dawn. While both less brutal, each mode still has the same gameplay elements and a level of intensity that isn’t laughable.

Certain decisions can alter how the rest your game could play out. For example, instead of killing certain bosses, you can spare them, so you have an extra hand later on.

You can also play certain missions again and complete them with friends. This is something that I have yet to test since there wasn’t anyone available to match with when I was playing.

Overall, Rise of the Ronin is an enjoyable experience. Although some parts of the game are pretty tough, it has a lot in it that makes the player, especially action RPG enthusiasts like myself, keep coming back to play some more.

Rise of the Ronin will be launching on Playstation 5 on 22 March 2024.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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