Rise of the Ronin had me at it’s first look back at Sony’s State of Play in September 2022. Looking like a fusion between Assassin’s Creed and Ghost of Tsushima, Team Ninja’s new title looked promising. An open-world ronin adventure with intense combat and rich story? Sign me up immediately. After playing roughly two hours of the game’s opening, Rise of the Ronin is off to an awesome start.
The game kicks off with a rich and heavily customizable character creator. You’ll customize two characters that will serve as your main protagonists. As I always do, I spent way too much time recreating Gintama‘s Gintoki and Tsukuyo. There are a ton of options to tweak and customize your characters as you see fit. I can’t wait to see how players mess with these systems to make plenty of incredible, and I’m sure monstrous, creations.
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The tutorial mission kicks off with choosing a build and starting weapon. There are a few to choose from, with each offering different weapon specializations and starting stats. The four you can choose from strength, dexterity, charm, and intellect. While you don’t have to pick the weapon that aligns with the class, you’ll miss out on early proficiencies. There are a handful of weapons you can pick at the start, including a katana, dual blades, a massive heavy blade, and a spear.
You’re able to pick any combination of the two to cater to your preferred play style. I went with a dexterity build, focusing on the dual blades and katana combo, catering to quick cuts and attacks that get in and out of combat swiftly. Each weapon has different special attacks as well. They knock the enemy’s stamina back to pull off critical hits.
Team Ninja is no stranger to excellent action combat, with the Ninja Gaiden and Nioh series already in their catalog. Ronin‘s combat is tough but fair on standard difficulty. You can choose between an easy, medium, and hard mode at the outset. The systems are easy enough to start. Each weapon has a light attack, heavy attack, and a few special moves specific to your fighting stance and weapon kit. Switching through your primary and secondary weapons is quick and painless, which I’m sure will make for some punishing combos later on. Your fighting stance will make an impact as well. Different stances are more effective against some enemies than others.
There is also a host of ranged weapons to integrate into your loadouts as well. In my first few hours, I’ve already come across a number of different weapons that allow for a ton of variety. Rifles are slow but deal heavy damage. Shuriken are quick but don’t do much damage. And the bow is silent but not as strong as a rifle. I’ve grown to favor a bow/rifle combo. The bow can silently pick enemies off as you creep up. Once you’re ready for the fight to start, a quick rifle headshot downs the enemy so you can run in for a starting critical. Another option is to pair the shuriken with a noisemaker. Use the noisemaker to distract, followed by some sneak attacks. Starting combat with a few shuriken tosses is always satisfying.
Once you’re through the opening tutorial, you’re tasked with your first mission. Sent to a giant black ship for an assassination, you’ll kick off the mission on a dinghy. Swim up, take out a few enemies, and your fight across the ship begins. The lighting and environmental design are awesome here. The ship is massive and dark, making you take each corner slowly in case enemies are around. This mission ends with a boss battle against the ship’s leader. The grappling hook comes in handy here. While it’s primarily used for traversal, you can grab explosive barrels to toss at the boss. The end of this battle sets the stage for the rest of the game.
The open world that follows as you begin the game’s main quest is interesting so far. You get a horse quite quickly to help you traverse it. As you ride through the countryside on your way to the first major city, there’s plenty of side content to engage in. Bounties against tough enemies, villages under siege by bandits, and exploration points are just a few. Each section of the open world has an area bond level. Completing missions and helping the locals will raise it, offering skill points and bettering relationships with NPCs in the area. I like that the open world doesn’t feel too big so far. The time to each map marker isn’t lengthy, with plenty of fun distractions along the way, allowing you to feel like your character is constantly progressing. Team Ninja has so far nailed the variety and pacing of content.
Your approach to each of these missions can differ as well. Do you choose to study the environment, finding points to rappel to or sneak in? Do you charge in head first, drawing all the enemies for a giant brawl? Ronin allows you the option of either. I’m a huge fan of the stealth route so far. Sneaking through tall grass and across rooftops, sniping enemies with the bow, and stealth kills line the way to success every time. Rise of the Ronin scratches that Tenchu itch that I’ve had for a while.
The skill tree is also impressive so far. Each of the starting skill traits has a separate tree, with each focusing on different play aspects. While one may focus on attacks, another specializes in stealth. The skills you earn from leveling up are general, allowing you to use them across any tree. Some skills, on the other hand, need trait-specific skill points. You’ll get these by playing in specific ways that favor that tree. Want more dexterity points? Using the bow and stealth kills will help you get there. There is a ton of build variety here, and I can’t wait to work my way through more of the skill trees.
The traversal is a particular highlight so far. The main protagonist is quick and agile. The horse you get is fast and quickly summonable as well. You can purchase new horses as well that may be faster or offer different bonuses. The grappling hook and glider are the easy wins here, though. Grappling onto a building, launching into the air, gliding across rooftops, to summoning your horse just before you hit the ground keeps momentum going. It’s all seamless and flows together so well. The countryside may favor horseback travel, but once you get to Yokohama, it’s all rooftops and gliders.
The cast of characters I’ve encountered so far is great. From the enigmatic ronin Ryoma Sakamoto, to the quirky inventor Igashichi Iizuka, the writing for each has been a hit. Sakamoto is a particular early favorite, with his quips and easygoing nature drawing you in easily. Once you’re in Yokohama, the loghouse will unlock. Here, you can give gifts and spend time with the characters you meet along the way. Doing so will unlock new rewards and bring your relationship even closer. Some of these characters, including Sakamoto, will join you on missions. You can quickly swap between characters on the fly, allowing you to choose the right fighter for the particular enemy you’re fighting.
The story so far has been solid and I’m really curious to see how it evolves. I won’t spoil anything here, but there have already been a few choices that left me agonizing. Your companions will react to your decisions as well. I’m excited to see how these choices will affect the story and relationships I’ve built.
The graphics are probably the only average piece of the puzzle so far. Don’t get me wrong, Rise of the Ronin looks solid, but it doesn’t reach the cinematic bar or graphics of Ghost of Tsushima. The art style, on the other hand, is awesome. The countryside sprawls in front of you, interesting temples and towers peaking out. Yokohama is huge and sprawling, feeling dirty and broken in parts, yet gleaming and bright in others. The red light district in particular draws you in, as flashes of red and pink cherry blossom trees meet you at the doors.
In its opening hours, Rise of the Ronin has made me excited for the ride to follow. The action is tight and responsive, the characters and story have me hooked, and the open-world traversal and mission variety are engaging. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Rise of the Ronin launches on March 21st, 2024, on PlayStation 5.
