Rise of the Ronin, analysis: crazy open-world action from another era

Rise of the Ronin This is not only one of the most anticipated games of this year for PS5, but also a demonstration of the power of Team Ninja in open worlds and, above all, in a new generation characterized by the surprise that games that are in principle outside their AAA jurisdiction, that was well demonstrated helldivers 2. Rise of the Ronin It ticks both boxes: a game with huge ambitions, an open-world focus, but a far cry from the bombastic style of big-budget games. And this is as good as it is bad.

It comes with a narrative commitment that we haven’t seen from the studio until now. Team Ninja put everything they’ve learned over the years into this game, knowing that the studio is a big veteran in action games, but not in open world RPGs, much less ones the size of what we have.

Therefore, the first hours from Rise of the Ronin are a mixture of skepticism and surprise. The game is eye-catching with its visuals, which while a great show of force, would certainly rival even a more budget-priced title. But with skepticism, because, like the rest of the studio’s games, Both the combat system and the gameplay itself require a great learning curve.. This means that the most casual player will be tempted to give up on the game in the early stages, but the truth is that its narrative does its best to keep you in control. Medieval Japan and the game’s setting also play a leading role in this section, and the truth is that it is one of its greatest attractions.

Rise of the Ronin: Rise of Parry

When we talk about your learning curve, Rise of the Ronin take some Nioh and one of the most interesting games, Vo Long, but it does so with a flair that’s a little far off for those looking for something simpler and more narrative-driven. While the combat options are greater than those games, with a greater variety of weapons and different playstyles, Rise of the Ronin relies primarily on parry, which means that not all players will like it. Especially when you consider that this is not an easy game in either combat or mechanics, and you’ll have to work hard to adapt to its difficulty curve. Those who played Nioh They won’t have any problems, but when compared to other games that use similar mechanics (with many nuances), e.g. Sekiro, Rise of the Ronin It’s much rougher, less smooth and just as repetitive. in most of his fights. Attacking the enemy at the wrong time or without waiting for the right moment, and it is extremely delayed.

However, stealth is an extremely viable option in many parts of the game, greatly reducing its difficulty and bringing it closer to a traditional action game. In addition, in many cases we are accompanied by allies who distract enemies and turn situations into a stroll.

As for one of its most representative sections – the open world – there is everything good in it, but there is also everything bad. The game is very enjoyable with its settings and the variety of different regions, although not all that we can do in it. Just like in a big open world, three A’s, Rise of the Ronin Repeat the actions constantly throughout the game. The open world, as we say, is fun in the narrative aspect, but not so much in the possibilities it offers the player. Yes, we can choose which path to take, what to do (temples, cats…) or not to do it at all, but in most cases, seeing one means seeing them all. And no, you’re not going to get rid of hundreds of points of interest or map icons that require you to clear the area of ​​activity from area to area.

It has an interesting section on interacting with NPCs: we can establish relationships, some of which will be rewarded with allies in battle, and the truth is that some of its parallel stories are very interesting and add a lot of depth to not only the plot, but also the open world setting in which the game takes place. Don’t expect this section to be a quantum leap in terms of immersion capabilities compared to other similar games, but this addition from Team Ninja is appreciated as it brings it closer to the open world of 2023 than the world of 2010.

Rise of the Ronin: Is it worth it?

A lot depends on whether you get used to combat. It’s strong in every way, it’s very punishing for mistakes, but it’s extremely satisfying if you do it well. Team Ninja knows, with Rise of the Ronin, taking from here and there to create a fairly complete game. The title shares many similarities with Nioh and even Ghost of Tsushima, although it tones down the difficulty compared to the former and isn’t as graphically powerful as the latter, to name two examples.

It also carries some of the worst aspects of both, and we certainly don’t have a clear opinion on how an open world benefits a game like this. Despite the well-kept and quite exciting setting, it disrupts the narrative flow and reminiscent of those same open worlds with the stamp of a certain studio what we all mean is that it seems that quantity is always preferable to quality, and we disagree with this, since the open world does not represent an additional advantage for the development of the main story

Regarding its performance and graphics quality, we do not encounter a triple five, one of those that leaves you with your mouth open in terms of graphics and depending on the scenarios it seems old, but the truth is that Rise of the Ronin It more than lives up to everything we expect from a title like this. Game performance is generally good, except for some failures sporadic and Some FPS drops in certain areas, such as Yokohama, or strange transitions in the open world. However, many performance bugs seem to have been fixed in the pre-patch, so you shouldn’t run into any major issues on your first playthrough.

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Rise of the Ronin

Immerse yourself in 19th-century Japan with the power of PlayStation 5, feel the power of combat with the haptic technology of the DualSense Wireless Controller, and feel the click of a weapon’s matchlock with the adaptive triggers of the DualSense Wireless Controller.

Amazon

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In general, if we analyze Rise of the Ronin Taking each of its elements individually, it doesn’t add anything new to what we’ve already played countless times. However, the sum of its parts makes it a fairly complete game that you can spend several hours playing. This is the exact definition a title that wins by the sum of its parts, but it may not be enough to convince the most casual player. And above all for those who are tired of open world games. [7/10]