Rise of the Ronin Reviews
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Review in German | Read full review
Team Ninja takes a big swing with Rise of the Ronin, and for the most part it pays off, albeit with a number of speed bumps along the way.
Team Ninja's ambitious open-world action RPG is one of the best games about the Bakumatsu era ever, but its repetitive, uninspired open-world activities bog down what is an otherwise captivating experience.
Rise of the Ronin dilutes the gameplay of Nioh and Wo Long to accomodate for an open world that offers little of worth. Combat is still great despite this, but it could have been so much more
Rise of the Ronin is nothing if not ambitious, and though that ambition leads to the game not being as polished as you may expect from a PS5 release, it still manages to tell an enthralling story in which your actions truly matter, while also utilizing a unique bond mechanic, an in-depth -albeit slightly repetitive - combat system, and so much to do you'll find yourself losing sleep in an effort to complete just one more task. Those approaching Rise of the Ronin like the next Nioh will likely leave disappointed, but those who approach Team Ninja's latest effort with an open mind and patience will find a gem that just happens to have a few rough edges.
Rise of the Ronin's PC release is marred by performance issues which should hopefully be fixed through some patches focused on optimization. Underneath, however, there's still a game with excellent combat, albeit with a bland story and quest design.
Rise of the Ronin shows exactly what that money buys. From the awkward horse animation to the silent protagonist, in every cutscene fading out to a loading screen instead of dynamically swinging back behind the protagonist, in the constant tooltip tutorials and the entirely unmotivated progression systems with no contextualisation in the world.
If you have the time and the inclination Rise of the Ronin is a deep game with a rich, character-driven, story. However, you'll have to do battle with the controls, the multitude of systems, and endless reserves of useless loot, as well as your enemies, to get there.
Rise of the Ronin is not merely an amalgamation of open-world tropes with punishing combat. While its side activities may be unremarkable and its serene world more barren than alive, each system feeds into itself. This is done in service to further expand upon Team NINJA’s character-driven combat fantasy, one supplemented by a narrative housed in cultural and political intrigue during one of Japan’s most turbulent periods. Whether looking for a casual, open-world jaunt or a ferocious action-adventure, Rise of the Ronin is steeped in choice.
Rise of the Ronin was the near-perfect samurai/ronin open-world RPG that I have been starving for, and offers players a lot of choice in their playstyle.
While still an apt Souls-like experience, Rise of the Ronin struggles to find its identity amongst Team Ninja's catalogue. It feels like it's being pulled in different directions, and starts to collapse under its own ambition in the third act. In saying this, the DNA of Nioh and Wo Long is palpable here, and I have no doubt that fans of Team Ninja will enjoy this first foray into open world design despite its shortcomings.
Rise of the Ronin is another action-heavy success story for samurai heavy-hitters, Team Ninja. The world and setting are perfectly suited to enhance the roleplaying depth of the game's design as your unnamed hero makes important choices in a divided world. Fun is always at the forefront, even if certain open-world tropes lead to rinse-and-repeat content. This is because the moment-to-moment gameplay, including both traversal and combat, remains delightfully engaging throughout. The dialogue can be hit or miss, but Rise of the Ronin still finds a way to satisfy, in both its big action setpieces as well as those tiny little details.
Team Ninja has successfully transplanted the gameplay of Nioh into an open-world adventure. The combat is deep and exhilarating, with dozens of combinations of weaponry and fighting styles to try out. It's different enough from its predecessor to stand on its own, while still being familiar and comfortable to fans of their previous titles.
A year after its PS5 debut, Rise of the Ronin arrives on PC with Team Ninja's combat prowess at its core-fast, fluid, and deeply satisfying.
All things considered, some post-launch patches will be necessary to enjoy an even more solid experience: the publisher has already confirmed to us that several updates are on the way, but at the moment know that the launch version needs more than a few technical refinements.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Rise of the Ronin is undoubtedly Team Ninja's most ambitious, detailed and mature work to date. With its rich maps, compelling storyline and exhilarating combat, it creates an unforgettable tale of the Bakumatsu period. As Team Ninja explores new design concepts, this is definitely a title not to be missed by Team Ninja fans.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Rise of the Rōnin's open world is vast and content-rich, but it's a case of quantity over quality that's only partially rescued by the unambitious but technically adequate combat.
It’s safe to say that Rise of the Ronin is perhaps Koei Tecmo’s largest and most ambitious game yet. There’s tens of hours of fun to be had here, living out your fantasy life as a Ronin. Who you ally yourself with and how you develop your character is up to you, and with so many options, you could have a very different experience compared to a friend who is also playing. It’s just a shame that its open world areas aren’t a little more interesting; it ends up diluting the experience on the whole. Still, whether you love open world games, action RPGs or simply like the idea of being a samurai, Rise of the Ronin is worthy of your attention.
The open world and RPG aspects are not perfect by any means, but those are minor issues on an otherwise very engaging and competent experience that is acted out masterfully. If you are interested in Japanese history or simply want more of Team Ninja’s brutally satisfying combats, go grab Rise of the Ronin.