Rise of the Ronin Reviews
Almost nothing in Rise of the Rōnin is outright bad, but it is Exhibit A in any argument about why action games are not dozens of hours long or why open-world designs do not fit every mold. For all the inspirations the game wears on its sleeve, it never rises above them, and thus feels like a title in search of an identity and desperate for a specific kind of player. It’s sometimes a good time, just not for a long time.
"Enemy AI appears torn between realistic long-distance vision (which is neat but totally un-video game-friendly) and some pretty non-existent hearing"
An enjoyable counterpart to Ghost Of Tsushima, with some truly excellent combat, but the bloated open world elements can often suffocate your enjoyment.
It feels like nobody in Rise of the Ronin is connected to the world or its events, much in the same way most mechanics of the game don’t feel connected to each other. The game is inconsistent and unpolished. Annoying stat-crunching, a poorly handled story, and some really awful boss fights make it feel like a bad Soulslike was bolted on to something that could’ve been so much better. But its traversal mechanics, top-notch side missions, sublime open world, and the varied and likeable characters you can build relationships with all help prop up its weaker elements.
Rise of the Ronin marries a cool setting, Team Ninja’s mastery of tough-but-fair combat, and smart RPG design, even when map clutter and junk loot can get in its way.
Rise of the Ronin is undoubtedly the most ambitious of the titles developed by Team Ninja to date, as well as the riskiest. This is because the vision shaped by the studio has led it to face unprecedented challenges in terms of design and technical implementation, deriving from the choice to opt for an open world that frames a more articulated narrative structure than that of the previous productions of the Japanese collective.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A refined Team Ninja's action met an open-world experience. While the story unfolds like a grand drama of Japanese history, the limited impact of player choices is a drawback. The inclusion of sensitive real-life figures and the system for building rapport with them may justify the cancellation of the official release in Korea.
Review in Korean | Read full review
If you’re looking for a genre-defining samurai game, you won’t find it here with Rise of the Ronin. Despite its run of the mill open world formula and last-generation graphics, Rise of the Ronin’s commendable accessibility options, fascinating historical backdrop, and addictively refined combat allow it to reach an audience far more than Team Ninja’s titles did before, for better or for worse.
Rise of the Ronin is an experience worth living, not only for the rich action, but also for the story itself which is interesting and offers a perspective on the Japan of that time.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Team Ninja's open-world experiment with Rise of the Ronin leaves a bittersweet taste, but the studio's inexperience in that journey is understandable. In short, the delivery is far from what this type of game is today and its great exponents; However, the Japanese studio manages to get away with its polished combat system delivering impressive duels on several occasions. As I warned, the niche is here for the duels and, in that sense, you won't be disappointed; Apart from that, there are several forgettable elements, but it is a fact that the 2 incentives that I considered during my experience: the development of the story and its combat proposal, are enough to give it a chance.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Rise of the Ronin is a samurai amusement park, an open-world adventure with an excellent combat system, in which the abundance of activities might distract you from a compelling and well-told storyline. It is closer to an Assassin's Creed than a souls-like or any of Team Ninja's earlier games and could have been even better if from a technical standpoint it had been less problematic.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Rise of the Ronin fails to impress through its open-world sandbox or graphical fidelity, but it can still provide dozens of hours of fun thanks to a great combat system, an impressive amount of content, and an interesting story.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Rise of the Ronin, in its entirety, is a Jack of all trades and master of none. It is a sampler platter of many design ideas stitched together, held in place with a captivating story and likable characters. If you are a fan of Team Ninja’s unique blend of combat and/or the time period this game takes place, then you are in for a treat. Just know that combat won’t be forgiving and you probably won’t like all the busy work. But barring all that, it is worth a couple of playthroughs just to see where the story possibilities go even if you can’t change history in the way you would’ve liked.
Rise of the Rōnin is an another great PlayStation title. It's not GotY material, but it does its job well.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Rise of the Ronin is little new and yet a lot of fun. The battle system from Nioh and Wo Long meets a classic open world, adds a story full of decisions for the duo protagonists and makes it more beginner-friendly overall. If you like the setting and don't expect any major innovations, you'll have an entertaining adventure on the island nation.
Review in German | Read full review
Rise of the Ronin may not push the boundaries of the open-world genre, but it’s an enjoyable game with superb combat, deep mechanics and a great cast of characters. Highly recommend it if you enjoy samurai games like Ghost of Tsushima or past Team Ninja games like Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
The method of storytelling, acting, and character motivations are distinctively Japanese, potentially alienating some audiences. The visuals are also a mixed bag. But all that hardly matters when katanas start whizzing around. This is an excellent game with rough looks, doing its own thing.
Despite its shortcomings, trust me when I say it: Ronin’s gameplay, bosses, and traversal mechanics keep you hooked until the end.
Rise of the Ronin is turning out to be a great souls-like with endless potential and a brilliant story to match. There’s a beautifully detailed world to explore and the unforgiving combat that all hardcore gamers crave, but there’s also so much room for improvement, and a lot of pruning is needed. The cluttered map and the neverending junk loot are two of the biggest factors that dull the experience, but if you can overlook those issues, there’s a massive world to see and a lot of new challenges that await you in Japan.
Rise of the Ronin puts you into the role of a masterless samurai amidst the chaos of war, disease and political unrest of 19th century Japan. Reviewed on PS5. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Rise of the Ronin is a fusion of many influences aimed at creating something more than the sum of its parts. A game that stands tall, echoing the spirit of its predecessors while carving its own path.
