The Ronin Review's ascent

Action RPGs are something Team Ninja is getting better at with each game. Their games have changed, even though they were originally praised for an intriguing twist on the souls-like idea. The Ronin's AscentI've been pleasantly pleased with , and I can't get enough of it.

The Travels of a Solitary Veiled Edge

The fictitious Veiled Edge clan is introduced at the beginning of Rise of the Ronin. These are not your typical fighters. Veiled Edges are taught in pairs and are equally proficient in the arts of Shinobi and Samurai, despite being shown and called Samurai often.It was a wise move on Team Ninja's part to have you develop both of the original characters. Players may become more emotionally invested in both Veiled Edges as a result, feeling the weight of choices and future developments more keenly.The first objective does an excellent job of showcasing what the game has to offer, the variety of ways it can be played, and the fact that, depending on your build, you may need to change how you go through certain places. Having said that, the game doesn't take long to deliver its first significant surprise, altering the way you and your character interact with the events taking place in a Japan that is evolving as a result of the ongoing influence of the West.

The Bond system is another intriguing aspect of Rise of the Ronin. You may form connections with places and personalities. You get more benefits the stronger your link is. Both you and these characters will have an impact on each other's destinies. Indeed, on certain missions, you may bring up to two friends with you, and some of these relationships unlock characters. In order to experiment with different playstyles and revive your Veiled Edge if you've taken too much damage, you may even transfer between characters rather than restarting right away.Rise of the Ronin is a step forward over Nioh and Wo Long, even if the storyline in Team Ninja games is never really good. While the storyline may not be particularly noteworthy, it effectively portrays the many facets of the battle that transpired during that period between the Japanese expulsionists and the pro-shogunate samurai. By presenting all sides of the conflict and illuminating the motives of the individuals, side quests effectively deepen your understanding of the Civil War. Even better, you get to choose a side that will influence how the game unfolds.

The Sun-Rising Land

To be honest, the graphics of Rise of the Ronin are not the finest on the PS5. This game lacks the visual impact of many other PlayStation titles, particularly those set in Japan. However, this game doesn't seem poorly at all. It is able to include features that are exclusive to the PS5, all while maintaining visuals comparable to the best-looking action RPGs on the PS4.This game has a large amount of open spaces. The accuracy with which feudal Japan is shown here is utterly delightful, and the grass flows with the breeze and the flowers and trees create a stunning panorama over much of Yokohama's surrounds. You won't really see any loading windows while you race, ride, and glide over vast stretches of terrain at 60 frames per second. The fact is, without some significant downgrades, this game would not be playable on a PS4. I always like biking in this beautiful country after dusk, searching for problems. I also adore being a fierce samurai in a flower field in the rain, taking on four opponents at once without using any frame drops. That is an outstanding accomplishment by Team Ninja that deserves recognition.There isn't one open world in Rise of the Ronin for you to explore. There are open regions with communities to protect, criminals to apprehend, several side missions, and a plethora of hidden objects. But each location is big enough to hold a whole game, so it was a delightful, if overwhelming, surprise to go from one to the next. Fortunately, if you'd like, you may go back to a prior section and finish the assignments you skipped. It's a clever feature that allows you to change the game's happenings as well.

The Warrior's Path

Most people would concur that the action in an Action RPG is its most crucial component. If that's your main worry, you're in for a treat since this is unquestionably one of Team Ninja's greatest fighting systems to date.They seem to have blended the greatest elements of Nioh and Wo Long with all they had learnt from them, greatly improving everything. It's the return of the Ki system. To strike, dodge, or block, you must use Ki; however, immediately after an attack, you may execute a Chiburi by pressing the R1 button. If you perform the action successfully, your character will shake the sword to remove the blood and recover some of the Ki you used.In addition, you may parry strikes by pressing Triangle. You'll launch an assault that requires a lengthy recovery period and might leave you exposed if you do this. Nevertheless, you may execute the game's parry, the Counterspark, by hitting Triangle at the appropriate moment. It causes the enemy's Ki to be depleted, allowing you to strike with a fully charged bar.A critical strike may be executed once the Ki is 0. Living and dying by the sword is an ugly notion, since critical hits are often fatal and feature stunning, vicious animations. As the enemy's Ki decreases as attacks are made, a proficient player will be able to execute critical strikes rapidly. I can assure you that once you reach that stage, you'll be hooked on this game. It is an incredible feeling to beat four samurai by repeatedly parrying three of their assaults and executing one crucial blow after another.You may acquire the many kinds of both melee weapons—which your character can carry at once—by fulfilling missions and secondary goals. Each weapon may have up to three styles equipped, and some styles are more advantageous than others. Therefore, in order to have an edge against certain foes, you'll find yourself continuously modifying your fighting strategy without really changing weapons.Even though you'll largely be battling other people, I'm nevertheless pleased by Team Ninja's ability to keep the foes seem new and make battle engaging. You'll never be completely at ease anticipating when an adversary will strike since there are so many different fighting techniques. The enemy will make you pay if you get too comfortable by abruptly altering their assault strategies.Moreover, there are several methods by which you may construct your Veiled Edge. A weapon that requires strength, like a Katana or an Odachi, may be your specialty. Alternatively, you might go for a Dexterity-based build and sneak up on your adversaries rather than fighting them head-on. You may also develop a hybrid build or concentrate on long-range weaponry. With so many possibilities, there are almost infinite ways to play this game, especially when combined with the variety of weaponry and combat styles it offers.

A Fragile Jewel

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To be quite honest, Rise of the Ronin doesn't really have anything wrong with it. Although the tale isn't very good, it does the job. Although the game's graphics aren't the finest on the PS5, it does have stunning and engrossing landscapes that you can explore for kilometers without seeing any loading screens. Therefore, even if it's not revolutionary, I believe Team Ninja succeeds where it counts.Regarding the ancillary material, it may eventually become monotonous. It is, after all, mostly an enemy-fighting game where you must gather objects and then report them to an NPC. But this game's battle system is its greatest feature. I like how the many missions let me to often test my abilities and experiment with different strategies for defeating adversaries. I've always been drawn to fighting because it's such an amazing sport.

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The loot system in Rise of the Ronin is the worst feature. I'll never understand why Team Ninja chose to continue using the most widely panned design decision from one of their previous games. The Nioh and Wo Long loot systems are the identical. New hidden objects that are just slightly better than yours will often be discovered, and you won't even notice the difference. Occasionally, the weapons you uncover are only suitable for sale and have far poorer stats. is the imageThe ability to alter a new item's appearance to customize your equipment to your liking is the sole thrilling aspect of obtaining stuff in Rise of the Ronin. Still, I'd rather not have too many unnecessary things in my inventory. They would still have far too many weapons even if they just had one for each skin they had created. Finding three Greatswords that are identical to one another and more powerful than my existing Katana while looting the enemies is rather annoying.

The Conclusion

The game does have a lot going on, even if it doesn't look like it. Numerous playstyles, builds, long-range weaponry, minigames, and other features are available. If you explore the world, you'll quickly discover that you often forget about the primary mission and find yourself rescuing people, caressing pets, parkouring over roofs, and giving gifts to your favorite geisha. I'm still excited to try out new fighting techniques after having fought criminals for close to 100 hours. It never gets old to deflect a series of assaults and finish out a formidable foe with a critical blow.It's easy to write Rise of the Ronin off as a game that doesn't offer anything novel. You'll feel as if you've played this game before if you've played Assassin's Creed, Wo Long, Elden Ring, or Nioh. Although Rise of the Ronin's gameplay may seem familiar and the game may not be revolutionary, it doesn't make it a terrible game. Without deviating from the overall idea and tone of the game, Team Ninja skillfully included aspects from other titles.The longer Rise of the Ronin I played, the more I understood how much time and effort the game's makers had to put into making it happen. Every time I thought the game was becoming boring, something new would come along and make me appreciate my experience as a Veiled Edge in 19th-century Japan even more.