Sony has said that it’s not going to release any new major titles in existing franchises until at least April of next year, which means it’s going to be a while before we see the next flagship PlayStation exclusive on the level of something like a Ghost of Tsushima or a God of War– but the PS5 does still have some notable PlayStation Studios games to look forward to nonetheless. One in particular that’s been on our collective radars for a while is Rise of the Ronin, Team Ninja’s open world action RPG, which is being developed in collaboration with Sony, and is set to launch not long from now.
Of course, with the likes of Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty under its belt, Team Ninja has delivered a string of excellent games in recent years (to say nothing of the studio’s illustrious less recent history), which means that thanks to that pedigree, any new game that the developer is going to work on is bound to turn heads. And while a lot of the buzz surrounding Rise of the Ronin certainly arises from that legacy, it has helped massively that the game itself has looked increasingly promising each time it has been shown off- to the point that we’re optimistic about its chances of ending up as one of 2024’s highlights (unless things go spectacularly wrong, a possibility that you can never quite entirely dismiss, even if it’s minuscule).
There’s no shortage of reasons about why Rise of the Ronin has looked like such an enticing prospect, beyond the plain and simple fact that it’s being made by Team Ninja. One of the more prominent ones, of course, is that this is Team Ninja’s first crack at a full-fledged open world game. The studio has traditionally always excelled at developing more linear, stage-based games, so the idea of its next game heading into uncharted waters and trying to deliver a kind of experience that we don’t usually associate with it is an intriguing one. Of course, being open world doesn’t automatically guarantee that a game is magically going to be a captivating experience that won’t let you put your controller down – in fact, quite often, it can mean the exact opposite, thanks to how poorly some games end up implementing their open world structure – but what we’ve seen of Rise of the Ronin so far certainly suggests that its open world is going to be one of its bigger strengths.
Again, there are multiple factors that have contributed to that from what we’ve seen of the game so far, its setting probably being chief among them. Set in late 19th century Japan at the end of the Edo period and depicting a time of internal strife that saw the Tokugawa Shogunate facing off against rebel factions, Rise of the Ronin is promising a historical period setting that’s looking like a fascinating choice for the game. Naturally, Ghost of Tsushima, as another open world game with a historical Japanese setting is going to be a point of comparison here, with Rise of the Ronin looking like it will scratch a similar itch. A lot of that will obviously depend on the execution, but the time period and place the game is set in gives it an inherent boost.
If the game can allow players to thoroughly immerse themselves in an authentic and detailed historical setting, it’s pretty much guaranteed to win over a great deal of fans, and while it remains to be seen just how successfully Rise of the Ronin will do that, what Sony and Team Ninja have showcased so far has looked promising. The game’s open world is, for instance, going to feature three major cities in the form of Yokohama, Kyoto, and Edo, in addition to countryside, rural areas, and natural landmarks beyond those major hubs, and Team Ninja is promising to deliver a fascinating depiction of the changes that Japan was going through at the time, where its long-held traditions and practices were starting to blend with new influences from Western powers. Aesthetically, that has the potential to give the game a unique sense of place and a very distinct identity, while from a gameplay perspective, the idea of, say, wielding katanas and firearms at the same time is also an exciting one.
At the same time, the historical nature of the game’s setting (and the story it will tell in that setting) is also promising to set it apart from Team Ninja’s period games. On paper, Nioh and Wo Long both had period historical settings as well, but both of those games peppered in fantastical and mythological elements into their worlds, stories, and in turn, gameplay mechanics. Rise of the Ronin, on the other hand, is set to be a much more grounded game, as Team Ninja has made explicitly clear by now. Does that mean there will be nothing throughout the entire game that might at least veer into the realm of the extraordinary? Obviously, we can’t say that with complete confidence- but without a doubt, the game looks set to be tonally very different from what Team Ninja has made in the past, which is an exciting prospect.
Another area where Rise of the Ronin is looking to leverage its open world in interesting ways is how it’s handling traversal mechanics. In addition to being able to navigate the world on horseback, players are also going to have access to a grappling hook that can be used to pull yourself up to rooftops and higher points, while a flying contraption known as the Avicula will also let you pop out wings with the press of a button at any time, allowing you to glide around. The gameplay footage we’ve seen so far has shown to great effect how the game will allow players to quickly and smoothly chain together grappling and using the Avicula, seamlessly going from running on the ground to clambering over rooftops to soaring through the air to dropping down onto the back of your horse and galloping away, and that sort of a traversal loop can, if executed properly, elevate an open world game to entirely new heights.
Then, of course, there’s the combat, which might not be necessarily tied to the game’s open world structure, but is worth mentioning anyway, given the fact that this is, after all, a Team Ninja game. Any new game by the studio is pretty much guaranteed to have incredible combat, and Rise of the Ronin is making similar promises. With the inclusion of mechanics like multiple stances and combat focused on parries and attack timings, once again, the game seems to bear more than a passing resemblance to Ghost of Tsushima (which is great, seeing as Ghost of Tsushima had excellent combat), but we’re also excited to see what unique Team Ninja flair the combat will boast. For instance, will the game be as crushingly challenging as the sort of stuff the studio has a reputation for, or is it going to try and be more approachable, seeing as it seems to be looking to cast a wider net with its open world approach?
What’s clear at this stage, roughly a month out from Rise of the Ronin’s launch, is that there’s no shortage of reasons to be excited about the game. From Team Ninja’s impeccable pedigree as a developer to the game’s enticing promises with its setting, open world structure, traversal mechanics, and more, Rise of the Ronin has surely done enough to pique our curiosity. Whether or not it will be able to stick the landing remains to be seen, but thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
Share Your Thoughts Below (Always follow our comments policy!)