Rise of the Ronin review: "A decent PS5 exclusive action RPG that's driven and hamstrung by its ambition"

GamesRadar+ VerdictRise of the Ronin is a solid action RPG experience that could, and probably should, have been stronger. It’s fun but too familiar in the grand pantheon of similar offerings – not least from developer Team Ninja’s back catalog itself.Pros+Multi-layered combat offers loads of variety+Plenty to explore in every corner of the mapCons-Just about everything can feel repetitive after time-Visuals a little rough around the edges GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict Rise of the Ronin is a solid action RPG experience that could, and probably should, have been stronger. It’s fun but too familiar in the grand pantheon of similar offerings – not least from developer Team Ninja’s back catalog itself. Rise of the Ronin is a solid action RPG experience that could, and probably should, have been stronger. It’s fun but too familiar in the grand pantheon of similar offerings – not least from developer Team Ninja’s back catalog itself. Pros+Multi-layered combat offers loads of variety+Plenty to explore in every corner of the map Multi-layered combat offers loads of variety Plenty to explore in every corner of the map Cons-Just about everything can feel repetitive after time-Visuals a little rough around the edges Just about everything can feel repetitive after time Visuals a little rough around the edges Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Rise of the Ronin is deceptively deep. You can absolutely play and enjoy this multi-systemed, open-world action-RPG without having sampled any of Team Ninja’s back catalog beforehand. But if you have taken the likes of Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty or, going back a little further, Ninja Gaiden for a spin in the past, there’s a good chance you’ll settle into the structured rhythm the developer has delivered so well in previous outings. Rise of the Ronin does eventually let you stray from the beaten path to tackle its checkpoints and sandbox side-missions as you please, but there’s a precise cadence to its questing and conquering that often feels formulaic. FAST FACTSRelease date:March 22, 2024Platform(s):PS5Developer:Team NinjaPublisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment FAST FACTS Release date:March 22, 2024Platform(s):PS5Developer:Team NinjaPublisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment Release date:March 22, 2024Platform(s):PS5Developer:Team NinjaPublisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment The hills have eyes (Image credit: Team Ninja) Set in 1863 during the Bakumatsu period, Rise of the Ronin kicks off with the Black Ships of the West having docked on Japanese shores ahead of their forceful bid to reestablish eastern trade routes. In the twilight stretch of the Shogunate era, you fill the nimble shoes of a warrior ronin, roving around a real-world-inspired slant on mid-19th century Yokohama in a mission-packed open-world sprawl that echoes everything from Assassin’s Creed to Ghost of Tsushima and indeed Team Ninja’s own Nioh. Ridding villages of unwanted bandits, for example, grows your Regional Bond with the area while also granting you Karma which can be banked at Banner checkpoints and exchanged for Skill Points. Skill Points are tied to the Strength, Dexterity, Charm, and Intellect skill trees, with activities such as glider challenges, praying at shrines, and, believe it or not, finding cats all viable ways of earning rewards. Even if you start off pursuing one pre-set class from the outset (for example, the ‘Breaker’ build is a stealth-meets-dexterity outfitting), Skill Points can be spread into other areas of expertise as you settle into your own fighting style. Better still, you can switch between Rise of the Ronin’s core three styles – Jin, Chi and Ten – mid-battle with the touch of a button, allowing you to play to your strengths and, more importantly, your enemies' weaknesses. As well as Skill Points, successfully completing these tasks can net you Silver Coins – Rise of the Ronin’s secondary currency that’s primarily used to obtain its most coveted items – making combing the map and wringing each zone of its extra-curricular activities a routine that, while optional, is essentially the best way to grow your character beyond beating bosses and enemy gangs. Put up your dukes (Image credit: Team Ninja) “Enemy AI appears torn between realistic long-distance vision (which is neat but totally un-video game-friendly) and some pretty non-existent hearing” “Enemy AI appears torn between realistic long-distance vision (which is neat but totally un-video game-friendly) and some pretty non-existent hearing” As you find your feet with timing in combat, ranged weapons are a good go-to. From pistols to muskets, bows, shurikens and more, putting distance between yourself and your aggressor before nailing a headshot is damn satisfying – to the point where I found myself almost exclusively flying through low-stakes skirmishes splitting skulls with my rifle. You can even use your grappling hook to haul foes from height, or pull them closer similar to the signature move of Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion. Besides end-of-zone bosses, stealth is another sort-of viable option in Rise of the Ronin. You see, enemy AI appears torn between realistic long-distance vision (which is neat but totally un-video game-friendly) and some pretty non-existent hearing, meaning you can shoot baddies at point-blank range in the head with a very loud rifle, only to have their pals 10 yards away continue to look in the opposite direction. I found this to be one of Rise of the Ronin’s most frustrating features as it directly impacts exploration – if you stumble into an enemy-filled zone that you want to investigate, there’s virtually no risk-versus-reward mechanics in place to encourage sneaking in favor of tearing the place down. Multiplayer likewise accentuates this – Rise of the Ronin can be played with up to three players, be that other friends, AI allies, or a combination of the two – and while I’ve so far only been able to play with computer-controlled back-up pre-release, I presume online servers will fill out following the game’s release on March 22. Dead ja vu (Image credit: Team Ninja) It’s understood that developer Team Ninja has been working on Rise of the Ronin for some time (even before 2017’s esteemed ARPG, Nioh), and I think that’s reflected in how ambitious this game is. The thing is, against the likes ofNioh,Nioh 2, and to an extentWo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Team Ninja is a victim of its own success. Rise of the Ronin is a good action role-player, but it’s impossible not to draw comparisons to similar ventures that have held the genre up over the last several years. Stealth is better in Elden Ring. Combat is more intuitive in Nioh 2. Visually, Ghost of Tsushima is head and shoulders prettier. And mechanically, modern Assassin’s Creed games have the multi-mission, open-world, shopping list of questlines format nailed down. Even Rise of the Ronin’s Karma and Vendetta systems – Karma is essentially XP, earned after killing enemies; Vendettas are triggered when an enemy kills you, after which killing them after respawn restores your Karma – have featured in various forms for years in other games. Crafting in Rise of the Ronin is a smart way of keeping on top of health items, but it’s no less arbitrary than any other game in this genre, or, looking over the fence, in the survival space over the last decade or so. All of which leaves me with the feeling that Rise of the Ronin could, and probably should, have been stronger across the board. It looks nice, but not always great, with occasional texture pop-in spoiling longer-distance views. Its combat is fun, its world is worth exploring, and the game itself does a fine job of showing you just (and only just) what it needs to at any given moment. The problem is, it brings very little that’s new to the table. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course, but it definitely doesn’t match a game that clearly had ambitions to be something greater. 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