Sony did not have time to enjoy the success of HELLDIVERS 2 and FINAL FANTASY 7 Rebirth, as a new potential hit – Rise of the Ronin will get on March 22 to PlayStation 5. For historical adventures about the wandering samurai in the setting of Japan of the 19th century, developers from Team Ninja, known for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and the Nioh series, took up. This time the novelty will be without Paranormal, but whether the studio can please its fans – we will figure it out based on available information.
What it looks like
When looking at Rise of the Ronin, an obvious association comes to mind – the role action of Ghost of Tsushima. Yes, the time of action has moved closer to our time, but the historical perspective of Japan before industrialization remained on the spot, an open world with side activities and an emphasis on a plot about a brave warrior. The notes of the “ghost of the tsusima” are also traced in Midnight Wins Casino the combat system, because players will be able to change racks suitable for different types of enemies on the move.
Given the experience of the studio when creating Nioh, it is not surprising that in many ways the battles will resemble Souls-Like Games: Nioh, Dark Souls, Bloodborne and of course Sechiro: Shadows Die Twice. First of all, this is the principle of battles: players will have to memorize the behavior of different types of enemies in repeated attempts to win them. And an important role will be played by a parry, which is familiar to every lover of "shower".
Setting and plot
The first thing that catches the eye at the sight of Rise of the Ronin is the selected era. Events will unfold in 1863, when despotistical rulers, fatal diseases, Western colonialists and revolutionaries participating in the civil war are torn by Japan. A fictional story is closely intertwined with reality and historical personalities, among whom will be the French military leader Jules Bruna, Japanese politicians Yoshida Sein and Sakamoto Ryoma, as well as other heroes.
It will be possible to travel on local beauties even in a cooperative along with two more ronins. However, one can not hope for a friendly duel-the authors did not provide for a PVP mechanical.
One of the key principles of developers was the freedom of choice. From the very beginning, players will be able to configure the appearance of the protagonist and determine the key features of his character using elections during the plot. These will be both simple branches in dialogs that do not mean anything serious, as well as heavy moral dilemmas – kill the enemy or spare the enemy. Relations with the characters should be equally multifaceted. You can develop a connection with them through the passage of local versions of missions for loyalty, and with some you can even tighten the novel.
Combat system and open world
Historism can be traced in the arsenal of our Ronin. There are many types of cold weapons to choose from a choice: from all the familiar katana to something more extravagant, like a spear with a blade-naginate. Given the time of Rise of the Ronin, the developers could not do without firearms. It will be loud, but powerful muskeys. As in the Nioh series, it will work to cause damage to the enemy from afar, but you will have to put up with a long reloading. Also, a quiet onion and an analogue of the flamethrower, made in the form of a respiratory tube, are available.
Most likely, Nioh or Dark Souls fans will be easily mastered with the local combat system. The blows of enemies can be fended, you can also stun them, exhaust and cause critical damage. We must not forget about your level of energy. If you get tired in the heat of the battle, then continuing the battle will be problematic, as well as retreat. Different combat racks are suitable for specific situations. If the basic universally and acceptably balanced under any combat situation, then one of the alternative racks will allow, for example, to make a series of continuous attacks.
Players will be able to not only fight and go through plot tasks, but also explore the open world. The developers promised to show three large cities recreated on the basis of historical data: Iokogam, Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo, the capital of Japan). Each of the settlements boasts its own architecture, and a variety of nature will be surrounded. Collectible objects are scattered around the world, like cats that can be stroked, or fugitive criminals. For the capture of all, by the way, you can get an achievement.
To study locations not only on foot. It will turn out to ride a horse, just like in Red Dead Redemption 2 or Ghost of Tsushima, but there is something more remarkable. For example, a glider that will help to inspect the terrain from a bird's height or without prejudice to go down the air. And climb up thanks to the local analogue hook-cat.
Technical specifications
Rise of the Ronin will only be available on the PlayStation 5, so it’s too early to talk about any ports. But you can try to understand the situation with technical regimes. They did not talk about them in detail, but journalists who tested the game claim that three graphic modes are waiting for users: performance, quality and reiterating.
In performance mode, the authors aimed at stable 60 frames per second. But in the quality and trace modes of rays, you will have to be content with the loss of personnel. Action should also strive for 60 FPS, but will suffer from drawdowns. The situation resembles the previous game Team Ninja – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Then Digital Foundry experts preferred a performance mode – with a stable frame rate, fighting more comfortably.
Although some of the latest Team Ninja projects, such as Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, went without Russian localization, in Rise of the Ronin you can wait for a text translation. The publisher of the role action is Sony, which accompanies its each major release at least Russian subtitles and translated interface.
Reviews of journalists
Journalists of VGC, IGN, GAMESPOT and other specialized publications have already managed to share their impressions of Rise of the Ronin. For the most part, they were satisfied, especially an exciting plot and the opportunity to make independent decisions. Praise was awarded the battles: they are interesting and became simpler than in previous Team Ninja games, but still not without difficulties. In the rest of the aspects, reviewers of violent enthusiasm did not experience.
Gambling forecast
In many ways, Rise of the Ronin resembles Ghost of Tsushima: the picturesque expanses of Japan, realism, historicity and history about a brave warrior. However, the Team Ninja project should offer more freedom. Players will be able to configure the character in detail and make more significant decisions along the passage, and the cooperative up to three people became another important aspect. In the “Ghost of Tsushima”, we recall, to find out the story of Jin Sakay with friends – there the cooperative regime tells his own story.
Rise of the Ronin does not look like a “mandatory” game and clearly will not cause as much delight as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Despite this, Team Ninja’s skill in creating exciting battles, coupled with a deep plot, will enjoy the novelty of a wide audience – from lovers of role -playing action to admirers of historicism and samurai. Prediction "Gambling" – we are waiting, but with caution.