From Ninja Gaiden to Dead or Alive to Nioh, Team Ninja has developed some standout games over the course of its long history, but with its next game, the studio is heading in a very different direction. Developed in collaboration with PlayStation Studios as a PS5 exclusive, Rise of the Ronin is launching on March 22, and ahead of its release, here, we’re going to go over some key details that you should know about it, including several that were revealed during the game’s recent State of Play showcase.
SETTING
Rise of the Ronin has been compared by many to Ghost of Tsushima more than a few times since it was first unveiled, and it’s easy to see why. The game is set in late 19th century Japan, in the final years of the Edo period, when Japan had opened itself up and was undergoing changes brought about by Western influences. Aesthetically, it looks like the game is going to be a lot more grounded in realism than the Nioh games- though knowing Team Ninja, we can probably still expect some fantastical elements thrown in.
STORY
In Rise of the Ronin, players will play as a lone Ronin who finds himself in the middle of a nation-wide conflict. As mentioned previously, the game takes place at the end of the Edo period, though the changes that Japan is going through at the time are not to everyone’s liking. The Boshin war, a civil war that took place in the late 1860s, will serve as the meat and potatoes of Rise of the Ronin’s story, showing the conflict between the Tokugawa Shogunate and a number of rebel factions who take issue with the growing Western influences on Japan.
FACTIONS
Rise of the Ronin’s 19th century late-Edo Japan world is going to be populated by three factions that players will have run-ins with throughout the story. For starters, there’s the Sabaku faction, which is loyal to the shogunate and fighting in favour of maintaining its centralized rule over Japan. On the other side of the conflict is the Tobaku faction, headed up by Ryoma Sakamoto and Kogoro Katsura, who wish to see the shogunate taken down. Finally, Western groups referred to as the Obei serve as the third faction, and their goal is to to open Japan up to foreign trade with Western powers.
PROTAGONIST
Rise of the Ronin’s protagonist is going to be a much more defined personality than what we’ve seen from Team Ninja games of late. Speaking with Game Informer, the developer revealed that the Ronin is a Veiled Edge, which is a work-for-hire warrior of sorts, and will have a fully defined backstory and personality. Details on what that backstory and personality will be, however, remain scant so far.
OPEN WORLD
The biggest way Rise of the Ronin is set to deviate from Team Ninja’s past works is that it’s set to be the studio’s first fully open world title. Unlike the likes of Ninja Gaiden and Nioh, in the upcoming action RPG, players will be able to freely explore its 19th century Japan setting. The developer hasn’t yet gone into how large the map is going to be, but we do have some details on some of the locations that you’ll be exploring.
LOCATIONS
The full extent of what Rise of the Ronin’s open world will entail will obviously only become clear once the game itself is out, but Team Ninja has confirmed that the map will include three major cities in the form of Kyoto, Yokohama, and Edo (which is modern-day Tokyo). During the game’s recent State of Play presentation, we got a good look at the city of Yokohama, where the architecture shows the blending of Japanese culture and Western influences. Meanwhile, there will also be countryside and rural areas to explore outside of the cities, which, according to a Game Informer preview, will have various threats (including bandits) and “copious side missions”.
TRAVERSAL
Based on all that we’ve seen of Rise of the Ronin so far, it’s looking like its traversal mechanics are going to be its defining feature. Players will be able to ride across the open world on horseback, while you’ll also have access to a grappling hook that you’ll be able to quickly pull yourself up to rooftops to then clamber across them. The star of the show, however, Avicula, a device that lets you pop out mechanical wings and soar through the air. During the game’s recent State of Play showing, we saw some solid glimpses of all traversal options being fluidly and seamlessly chained together, and we’re excited to see how that will evolve over the course of the game.
COMBAT
Team Ninja prides itself on the strength of its combat mechanics no matter what game it’s making, and it looks like Rise of the Ronin will continue down that same path. Key to combat encounters will be analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy you’re facing and picking combat stances accordingly, similar to what we saw in Ghost of Tsushima. Meanwhile, blocking and timing your parries will also be crucial elements of the game’s combat.
WEAPONS
This being a Team Ninja game, you can, of course, expect a good amount of enemy variety, with the game promising a mix of traditional Japanese weapons and late 19th century Western technology. That means you’ll be using swords and katanas, pistols and firearms, bayonets and spears, and more. During combat, players will also be able to use the aforementioned grappling hook to pull enemies toward yourself, or pull yourself toward enemies.
FIRE PIPE
During the game’s recent State of Play showing, one of the new weapons that was shown off was the Fire Pipe, which is essentially an old timey flamethrower. Created by the inventor Igashichi, it’s described as a “strong, long-range weapon” that you can use to set your enemies ablaze, ignite flammable barrels, and more. The Fire Pipe will be one of several devices that Igashichi will be able to build for players.
STEALTH
This is an area of the game where Team Ninja hasn’t revealed too many details so far, but based on what has been revealed, it’s clear that Rise of the Ronin is going to have some stealth elements sprinkled in. At one point, its State of Play trailer showed the player crouching and walking through tall grass to catch an enemy unawares by pulling them in using the grappling hook, before landing a flurry of killing blows. Meanwhile, on the PlayStation Blog, Team Ninja has also confirmed that you can use the Avicula to stealthily drop down onto unsuspecting foes.
KARMA AND XP SYSTEMS
Rise of the Ronin is being billed as an action RPG, so what exactly should we expect from the RPG side of things, especially where the progression mechanics are concerned? Team Ninja hasn’t offered up too mau details on that front yet, but speaking to Game Informer, the developer did confirm that the game will have a traditional XP system, where, unlike the Nioh games, you won’t lose your XP when you die. On top of that, however, there’s also going to be another progression resource called Karma, which will be lost upon death- though what exactly it will do hasn’t yet been revealed.
PLAYER CHOICE
In another first for Team Ninja, Rise of the Ronin is also going to offer choice and consequence mechanics. Player choice will come into play in the form of dialogue choices during conversations with other characters, while players will also be able decide whether or not to kill certain assassination targets during some quests.
BOND MISSIONS
Bond missions will also play a significant role in the overall experience, and will be another area where the game’s choice and consequence mechanics will come into play. Different characters will have different Bond missions, and the further you progress through them, the stronger your bond with that character will grow, which, in addition to revealing more about them and their backstory, will also yield gameplay rewards (like the aforementioned Igashichi creating new inventions for you).
MULTIPLE ENDINGS
Team Ninja has said that Rise of the Ronin’s player choice mechanics will be largely focused on Bond missions, which means the decisions you’ll be making won’t impact the main story in too many drastic ways. It has, however, been confirmed that the game features multiple endings. In fact, completing certain Bond missions will even unlock new endings.