Summary
BetweenFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Team Ninja’sRise of the Ronin, fans of sweeping, open-world adventures have plenty of excellent options to choose from in just the first quarter of 2024. Ahead ofRise of the Ronin’s release, many fans questioned whether the game would be similar to other Team Ninja Soulslikes such asNiohorWo Longor if it would share more in common with games likeGhost of TsushimaandAssassin’s Creed. The open-world game design on display inRise of the Ronindefinitely has similarities to the Ubisoft formula, but it actually has much more in common withFar CrythanAssassin’s Creed.
Rise of the Roninstrikes a careful balance between the challenging, methodical encounters and mechanical complexity of Team Ninja’s Soulslike games and the approachable hack n' slash gameplay ofGhost of Tsushimaand themodernAssassin’s Creedgames. Its core open-world loop, though, is heavily reminiscent ofFar Cry, with the protagonist needing to strategically restore public order across Japan. In the process, the player helps loosen the grip of the Shogunate on the country during a time of great historical transformation and political unrest, not unlike the settings of theFar Crygames.
Rise of the Ronin’s Open-World Loop Takes a Page Out of Far Cry’s Book
The largeopen-world map ofRise of the Roninis separated into three distinct regions – Yokohama, Edo, and Kyoto. Within those regions, the map is further subdivided into various districts, each with its own checklist of locations to visit, tasks to complete, fugitives to hunt, and more. Before the player can safely travel to and from these districts, it’s first necessary to restore public order by eliminating the bandit presence in an area, restoring the people’s sense of safety and establishing what the game calls a “Bond” link thanks to the protagonist’s efforts.
If this sounds familiar to the methodical clearing of a large open world map and liberating zones from authoritarian rule in theFar Crygames, that’s because it’s a very similar gameplay loop. Just like in theFar Crygames, the more the player works toward establishing their Bond link with a particular district, the greater rewards become available, typically in the form of stat bonuses for the game’s four distinct skill trees. With bandit presence gone from an area, the player is also free tofast travel inRise of the Ronin, moving to and from previously visited locations to clean up any outstanding business to reach 100% Bond level with the area’s populace.
How Rise of the Ronin Puts a Creative Spin on Ubisoft’s Open-World Formula
The open-world design ofRise of the Roninwill definitely feel somewhat familiar and formulaic to anyone with experience playing Ubisoft’s open-worldfranchises likeFar CryandAssassin’s Creed, but that in no way works against the title. Instead,Rise of the Roninoffers an exciting look at how a more streamlined approach to the tried-and-true Ubisoft open-world formula works well in the context of a Soulslite. By combining the studio’s experiences making theNiohseries andWo Long: Fallen Dynastywith the general structure of games likeFar CryandAssassin’s Creed, Team Ninja has created a title that proves there’s still some life left in Ubisoft’s aging open-world formula.
The combat is arguably the star of the show inRise of the Ronin, and the future of both of Ubisoft’s premier open-world franchises can stand to learn something from how it elevatesTeam Ninja’s first open-world game. Every one of the open-world activities acrossRise of the Ronin’s large map works in the service of making the player a more skilled and deadly combatant, and in the process it also helps to prop up the game’s narrative about a lone ronin working to dismantle the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Rise of the Ronin
WHERE TO PLAY
FORGE YOUR FATE IN THIS EPIC NEW SAMURAI ACTION ADVENTURE Embark on an epic journey across war-torn 19th-century Japan in this combat-focused open-world action RPG from Team NINJA, the veteran studio behind Nioh and NINJA GAIDEN.Japan, 1863. After three centuries of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s reign, the Black Ships of the West descend upon the nation’s borders and the country falls into a state of turmoil. Amidst the chaos of war, disease, and political unrest, a nameless warrior forges their own path, holding the very fate of Japan in their hands
