Rise of the Ronin is latest katana power-fantasy coming our way - this time powered by Team Ninja. Here's what we know.
This State of Play certainly pushed the envelope on Japanese games, and we even got another katana-centered game in form of 'Like a Dragon: Ishin'. While Ishin is going over the top in typical 'Yakuza'-fashion, Rise of the Ronin takes another flashy approach: The Team Ninja trademark.
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Rise of the Ronin Trailer
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If you know Team Ninja, you know the combat is going to be on point, and the trailer confirms that: The melee weapons turning into 'ranged' weapons gives me Bloodborne vibes, and the katana-flashiness reminds me of Ninja Gaiden. These are all good things, and souls-like fans should be excited about this one when it releases in 2024: While it's not as slow and weighted as your typical Souls game, this one will certainly feature the trademark Team Ninja difficulty.
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The story is appealing too: Playing a ronin, caught in the changing times, coming to grips with the winds of industrialization... I like it. Specifically, the setting is the end of the Edo period - late 19th century Japan - and you play a Ronin that holds no agenda in the ongoing war between the shogun and the opposition.
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Team Ninja advertises this one as more than just combat: Each NPC will have their own agenda, and the player will also get to make decisions within the story - decisions which affect the gameplay. So far, the game has all the ingredients one could wish for: Great combat, a vast world (with mounts), and the ambition to tell a great story - I certainly have this high up on my radar, because I'm getting Ghost of Tsushima vibes, except that the combat seems a bit more fleshed out here... me likey.