Rise of the Ronin - PlayStation 5

Gosh I can't stop gushing about Rise Of The Ronin, it's exactly what I wanted out of a Team Ninja game. So what is it that I wanted and why can't I stop gushing about it? Well ever since I played the Nioh series (enjoyed WoLong and platinumed that too), I'd been craving for an open world Nioh with Nioh's core combat systems since Nioh offers a sense of depth that makes me want to get better at the way I engage with enemies. Rise Of The Ronin is pretty much Open world Nioh with simple and straight forward side activities which has become a staple in most open world games. You get to pet cats that's a simple straight forward side quest yeah? You get to pray at Shinto Shrines, go and save a villager who's produce was stolen by conniving thieves. And then of course you get to defeat bad guys be it mini bosses, big bosses all in extremely laser focused, precise and sharp combat sequences. The game features multiple combat styles that you get to actively carry with ya in both weapons and each combat style can be switched on the fly while in a fight, to help you gain an edge over the enemy. So you're never really just playing with just one style just because you like it, rather the game makes you play smart and learn to appreciate other combat styles in order to stay alive and defeat your foes. The combat animations and audio of the clank of two swords striking against each other with the haptic feedback never gets old, trust me. I've already put in over 20 hours and I'm so hooked to the core gameplay loop. The visuals are also quite pleasing, don't get me wrong this isn't a Ghost of Tsushima and we must not compare Rise through the lens of Ghost of Tsushima. That's unfair comparison even though both games are set in Japan. Rather Rise Of the Ronin should be compared with the games output from Team Ninja, so with that in consideration I'm happy to report Rise Of the Ronin is easily the greatest looking Team Ninja game that surpasses the visual flair of both Nioh games and WoLong. My only major gripe is the game's optimization isn't where it should be. The game offers 3 graphic modes and the Performance mode is where the game is most stable with minor frame stutters. This comes as a surprise especially since none of these problems existed in the Nioh games on PS5. So yeah Team Ninja could've used for an additional month of optimization or their optimization team dropped the ball here. My current rating for the game with my play through in progress I'm going with a 9/10. Also ignore the negative reviews given by SkillUp and FightinCowboy (respectfully disagree their takes).

I’m shocked by some of the negative reviews that came out before the release. This game is awesome! The graphics and gameplay are top notch (I’m using line trace for graphics setting). Like all Team Ninja games; there’s a little bit of a learning curve to the combat. But once you get the controls memorized to muscle memory it becomes smoother and smoother. The grappling hook is by far the coolest arsenal to mix things up mid combat and use your surroundings to your advantge. I’m currently two hours in and cant put this thing down. I love it. No, its not the masterpiece of ‘Ghosts of Tsushima’ but its not far behind the samurai open world field. Mastering the ‘flash’ (parry) is challemging, but once you get it down; the blood gushes and heads fly. If youre having any doubt about buying this; I’m here to tell you that its worth it. This is easily the best game thats come out this year so far. Dont wait; go get it and be prepared for a blood splattering atmospheric adventure!!!

Great game for fans of Nioh and Ninja Gaiden with an added bonus of an open world. I ended up enjoying this one more than i thought i would despite flaws. The story isn't the strongest point but the story of the twins is an interesting little twist plus the collision of American, European and Japanese culture into one game was a nice touch. The weaponry especially reflects this as you can use European styled weaponry and Japanese style weapons, whatever suits your fancy. The open world while dated graphically had a solid and unique art style going for it. I enjoyed the little side activities and challenges.

This is a great open world version of Team Ninja's take on a Sakiro style of gameplay. I would recommend it for fans of Team Ninja, Nioh, Sekiro, and games w/ some From software influence.

Tough but excellent game by team ninja, strap in for this game because it’s a mental rollercoaster skill wise