By Isaac Espinosa
As you travel through a retelling of many of Japan’s darkest points in history, Rise of the Ronin truly tests to see if you can handle the unvarnished truths of bloodshed and war. This fascinating title is developed by Team Ninja, the same people that have created franchises such as Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, and Nioh. So you expect quality even before indulging. Set in the mid-19th century of Japan, Rise of the Ronin takes us through a journey that details the events of the tumultuous Bakumatsu period, marking the end the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Before even beginning to speak on Rise of the Ronin gameplay-wise, it’s important to analyze how the game was created and its purpose. As previously mentioned, Rise of the Ronin is historically inspired by Bakumatsu, the final years of the Edo period that hold an extreme amount of importance in 19th Century Japan. It was a time during which Japan would end its isolationist foreign policy, “Sakoku,” and would end the Tokugawa Shogunate that held Japan in a feudal chokehold, before transforming into the modern empire of the Meiji Government. In other words, it’s what shaped Japan to become where it is in the current era. The importance of this era for Japan’s history is what initially brought Fumihiko Yasuda, the main director and producer of Rise of the Ronin, to tackle the idea in the first place. According to Yasuda, not only was Team Ninja’s expertise suited for this concept with their prowess in games focused on ninja and samurai in the past. It was also a period from the past that video games generally steered clear from. So immediately, going into Rise of the Ronin, it should be expected that this game would pay an incredible amount of respect for and detail surrounding the Bakumatsu period.
The game’s primary story puts you inside the mind and body of a masterless warrior – a Ronin. Here, the path forged is yours to make. Through the game presents an appreciable retelling of real life events, you must make choices that would inevitably shape the way Japan would be formed through its lifespan.
As you explore Rise of the Ronin’s beautifully captivating open world, in which there are many different locales and villages to visit along with battles on grand American ships, every action you make is crucial. You meet historical figures such as Matthew C. Perry, who was in charge of leading the Perry Expedition that would eventually end Japan’s isolationism and Ii Naosuke, the feudal lord that would sign the Harris Treaty with the United States.
And as you meet these people, you get to choose different sides to align with. Do you side with the Western Forces that wish to bring the winds of change to Japan, and open it to the rest of the world? Do you align with Sabaku, the Pro-Shogunate forces that support Tokugawa and seek to maintain its centralized rule? Or do you side with Tobaku, the Anti-Shogunate forces that are united by their desire to bring back and fully restore Japan’s imperial authority? It really does feel as if the game is bringing you right into the center of Japan’s history, and not just making you watch through it either. You’re a central piece of that puzzle, and every step, choice, or fight you face, may be the ultimate one that seals Japan’s fate for the remainder of time.
Rise of the Ronin wouldn’t be half of the game it currently is without the incredible love put towards its combat. There are an unreal amount of ways to fight in Rise of the Ronin, and the sheer amount of combat options at your disposal isn’t entirely clear to you right from the gate. You have options for melee combat, which includes weapons such as a Katana, a Spear, and even a Bayonet! All of these weapons have their own combat styles and approaches that make each fight different. You have ranged weapons, such as firearms like hand-guns, flamethrowers, and even rifles. A bow that can shoot arrows from a distance, even lit arrows that can be used to ignite foes. A grappling hook can be used to throw objects at opponents, or best of all, pull you straight into the action to pull off powerful combo attacks.
You aren’t strictly tied to just one weapon type or class. Using these weapons in combination with one another is how you’re going to get the most enjoyment out of Rise of the Ronin’s combat. Whether it’d be stealthily pulling away a foe with the grappling hook in order to stab them with your katana, or using the shot of a rifle to do massive damage as an ender to a flurry of spear stabs, it’s all created by your imagination. The sheer amount of player expression Rise of the Ronin provides is incredibly refreshing, and really makes it fun to go into fights, and see what works and what doesn’t. That kind of experimentation is what makes a game replayable, and easy to come back to on any occasion.
Along the way, you might hold an adorable cat, a moment of respite from the blood and death you must frequently deal with. In fact, there are many such felines to find in mountains and villages. Additionally, as member Stephen Totilo pointed out in Game File, you don’t have to waste time during your play. For instance, you can get on your steed without pressing a button to mount it. And those horses will guide you automatically to a point in the map of your choosing. These tweaks help those of us who may get lost in such a giant world as this.
However, there is one gripe I have with Rise of the Ronin, though it isn’t necessarily the game’s fault. My main issue is a story that has been told before in history books and in a number of movies. Compared to the very new feeling I get with the gameplay loop of going to different shrines, taking on enemy camps, and even partaking in side quests that help to shape a good impression on the villages you visit, it’s something that’s been dealt with elsewhere. That isn’t to say it isn’t phenomenal. Like “Oppenheimer,” it’s an incredibly cinematic way to show off the events another time, in this case the 19th Century Bakumatsu Period. But that’s mainly all the main story IS doing, retelling history effectively, with a few twists here and there revolving around your main character and your Blade Twin, your partner in crime. To me, finding out more about 19th Century Japan through the different side quests the game offers, or just continuing to grind by fighting enemies and exploring the world via horseback, felt more fruitful than the story in the end. It’s what I’ve continued to come back to do in Rise of the Ronin, and it makes the main tale feel less exciting when you show the two aspects, gameplay versus story, side by side.
Despite this, it doesn’t take away from how Rise of the Ronin is one of the most immersive experiences I’ve ever undergone. It’s a terrifyingly wonderful depiction of the moments from Japan’s history that would go on to lay the groundwork for where we are today, and in that sense, Team Ninja did a nearly perfect job here. It felt like an experience that gave me a lot of newfound knowledge about something I was unaware of, one that needed to be told in a modern light to enthrall millions of gamers.
Bronx native Isaac Espinosa is a Member at the New York Videogame Critics Circle. Along with being named the Circle’s first assistant Mentor, Isaac also published his first story in The Verge.
