Rise of the Ronin, let's discover the Team Ninja open world action RPG shown at the State of Play

Rise of the Ronin

Considering the size of the team and the projects already in the works, it was difficult to expect the arrival of Rise of the Ronin from Team Ninja, even more so to think that it could be a project of this breadth. The announcement came completely as a surprise during last night's State of Play with a spectacular presentation trailer, while everyone thought that the Koei Tecmo team was totally taken by Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, another very interesting game, but that a this point seems almost secondary compared to this other title.

The first video gave way to show a bit the atmosphere and the tone sought by the developers with this game, but the idea that it is of a real open world action RPG and that Koei Tecmo aims to make it a remarkable million seller puts everything in another light. It seems that development has already been going on for 7 years and, considering that the release is scheduled for 2024, we would be talking about enormous processing times, comparable to the great Rockstar Games projects.

Of course, it is likely that in this time the production has been very slow and the game has only recently assumed considerable dimensions, perhaps once the partnership with Sony has been signed, which will take care of the publishing and presumably will pump a good amount of money in the project, but the fact remains that, in intentions, it is perhaps the most ambitious game seen so far by the team of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. Great interest certainly, therefore, but also several questions, especially as regards the actual ability to complete an open world of this magnitude and also be able to characterize it with a good original imprint, but also looking at the precedent of Nioh, the hopes are notable.

So let's recap everything we know about Rise of the Ronin.

Feudal Japan is back in fashion

Rise of the Ronin, the protagonist We can now speak of a real trend: feudal Japan (or thereabouts) is back fashion: within a few days we saw the presentation of Assassin's Creed Codename RED, Like a Dragon: Ishin! and precisely Rise of the Ronin, with the last two even sharing the same decade of reference, in terms of temporal collocation. Compared to titles such as Ghost of Tsushima and the aforementioned Ubisoft game, however, the two Japanese productions take into consideration an even more interesting period, as it is characterized by political and cultural upheavals on different levels. In fact, there is talk of the end of the Edo period, when the "black ships" of Westerners - as the presentation trailer for Rise of the Ronin tells us - appeared in Tokyo bay, imposing the opening to the west and putting an end to sakoku, the two centuries of Japan's isolation.

Bakumatsu came, which meant the end of the shogunate, the social organization known as bakufu and the return to the centralized structure of the empire with the Meiji Restoration.

Rise of the Ronin, a scene on horseback This particular period of transition is also clearly visible at the beginning of the trailer for Rise of the Ronin, with the overview on the flight of the crow highlighting the strange mix between the classical Japanese architecture and the new structures emerging in cities. In all this, the function and role of the samurai was also lost: some of these definitively became bureaucrats integrated into the new imperial structure, while others became ronin, or vagabond fighters without a specific purpose in life. One of these is the protagonist of the game, a fighter with no ties but who seems to have an influence on the chaotic course of the country.

A fighter without rules

Rise of the Ronin, an overview of una città For a warrior who has devoted his existence to the defense of certain ideals, the collapse of the established order is an obviously dramatic event, which leads to the loss of reference points. The protagonist of Rise of the Ronin finds himself in this situation, but he can still count on some cardinal points: his great fighting skills and a certain sense of justice, which will probably lead him to fight against some distortions of modern society. The title in fact suggests a form of organized rebellion, a revolt, which could have something to do with the Satsuma Rebellion, as far as we can suppose. Considerable security comes from the combat system, this being an aspect on which Team Ninja excels, historically. Again, it seems that much of the attention has been placed on this element of the gameplay, which will be fundamental in this open world action RPG.

After Nioh's experience, on the other hand, we can expect some attention to combat technique and tactical use of weapons, with some additions that seem to lend considerable dynamism to the action. Taking considerable concessions from Bushido, the protagonist goes far beyond his katana and is also able to use various firearms, as we have seen in the fight in which he uses a bayonet musket while exploiting the blade and the bullets, but also in the scene where he chills an enemy by pulling out a powerful revolver, which can be quite surprising, considering the classic clichés of this type of setting. The way of the Ronin, in essence, is also revealed in the freedom of approach to combat, with the protagonist now disconnected from the rigid moral code and traditions imposed by Bushido, which can range from different techniques and weapons.

Freedom of action

Rise of the Ronin, a duel This freedom offered by the position of ronin, which allows the protagonist to build his own morals and ethics of the fighter, should be reflected at various levels in the gameplay, in short. We have seen how this seems to have significant influences in the combat system, which is based on a range of weapons and techniques that can be used to deal with different situations, but should also reveal itself in the system of movement of the protagonist within the open world. Symbolizing this unpredictability in movement are the grappling hook and the glider, two tools that we have seen successfully associated with traversing large settings. In addition to being used in clashes, they can allow new ways of interacting with scenarios, also opening the way to a certain exploitation of the verticality of the landscape, also considering how the different architectures of the time taken into consideration can offer ideas for exploration in this sense. .

To all this is obviously added the open world, which demonstrates the enormous ambitions of Rise of the Ronin, but also represents a considerable unknown, for a team that has so far focused on different and more rigorous structures . The ability to explore a wide open world is in itself emblematic of the freedom granted to the player and there is no better way to step into the role of a ronin, a wandering warrior in search of adventure and his own purpose in life.

Rise of the Ronin, another moment of clash Adding to these characteristics such a fascinating setting, the potential of the game reaches remarkable heights, also explaining the ambition cultivated by Koei Tecmo towards this project. There is still a long time to go but the features are very promising and well summarized from the first trailer: we will have to see how Team Ninja will manage a production of this magnitude, considering that even the video reveals several edges to be smoothed from a technical point of view, but between now and 2024 it will be one of the titles to keep an eye on.

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