Highlights
- Rise of the Ronin is an open-world action game set in 19th-century Japan, drawing comparisons to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
- Both Rise of the Ronin and Like a Dragon: Ishin explore Japan's tumultuous Bakumatsu Era, but present it in different ways.
- Rise of the Ronin has a heavier emphasis on Soulslike combat and features Western forces, while Like a Dragon: Ishin has a brawler combat style and takes place in Kyoto.
Games with a historical Japanese setting seem to be popular among game developers at the moment, with titles like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Ghost of Tsushima, and Like a Dragon: Ishin all releasing in the past few years. Joining the ranks of these titles when it releases next month is Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin, an open-world Soulslike action game set in 19th-century Japan. While the game has drawn comparisons to FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice due to its combat and traversal mechanics, Rise of the Ronin finds itself sharing a similar story and setting to Like a Dragon: Ishin.
Both Like a Dragon: Ishin and Rise of the Ronin are set during Japan's tumultuous Bakumatsu Era, which saw the end of the feudal shogunate that had dominated Japanese governance for nearly 200 years. This period is often cited as one of the darkest eras in Japanese history, and both games explore the bloodshed and brutality associated with the fall of the Shogun and the Meiji Restoration. However, Like a Dragon: Ishin and Rise of the Ronin present this era in different ways, showcasing two different styles of recounting an iconic historical period.
PS5 Exclusive Rise of the Ronin Could Give Ghost of Tsushima a Run for its Money
Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin might be perfect for PlayStation fans looking for an action-packed follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima.
Like a Dragon: Ishin and Rise of the Ronin Paint Different Pictures of the Same Historical Era
The Bakumatsu Era of Japanese history lasted from 1853 to 1867, wherein anti-Shogun sentiments began to spread and groups like the nationalist Ishin Shishi faction began to gain popularity. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan was infamous for its extremely isolationist foreign policy, forbidding most Western countries from conducting trade with the nation. As many citizens wished to adopt modern Western technology, groups like the Ishin Shishi rallied around the rightful heir to the Japanese throne and supported a return to imperial rule under Emperor Meiji.
Opposing the Ishin Shishi were pro-Shogun groups like the Shinsengumi secret police composed of low-ranking samurai enlisted to protect important figures in the Tokugawa government. Like a Dragon: Ishin sees players take on the role of Sakamoto Ryoma as he infiltrates the Shinsengumi to uncover the mystery behind his father's murder, ultimately having to navigate tensions between the Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi. Rise of the Ronin is also set to feature characters like Ryoma, who were key players in Like a Dragon: Ishin's story given that they were real-life historical figures that played important roles in that period.
How Rise of the Ronin Differs from Like a Dragon: Ishin
While both of these games are grounded in the common setting of Japan's Bakumatsu era, they take different approaches to presenting the events of that era. Like a Dragon: Ishin follows the typical Yakuza and Like a Dragon formula of action-brawler combat mixed with a handful of side activities and substories for players to uncover. Conversely, Rise of the Ronin leans heavily into its Soulslike combat, challenging players with unforgiving battle mechanics that will test their skills while also giving them an open world to explore using a variety of traversal methods like a grappling hook and glider.
There also appear to be some story differences between these games as well, despite being set within the same basic time period. Rise of the Ronin largely takes place in Edo, while Like a Dragon: Ishin puts players in Kyoto, and some characters like Nagakura Shinpachi, who was an ally in Like a Dragon: Ishin, appear to be bosses Rise of the Ronin players will battle as shown in a recent trailer. It also seems like Rise of the Ronin will put a greater emphasis on Western forces than Like a Dragon: Ishin did, as it features Commodore Matthew Perry as a major character, whom Western scholars often credit with negotiating Japan's opening up to the Western world.
Rise of the Ronin
- Platform(s)
- PS5
- Released
- March 22, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
