Highlights

  • Rise of the Ronin strikes a balance between Soulslike difficulty and open-world accessibility, with one mechanic feeling heavily inspired by FromSoftware's works.
  • Having something like Bloodborne's Trick Weapons in the form of the Revolver adds depth to combat, allowing players to deflect attacks and deal devastating damage.
  • The Revolver in Rise of the Ronin offers strategic advantages, disrupting enemy skills and enhancing combat dynamics.

Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin is a game whose different influences combine to create a satisfying experience, even if it does tend to tread some well-worn territory. Ahead of the title's release, one of the big questions surrounding Rise of the Ronin was just how much of Team Ninja's Soulslike DNA would factor into its gameplay. While the game occupies a nice middle ground between a punishing Soulslike and a more accessible open-world action-adventure game, it still clearly wears its reverence for the works of FromSoftware on its sleeve. One unexpected inclusion, though, is a spin on the Trick Weapons from Bloodborne.

Along with the standard blade weapons that players will wield as their primary weaponry in Rise of the Ronin, the game's protagonist has access to firearms and various other ranged sub-weapons. And while rifles fulfill their expected long-range niche within the game's arsenal, the revolver presents itself as one of the best options to keep handy for how it can be used to execute the game's parry mechanic, Counterspark. Thanks to the revolver, players can essentially put their Bloodborne Trick Weapon experience to use in skillfully deflecting enemy attacks and dealing massive follow-up damage at close range.

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Rise of the Ronin's first major encounter stands toe-to-toe with some of the best early bosses in the FromSoftware catalogue.

Bloodborne's Trick Weapons Present an Outlier in the FromSoftware Library

Rise of the Ronin introducing its own spin on the Trick Weapon deflection from Bloodborne is a welcome surprise, especially considering that FromSoftware itself has yet to implement a similar mechanic in another of its games. The Soulsborne games largely feature melee combat as their focus, which naturally lends itself to those titles encouraging players to block and parry attacks using shields or other defensive options. Where Bloodborne bucks this trend is in its focus on agility and movement, placing an emphasis on dodge-rolling and aggressive attacking in the wake of not featuring a dedicated defensive maneuver outside the Trick Weapons.

For those players that do incorporate one of Bloodborne's Trick Weapons as part of their regular combat strategy, the rewards are substantial. The Father Gascoigne boss fight is one of the best tutorial bosses in the FromSoftware library precisely for the ways that it encourages the player to use Trick Weapons and understand their importance in staggering enemies. Successfully timing shots in rhythm with enemy attacks can stagger them and open them up for a devastating Visceral Attack, and Rise of the Ronin's revolver sub-weapons serve a surprisingly similar purpose.

Unlocking Rise of the Ronin's Revolver Makes its Combat Even More Satisfying

In general, firearms in Rise of the Ronin give the player a definitive edge against their opponents. Rifles work well as an option for Rise of the Ronin's implementation of stealth, and there are even indirect bonuses to the player's strength that come from firearms. Once the ability is unlocked that allows the player to deflect bullets back at enemies wielding rifles, activating Counterspark in these scenarios sets the player's primary weapon aflame, allowing them to deal massive damage against foes. The game's combat is a carefully executed dance between draining enemy health and Ki while monitoring one's own, and firearms significantly level the field in the player's favor.

This advantage becomes even more pronounced when, after a few hours into the main story, players unlock the revolver. Successfully timing firing from the hip with the revolver can disrupt enemies' Martial Skills and significantly diminish their Ki, which opens them up for a flurry of follow-up attacks that can deal as much or more damage than a Visceral Attack from Bloodborne. Rise of the Ronin's sword combat might owe a debt of gratitude to FromSoftware's Sekiro, but its firearms are decidedly in the same wheelhouse as Bloodborne's.