Developer Team Ninja's latest offering, Rise of the Ronin, is another game throwing its hat into the ring of the AAA open-world RPG action genre. Rise of the Ronin thrusts players into the role of one of two "Blade Twins," which are highly trained martial arts specialists who find themselves estranged from their former previously presumed deceased partner. While engaging in this personal journey to search for their missing half, the protagonist finds themselves caught up in the political and military tensions bubbling during RotR's setting of Edo-era Japan and the major changes that were occurring at the time.

As an open-world adventure, Rise of the Ronin sees players engaging in a host of activities that often go along with such design, i.e. exploring and uncovering more of its map while gaining experience to learn and upgrade various more advanced methods of dealing with its numerous enemy types, all with their own strengths and exploitable weaknesses. And similar to notable titles like Red Dead Redemption, Far Cry, and a vast array of other open-world games, Rise of the Ronin's landscape is populated by a diverse range of wildlife, many of which often pose a threat to the titular lone samurai. As stealth mechanics usually go hand-in-hand with this too, in this regard, RotR allows players to acquire a related skill for use against its four-legged foes; one which subverts expectations in an endearing manner.

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Rise of the Ronin's 'Beast Whisperer' Ability is a Heartwarming Twist on Stealth Takedowns

Rise of the Ronin Spins a Classic Stealth Ability on its Head for Tackling Hostile Animals

Soon after players complete the tutorial and story setup sections, they are let loose in the greater world. Per genre standards, Rise of the Ronin hands out some basic tools and skills to start off with, and lets players experiment early on with various styles, teaching them a couple of initial tricks of the trade and getting a feel for how each functions in a range of situations.

As fans journey through Rise of the Ronin's setting in 1800s Japan, they will swiftly run into plenty of dangerous wildlife, often coming across ravenous wolves and angry boars, with certain particularly ferocious packs or inordinately massive and aggressive swine acting as creature mini-bosses. Though these can be dispatched normally via Ronin's impressive selection of weapons, there is an alternative method that can be acquired that is both useful and much friendlier.

Rise of the Ronin's 'Beast Whisperer' Skill is an Appreciated Animal-Friendly Approach

After unlocking and upgrading a few starting traits from the Charm skill tree, players can attain the Beast Whisperer ability, which allows for a more tender approach to dealing with animals. Once purchased, if fans then approach animals unseen, a normal takedown prompt will appear. However, upon successful execution, instead of inflicting injury, the protagonist gives them a healthy petting, turning them neutral and likely alleviating fans who may be off-put by the prospect of their character hurting animals. As some of Rise of the Ronin's fugitive hunts are against high-level creatures with minions protecting them, being able to remove them as threats in this manner is also a boon in terms of gameplay.

With dozens of other titles pitting players against menacing feral creatures, it sometimes can be guilt-inducing when having to harm animals in games, even if it is justified via narrative and mechanical reasons. The fact that Team Ninja took the time and effort to thoughtfully design and incorporate a largely standard stealth skill that is specifically tailored for use against animals speaks well of its sympathies, and puts an unexpected and positive twist on the familiar takedown mechanic. Along with many other aspects like Rise of the Ronin's companion system, this kindhearted method of pacifying furry enemies in-game without burdening those players who may feel uncomfortable enacting harm on them is a welcome inclusion.

Rise of the Ronin

Platform(s)

PS5

Released

March 22, 2024

Developer(s)

Team Ninja

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s)

Action RPG