There have been a lot of quality open-world games in 2024 already. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has redefined not just the Final Fantasy 7 universe but the entire series with how diverse the world is both environmentally and mechanically. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is also getting good buzz for those who have been waiting over a decade for a true sequel.
8 Beginner Tips For Rise of the Ronin
Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin can be overwhelming, and these tips should help newcomers get started in this PS5 open-world game.
Then there is Rise of the Ronin which is not as critically acclaimed according to Metacritic. However, there are things this game does both for the open-world and action genres that other games should copy from. Some things are not mind-blowing but they are interesting mechanics and features to keep in mind for the future.
8 Creating Two Characters
The Secret Of The Blade Twins
There are not a lot of games, let alone open-world games, that allow players to create two characters at the start of their adventure. These protagonists are known as The Blade Twins and that is the moniker they will get.
The biggest rival to Rise of the Ronin also allows players to create multiple characters at the jump: Dragon’s Dogma 2. Players will create a lead and then an AI-driven Pawn to follow them around in that game. For Rise of the Ronin, creating two Blade Twins is more significant but that would require a story spoiler but suffice it to say it is a cool idea.
7 A History Lesson
Is This How It Really Happened?
If a developer is making a samurai game, chances are they are going to base it on historical events. That’s the case with Rise of the Ronin but it’s not like this game is the only open-world adventure with historical data. The king amongst historical games has to be the Assassin’s Creed series.
There is a twinge of futuristic technology behind those games though whereas Rise of the Ronin is more grounded. Sure, samurai could not deflect bullets to imbue their katanas with fire, but Rise of the Ronin is still a bit more true to form than Assassin’s Creed as one example.
6 Diverse Weapons With Leveling Up Systems
Even Your Fist
Players will get a plethora of classic samurai weapons to play with in Rise of the Ronin. From katanas to spears and even to pistols. Players can also go unarmed in combat to be like a destructive monk on the battlefield.
6 Things To Do First In Rise of the Ronin
Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin is packed with content, and here are the most important things PS5 players should do first.
Most of these weapons will level up combat styles the more players invest in certain types. These levels can unlock bonuses like increasing HP. The only open-world game that comes close is The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim which leveled up certain traits the more players used them but Rise of the Ronin’s combat overall is wildly better than that decade-old game now.
5 Countersparks
It’s More Than A Deflect
Rise of the Ronin teeters on the edge of being a Soulslike like many of Team Ninja’s other games. One thing most Soulslikes have are countering system. With these systems, players can counteract enemies to deal heavy blows.
That’s all these parry systems are though, counters. The deflect prompt in Rise of the Ronin is mapped to the Triangle button on the PS5. This will also deal damage to enemies so even if players can’t counter in Rise of the Ronin, which is called a Counterspark, their effort will at least do some damage and that’s a fairly novel idea for these types of games.
4 A Good Stealth System
Assassin’s Creed Aside
To bring up Assassin’s Creed again, those games are all about stealth. Well, they were until RPG elements were introduced in Assassin’s Creed Origins. At that point, stealth became a secondary mechanic and players couldn’t even fully assassinate most foes since levels and equipment numbers played a big role.
While Rise of the Ronin also has limitations with certain kills, stealth overall feels like a more viable option than most of the newer Assassin’s Creed games. Players were raised as a samurai in Rise of the Ronin, but they are also capable of being ninjas who can kill from the shadows. How many games allow for glider-based stealth assassinations?
3 An Auto-Guided Horse
Horsing Around
One of this game’s best features is also not perfect. Players can tap anywhere on the map after they get their horse from Rise of the Ronin’s first side mission to have said horse automatically carry players to that destination. Sometimes the horse will be smart and avoid roads to make travel time faster and sometimes it will be confused and not know how to get to the marker on the map.
Rise of the Ronin: All Bond Levels & How to Improve Bonds With Allies
Reap the benefits of building strong bond levels with allies in Rise of the Ronin.
Again, it’s not perfect but not all systems in the best games are 100% perfect all of the time. Assassin’s Creed Origins allowed players to have their horses or camels follow roads for them automatically, but Rise of the Ronin’s implementation of the auto-horse feature is more refined than that game.
2 Collectible Cats
And They Go On Missions
Open-world games are plagued with collectibles and sometimes they are fun and sometimes they are excruciating. For example, Rise of the Ronin borrows a lot from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so this point seems relevant. In that game, players can collect Korok Seeds which can upgrade Link’s gear by meeting adorable Koroks in the world.
They are cute, but they can’t be used as partners in the game. In Rise of the Ronin, players can collect cats to unlock gear too but more importantly, cats can be sent on missions to gather even more materials which is quite beneficial.
1 The Testament Of The Soul
Replayable Missions
The first area of the game is in the Yokohama region. Beyond that is Edo and here players can unlock an item called The Testament of the Soul. With this, players can go back and attempt main missions and some side missions. This goes beyond what is available for the co-op options in Rise of the Ronin.
The only recent open-world game that comes close to this idea is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth which allows players to go back to certain chapters after they beat the game. It doesn’t allow players to go into individual missions like The Testament of the Soul though, so that’s a win for Rise of the Ronin.
