Rise of the Ronin Review - A Samurai Love Letter
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- I didn’t plan on making this a video initially, but my love for the setting and the game itself made me want to make it. I think that shows, this is more or less a love-letter to TeamNinja and even the samurai-genre as a whole. Which is funny since Rise of the Ronin itself is a love-letter. I’m fairly happy on the editing side of things, but holy crap the gameplay got compressed to Hell and back in transferring it from PS5 to RUclips. Once I can start being able to focus more money and resources on the channel, I’ll look into getting a capture card to make sure I can keep video quality.
I do not own the music or sound effects within this video, they were either taken directly from the game and fall within Fair Use for review and critique. Or it was Sound from Zapsplat.com like the drums for the transitional chapters. I also used archived trailers for the games: Yoshitsune Eiyūden, Devil Kings, and Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!
The thumbnail features some of my favorite samurai films. For anyone curious - from left to right: 13 Assassins by Takashi Miike, Throne of Blood by Akira Kurosawa, Harakiri by Masaki Kobayashi, Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, and Lady Snowblood by Toshiya Fujita. I considered putting Hanzo the Razor in there too, but I figured he was one too many. Finally, in the video at the end of the section titled, "The Hype", I used a picture of Jay Bauman from RedLetterMedia to depict film-hipsters like myself, I love Jay and RedLetterMedia.
Twitter (X): / reseccentric
Patreon: / residenteccentric
#riseoftheronin #riseofronin #rotr #ronin #sony #ps5 #playstation #playstation5 #teamninja #review #gaming
Chapters:
00:00 My Game
00:45 Japan’s Seclusion
03:38 The Hype
05:20 Gameplay & the World
10:21 Factions, Characters, & Levelling
17:04 Presentation & Audio
20:12 Story & Roleplaying
28:02 Conclusion: A Game Made for Me 
Игры
![I REALLY Enjoyed Rise of the Ronin [Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/b_OrvSRFM9I/mqdefault.jpg)
![I REALLY Enjoyed Rise of the Ronin [Review]](/img/tr.png)
This game is absolutely amazing I haven’t enjoyed a game like this in a minute.
Was going to make this exact comment, but will just echo this... fantastic experience of a game.
I'll echo you both. It's been literally years since a combat scene made me yell, "Oh, shit!" out loud to myself. It's just a blast...the story, the gore, Ninja Gaiden and Nioh Easter Eggs...and all these people who don't like the graphics either haven't tweaked the visuals settings or haven't played more than a few minutes of the game. I think some of the later visuals hold their own against Ghost, honestly. I would also go a step further and say that this is just as much a ninja game as a samurai one...more like a ninja story with samurais running around in the background.
This is a proper review Fighting Cowboy needs to take notes from you, hell every reviewer needs to takes note from you. This was an excellent review and breakdown! This game is an absolute Blast! I'm 80 hours in and still it keeps going. So much fun!
Fantastic review! I am 65 hours in and haven’t beaten it been spending too much time in the dang dojo. The biggest surprise, that you eloquently touched on in the review, is how easy it is to get invested in the narrative! They choose such an incredible moment in history to explore here and their depictions of historical characters is so interesting!
Yeah, I shoulda mentioned the side-modes and minigames more. I spent an unhealthy amount of time in the gambling den, heh. If you liked the narrative segment, check out my gladiator sim video on We Who Are About to Die! I'm glad you liked it in this video :D And agreed, it is insane to me, further in the game just how many connections you can make and unique people there are! The vast majority of which were actually real!
Fr Perry became my favorite character the vision he have for Japan makes me wanna follow him
@@jojocasimir1118 I was pleasantly surprised the further I got into the game that the factions were less black & white then I thought. I still went as the rebel faction as they were the ones who I related with the most, but every faction does have a good reason/character(s) to join them. I am definitely going to do a Western/Shogunate playthrough next-time cause I ended up liking a lot of them. But my personal "canon" playthrough will probably always be anti-shogunate rebels. Was very surprised when Perry and other characters just became friends with you.
@@OurResidentEccentricI was thinking bout sidings with the anti shogunate on my second playthrough and hope we get a dlc for this game
Gotta play this at some point myself
One of my favorite RPGs in a long time. The samurai RPG I’ve wanted for a long time
Check out Way of the Samurai series. Rise of the Ronin drew a lot of inspiration from it.
Believe it or not I am actually already working on the script of a Way of the Samurai 3 review! It's one of my favorite Samurai games, and was my favorite before Rise of the Ronin. I think it is still my favorite "Samurai Sim" as there is just so many small things to do. I need to play Way of the Samurai 4 still though. And the game Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief I mentioned in the video is a spin-off of Way of the Samurai!
I love this game the combat is so fantastic and fun with tons of depth
Great review, you made me excited to play this game!
Love this review. Your passion for the setting and source material shines through and you're absolutely the kind of person I'd want to watch review a game like this!
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me! I'm working on a kinda companion video to this on the game, "Way of the Samurai 3". And I am even more passionate about the Sengoku period that game is set in!
@@OurResidentEccentric Thanks for replying, you more than earned my sub. I'd love to see you cover more of the big Samurai games (Sekiro, Tsushima etc), but I'm glad you chose Ronin as it's (imo) been woefully underappreciated in the media.
Hopefully after the disappointment of the new Assassin's Creed reveal, more people will go back and rediscover this game, as honestly this is close enough to be MY AC Japan.
The one thing I rarely see mentioned though, or given it's flowers, is the Testament of Souls. I genuinely think it's revolutionary in a game like this, as it's way more than just a chapter replay. I love the way it works.
Keep up the great work!
The Western gaming shills said this game was garbage, namely the graphics. This to me looks like an open world Nioh without the Yokai. Nioh 1 and 2 are my favorite games of all time. This evident cognitive dissonance removes any leftover trust on these outlets as a result. These people hate Japanese games out of envy, because no matter the AAA budgets, Japanese productions have heart and care put into every aspect of the world building and gameplay, which is something that is now evidently missing from the Black Rock funded trash like AC: Shadows. You reviewed this with a passion for the genre and theme that matches my own, I'm a massive Japanese history buff and I write fiction based on it. I know exactly what you're talking about, when you feel the culture shift of the Bakumatsu in the very level design of this amazing map.
Thank you for this honest review. If I ever get out of poverty, this is the first game I'm getting for the PS5, hands down.
How does Black Rock have anything to do with AC: Shadows? Black Rock dips their toes in literally everything. By your logic, Black Rock is responsible for everything it has investments in, which it is certainly not
@@QuantumTelephone How much do they pay you, traitor?
This game was gutted in the reviews. The complexity of the story really surprised.
And I gotta say the world is dreap gorgeous with a wealth of granular detail that feels completely lived in and handmade.
I just hope people in time recognize this legendary game for what it is.
It blew me away on every front.
i couldnt find a white kimono like the lady snowblood but this game was so much fun.
I didn't either, but it was surreal to see the full-on Lone Wolf and Cub outfit! I'm pretty sure the set is even just named "Lone Wolf", you buy it from the shogunate officers in their stronghold. I'm sure there are other film reference outfits too! And a couple from Nioh, like Yasuke's armor.
Good video keep it up!
Liking your vid because you dropped the only Sword of Doom reference I have ever heard. Good on ya
Wow, great video.
This is a very good review. No scores, no telling people “this is x” just here is my thoughts and feelings.
I just got this game today and only 6 hours in. I was very on the fence because a lot of what I heard was people being disappointed.
Combat is a lot better than I was expecting. I’m glad it’s not like Sekiro or Nioh because combat in those games consumed everything. Bakumatau is my favorite era in Japanese history. I met Ryoma and I hope Kawakami shows up. I hope Shinsengumi are portrayed more accurately and given an antagonist role.
The equipment is the biggest bummer for me. I want to equip stuff for just fashion. I can’t wait to play more.
Thank you very much for the kind words! There is a system to change how your equipment looks that is a pleasure to use and you can make your Ronin as fashionable as you want while still keeping the good stats of the equipment! You should unlock it soon, it is available in the player-housing. The customization is actually surprisingly immense! Being able to change individual bottoms and tops, scarves, jackets, etcetera, while keeping parts of one outfit to put onto another.
I feel like you're the first person talking about this game that was really willing to give this game's story the time of day. The Bakumatsu/Boshin War/Meiji Restoration is such a touchy subject to depict in Japan because of the ramifications of the beginning of Samurai becoming a nationalist symbol, and the aftermath which is deeply felt even today in nearly all of the Pacific. I feel like while many might find the game spineless for not taking a stance, it is also true that there isn't really a right or even a "just" one.
"Lack of consequences" is certainly a notion that many have used to criticize the execution story, but its something of a necessary evil is my impression, for the sake of delivering its narrative without bias, because of the sheer size of the story. You mentioned you were working on a Way of the Samurai 3 review, but WotS4 is also set in this exact period of history as well, just with some name changes, and I can guarantee you're going to love it because that game and its story really do have a ton of heart. But WotS's bite sized stories let them diverge the story in wildly different ways, which I was kinda hoping would be the same here. That being said, TN clearly wanted to try telling a grand epic, and its pointless to cry about what I wanted the hypothetical to be and just enjoy what's there. I don't think that will be an issue for me anyway, I was also someone who absolutely loved Nioh 2's story (helped in part bc im familiar with all the figures and events) and absolutely love Hide's character (TN's facial expression work for a custom character is insane and NOBODY talks about it)
When you say its a PS2 action game for the modern era, I think about how much more I like the mission system from Nioh than open world systems, allowing me to replay sections and having quick-access to whatever boss fights I want without having to replay an entire new save. I think if I had only one worry its that the framework of the combat plays at something freeform with letting you choose 3 styles, but doesn't give as much opportunity to really let that come into play with the way fights are paced, despite all of the changes they've made to make fighting while switching between stances more fluid. I don't like being pessimistic though, and I see a ton of promise in the future.
I hope it comes to PC within a year like nioh 2, I simply can't justify buying a ps5, and I also hope it continues to receive support from TN and maybe even additional content, but its hard to say how or if it is even possible for them to add DLC chapters to this game. I really can't wait to get my hands on it, not as a Nioh fan, but a Way of the Samurai fan.
Thank you so much for the comment! I'm glad you appreciated my look at the story. I am ultimately a stories guy, that is why I like games. And I do agree that TN not taking a stance was the right call for what their ambition was + the real world complexities. I think it works far more if the player is allowed to make their own conclusions. And while I did remain with the revolutionaries, wowie the story isn't black and white like Robin Hood and the Sherriff, which I really appreciate. And I also appreciate the fact that it allows you to change some of history. I won't spoil what exactly. But some things I was bummed about going into the game lol. I think this formula would be great for so many large parts of history! War of the Roses. Hundred Years War. Peloponnesean War. Etc.
I just unlocked the nioh stance!!! Love this game !!
I’m playing through Sekiro now then Ghost and finally Rise of the Ronin I’m excited for it
Nice set of games! If you haven't, definitely check out the Nioh games too!
@@OurResidentEccentric yes thanks for the recommendation. I have heard good things about Nioh 1 and 2
Way of the Samurai series on PS3 was pretty fun to me
Working on a review/retrospective of Way of the Samurai 3 right now actually!
Dope! My fault the series started on PS2. I'm looking forward to your retrospective/review on it.
I've really been enjoying this game, the only thing I'm not a fan of is the amount of loot you get. But the traversal, combat, world art design are all fantastic.
im loving it so far, all we need for the next one is a ninjustsu hand sign system and bam we got an open world naruto game from wish
This game feels like a playable Chambara film.
I am getting my ps5 JUST to play this mf game 😂
I hope they bring it to PC sooner rather than later....
I love the factions in this game when you get deep in it. They are picking the lesser of two evils. One faction is obsessed with power. The other is racist to the point it hurts innocent people.
Yes! I love morally grey factions in games like this. And while I ended up siding with the revolutionaries because I agreed with them more, they quickly became not so good or Robin Hood-esque in nature... It honestly reminded me a lot of the First Law book series! Especially the second trilogy Age of Madness, which deals with an industrial revolution in a fantasy setting and a civil war / actual revolution that happens because of it. And it isn't just as simple as, "Common revolutionary good! Fantasy empire bad!"
@@OurResidentEccentric I have never read that book series, but get exactly where you are coming from.
With all the release of historical fiction samurai games like Rise of Ronin, Like A Dragon Ishin, Ghost of Tsushima, upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows and even more fantasy-centric like Sekiro and Nioh, I really really hope Like A Dragon/Yakuza Kenzan will be remade. The studio talked about remaking it as if it was relatively older but man, playing as Musashi Miyamoto sounds cool!
I also hope Capcom will make another Onimusha game
Nice to see some appreciation the most people who had talk about the game 1.compare to ghost of tsushima 2. Say the game is trash and thats it
I agree with nearly everything you said except I do believe the graphics are not the greatest. It’s not an issue for me but if it had the same graphical fidelity as Ghost of Tsushima it would have been that much more enjoyable. Second point I slightly disagree with is the weapon design (for katana’s and duel katana’s) is the lack of unique designs for the blades themselves. In Nioh there are is a wide variety of blade looks with different hamon(wavy marks) in this game there are a total of three for Katanas and I believe two for duel katanas. Nearly every sword has identical hamon lines with only one sword that had a unique blade design. In Nioh there was a wider variety of blade designs for katana’s as well as the option between uchigatana’s and tachi’s. They put a lot of effort in each swords hilt,hand guard and sheath but fell short on the blades themselves. Not that the blades don’t look awesome which they do but I think just a little more attention to detail on the blades would have made every sword feel more unique. In real history each blade smith had their own unique style and seeing that in game would have been so awesome. They even have a sword( Rekko) that talks about the blade design being a unique style but the blade is identical to more then half of the katana’s in game. Again it’s only a problem with katana’s so it’s not really a big issue but as someone who admires the artistic style of different sword makers of Japanese history this was a slight bummer for me. Overall the game is phenomenal solid 8.8 it’s only real issues being graphics, lack of depth in some areas and then the lack of a true NG+. Also some of the clothing restrictions pissed me off, I really wanted to rock the ruthless Samurai undershirt with the leader or ruffian half/naked kimonos, it makes 0 sense why they wouldn’t be compatible with each other.
damn ryoma was an actual guy?? I didn't know that lol I have to read up on the characters...
edit: did I just spoil the story for me just by looking at ryomas wikipedia page? 💀
Why was this never released to PC since you mentioned it's made by the same guys that made Nioh and Nioh 2?
Sadly it is a PlayStation Exclusive Deal since Sony is the publisher internationally, (through Koei Tecmo). Though they were later re-released on PC, Nioh 1 and 2 were both released only on PlayStation and still have no Xbox port. Then months later they re-released it on PC. (Almost a full year in the case of Nioh 2).
Wo Long, (though also by TeamNinja and very similar gameplay-wise), wasn't published by Sony, but just by Koei Tecmo, which is why it was able to be released on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC concurrently. I imagine Rise of the Ronin will have a similar life-cycle to Ghost of Tsushima. It will eventually be released to PC in a few years, but they will keep it to PlayStation for a while to squeeze out PlayStation sales from Samurai nerds (like myself).
@@OurResidentEccentric Ok, thanks.
Does the game run at 60fps on ps5?
Yes, you can enable it in the options menu, to switch from performance mode (60 FPS), or graphics mode which is a lower FPS (somewhere around 30) for better visuals. I went with performance mode which still looked fantastic. The transfer of the footage from my PS5 to RUclips butchered the video quality of this video, but when playing it, it ran and looked great. It occasionally dipped slightly below during massive battle set pieces, but never significant enough to impede the flow of the game. I will also recommend another TeamNinja game, The Nioh Collection for PS5. Both Nioh games ran at 60FPS consistently and looked great. One of the smoothest ARPG experiences I've ever had on console!
I love both Nhio games and the developer. I was so psyched for Rise of the ronin. I was not into wo long as much as I thought I was going to be. So far I am barely just getting started. Of my initial impressions just getting through the very very beginning. I don't know if I'm going to be that into the combat. I keep looking for a sekiro like game and I just can't find that combat that is as crisp as sekiro
I don't see a dang thing wrong with this game. So, no, it isn't as graphically as good as a PS5 game should be, isn't as good graphically as Ghost of Tsushima is, but that isn't necessarily a negative. I still play PS3 games, I like stealth games, I like GOT, I am ok with Assassin's Creed games, so thus, I think that I will like this game A LOT.
I just dont get why they take one of the best combat systems in nioh 2 and dumb it down so much since.
People saying this feels like (insert popular game from today) this is literally Ninja Gaiden 4 and that’s really good
souls like ghost of tsushima haha xD
Great narrative and gameplay but outdated graphics and average sound = Just a good game nothing more unfortunately 🤷
The worst part of thos review is the narrators poor and forced Christopher walken impression. Give it a rest. ...
I'm not happy this game isn't on PC. Such a bunch of fucking horseshit.
That became too much of a saying. My love letter to this or that. STFU. Its a Samurai game. Play it.
This game sucks because of you 😂. It’s just a cheap knock off of Ghost Of Tsushima. Tecmo games are the most arcadey, unrealistic trash that died with the fall of Ninja Gaidan series.