The year is 1867. Japan’s Tokugawa Shogunate is falling. American ships have anchored off the coast of Yokohama, forcibly opening the country up to Western trade.
In terms of setting, it’s metal as hell: perfect for PlayStation 5’s latest Soulslike (read: fiendishly difficult) RPG, which is all about epic swordfights at dusk, the concept of honour and whether a pistol beats a lightning-fast katana.
You play as one of two Blade Twins, a pair of shadowy assassins from the Japanese mountains who are trained from childhood until they form a well-honed killing machine – that is, until they’re separated after a mission goes wrong.
With your character unwilling to accept the absence of their buddy, they set out on a quest to try and save them – and in so doing stumble into a rapidly-modernising Japan whose future hangs in the balance.
It’s an ambitious premise, and Team Ninja wobbles slightly when it comes to sticking the landing. The ghost (ahem) of Ghost of Tsushima hangs heavy over this game, with its gorgeous visuals and complex story, but there are also shades of Assassin’s Creed here in the huge open world, as well as Team Ninja’s previous game franchise, Nioh. Does it manage to live up to its predecessors?
The jury is still out. First off, the game is let down by sub-par graphics: ones that make it look more dated than impressive, especially when compared to Tsushima’s gorgeous, stylised images. There’s also the issue of character development: my avatar had less personality than a teaspoon, and no background beyond the hour-long intro sequence at the start of the game. Why do they never show any emotion, or talk? Who are the Veiled Edge, the shadowy organised that shaped them? What even are Blade Twins?
None of these questions were answered. The game doesn’t bother fleshing out the main questline much, trusting that the massive open world and plethora of things to do will do the talking for it.
And sometimes, it does. There is a lot of side-quest related material here, even though most of it does feel quite samey: ridding villages of troublesome townsfolk, taking out bandit camps, and carrying out simple quests for a procession of in-game supplicants. Plus, there are some good old minigames to get stuck into, such as gliding through the landscape or having some fun at the shooting range.
It does tend to wear after a bit, and it’s depressing that none of the townsfolk you end up saving can actually be interacted with. That said, you don’t play a Team Ninja game for the plot. You play it for the combat, and this, at least, is satisfyingly robust. The main focus here is on Ki, or stamina, which needs to be rationed to parry and carry out heavy attacks; running out of Ki means ending up dangerously weak.
Though there are a range of attack styles to choose from, the fundamentals are the same, and involve being able to parry at exactly the right moment to stagger an enemy, leaving them open for a devastating counterattack. Unfortunately, there’s no getting around the fact that timing this correctly is punishingly difficult. Fortunately, for the less coordinated (such as myself) there’s an easy mode – not a given in Soulslikes.
There is help in the form of a revolving door of allies, who can be recruited throughout the game to lend a hand in battles and whose ‘bond’ with the main character needs to be nurtured with gifts and conversation in exchange for in-combat perks (like better healing or Ki replenishment). There’s also a range of weapons and skill trees to build out which let you buff strength, dexterity and even charm (should you wish to try your hand at stealth rather than hack’n’slash brutality).
All of this lends the game’s combat a rather raw, thrilling quality: every battle is only a well-timed smite away from ending in an ignoble death. Rise of the Ronin gets this right, at least: grab a katana and revel in the carnage.
