Rise of the Ronin is Team Ninja's indirect follow-up to the studio's esteemed ARPGs Nioh (2017) and Nioh 2 (2020). It's the next significant PS5 exclusive of 2024, and it's set in the "Bakumatsu" period, the final years of the Edo era, during which an undercurrent of political discord between east and west sets the scene. Work on Rise of the Ronin, so says Team Ninja, began before the first Nioh – and while there are distinct similarities between the developer's past and present, this latest adventure is definitely more sophisticated and, by extension, more ambitious.
In turn, some of the rough-around-the-edges charm that made Nioh and its sequel so endearing has been lost in my eyes – Rise of the Ronin regularly boasts Assassin's Creed levels of narrative-inspired, icon-heavy hand-holding – but, from the two or so hours of hands-on time I've had so far, the game's broader scope facilitates a richer story that's underpinned by some wonderfully brutal combat. To the latter end, the Nioh series is a clear inspiration here, as is Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and the studio's own Wo-Long Fallen Dynasty of last year. But Rise of the Ronin's firm but fair, rhythm-driven fighting takes me right back to one of the most challenging learn-by-doing, sword-swinging combat models of all time: 1997's PS1-exclusive, Bushido Blade.
