Summary
Rise of the Ronin, developer Team Ninja’s latest outing, sends players to the twilight of the Edo era in Japan, when the dawning Industrial Age of the mid-1800s brought radical changes and both opportunities and potential risks to the country that had previously been firmly isolationist, making for a compelling setup. Coming off the previous successes of well-regarded Soulslikes likeWo Long: Fallen Dynasty,Rise of the Ronin’s samurai adventure sees the studio expanding from its prior works, asRoninis a fully open-world experience, and more of a Soulslite compared toWo Longand itsNiohfranchise.
Rise of the Roninalso launched as part ofSony’s suite of PlayStation exclusive AAA single-player games, often of the third-person action adventure/RPG hybrid breed.Roninfinds itself in the company of notable games likeThe Last of Us,God of War, and theHorizonseriesin this regard. And a trend that has recently been on the rise too has been some of these high-profile titles introducing a roguelike mode/spin on their core experiences. If Team Ninja wished to follow suit and create aRise of the Roninroguelike in this vein, there are a number of established details and design elements in the base game that would translate rather smoothly into one.
Team Ninja has not officially announced or commented on any plans for aRise of the Roninroguelike, or other future possibilities, at this time.
All the Pieces Are In Place for a Possible Rise of the Ronin Roguelike
Team Ninja Has Already Laid the Groundwork for a Potential Rise of the Ronin Roguelike
Rise of the Ronin’s setting and framework, along with its robust combat and organic world design, includes a number of aspects that, with only some minor tweaking, could form the genesis of a great roguelike. With the turbulent times creating an unstable situation that galvanized much of Japan’s populace during the period,Ronin’s tale incorporates various pro and anti-Shogunate institutions, with their inner circles all attempting to sway the protagonist to their cause. Players can decide to work with, or against, these organizations, even having the opportunity to switch sides at various points in the main plot. Given the existing mechanics and narrative in place, a roguelike mode could easily emerge from them.
How a Rise of the Ronin Roguelike Could Work
Rise of the Ronin’s roguelike could be framed around each faction leveraging their resources to gain the upper hand against the other, and this tug-of-war between them would form the basis of the experience.Rise of the Roninincludes historical figures like Matthew Perryand the Shogunate’s Chief Minister, Naosuke Ii. Opposing them are the anti-Shogunate “explusionist” forces, as each grapples for control and the power to shape Japan’s future for their own visions. The respective leaders are actively recruiting and dispatching agents on missions to undermine enemies and influence the outcome of the situation. Fans could find themselves as one of these figures.
A roguelike could have players take on quests of increasing complexity and length, with more elaborate scenarios based on ones fromRise of the Ronin’s main story. These might be larger enemy camps to infiltrate, more unique duels with high-level bosses, and additional fugitive hunts, all of which could offer greater challenges and matching loot rewards. Most of these elements already work well together, and thus could fairly seamlessly be inserted into a roguelike structure. AlthoughRonin’s tale definitively concludes, a roguelike addition would likely be set in the heart of the conflict around the midway point of the plot, when the various factions are most intensely competing and plotting subtle (or not-so-subtle) moves to outmaneuver each other.
One of its other highlighted features,Rise of the Ronin’s companion system, would also organically lend itself to roguelike design. Team Ninja could create further encounters and sections built around having them accompany the player, perhaps even introducing new ones in the process. This would give some companions more of a spotlight while continuing to make good use of the satisfying swapping mechanic. In any case, there’s a lot to draw from for a potentialRise of the Roninroguelike, should Team Ninja desire to design one down the line.
Rise of the Ronin
WHERE TO PLAY
FORGE YOUR FATE IN THIS EPIC NEW SAMURAI ACTION ADVENTURE Embark on an epic journey across war-torn 19th-century Japan in this combat-focused open-world action RPG from Team NINJA, the veteran studio behind Nioh and NINJA GAIDEN.Japan, 1863. After three centuries of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s reign, the Black Ships of the West descend upon the nation’s borders and the country falls into a state of turmoil. Amidst the chaos of war, disease, and political unrest, a nameless warrior forges their own path, holding the very fate of Japan in their hands
