Team NINJA, one of the most acclaimed action game studios thanks to its portfolio of franchises like Ninja Gaiden, Nioh, Dead or Alive, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (not to mention the spinoff Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin), is readying its release of Rise of the Ronin.
This PlayStation 5 exclusive open world game is, in the words of the studio itself, their biggest and most ambitious project to date. To unveil more ahead of the March 22 launch date, Team NINJA has shared a new developer diary.
This is the first open world game made by the development team. Game Producer and Director Fumihiko Yasuda explained:
This time, I wanted to make a game where the player could fully immerse themselves into the game’s world, the universe, and the story.
As you wander through various locations, some territories are dangerous as they are controlled by Bandits. Alternatively, a city would be ruled differently, bringing in new types of challenges and battles. You can feel how that was recreated as you play the game. I believe players will be able to enjoy.
Koei Tecmo, Team NINJA’s parent company, also shared more details about Rise of the Ronin with an article published on the PlayStation Blog.
Players will be able to visit three major cities from the Bakumatsu era, in the final years of the Edo period, which is equivalent to the late 19th century. The cities are Yokohama, Edo (today known as Tokyo), and Kyoto.
Players will get the opportunity to traverse these large environments in various ways, including horses, gliders (which are also very handy when infiltrating an enemy stronghold from above), and fast travel options accessible via the so-called Hidden Sword Banners. In a similar way to Wo Long, Banners will also allow players to replenish their consumables, change their equipment or party members, and even invite other players in online multiplayer.
As with any self-respecting open world, Rise of the Ronin comes with a bevy of side content, including Somo Missions with locals, ‘Preordained Fate’ random in-game events, ‘Public Safety’ situations where you’ll have to defeat rogues to make roads safer, and activities like dojo training with previously encountered characters, Yabusame (horseback archery), Artillery Training, Cat Collecting, and Obstacle Courses.
While the game is only set to launch for PlayStation 5 at first, a PC version is likely to appear in the next few months, as it did with Nioh.
