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Produced by Koei Tecmo's Team NINJA team and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ronin Rise will be released exclusively on PlayStation 5 on March 22 with support for Chinese Traditional. The game club is honored to have access to this game in advance, and hopes to introduce players to this open-world action game set in the end of the Edo era when the black ships are coming.
The first thing to say is that, in addition to the PS5 exclusivity, the biggest hurdle for Ronin Rise is the historical background involved in the game. The story takes place during the period when European and American black ships broke the isolation of Japan and the shogunate wanted to sign a treaty with Europe and the United States. During this period, there were two forces, the Shogunate Restoration faction and the Shogunate faction, which were constantly fighting. Similar to Ghost of Tsushima, Ronin Rise is not as engaging in the world as it is during the Three Kingdoms and Sengoku periods. While players may have learned about simple historical figures such as the Three Masters of the Restoration and the Shinsengumi from other creations, that doesn't mean they're necessarily interested in the evolution of the entire Edo period.
Ghost of Tsushima has earned critical acclaim from players for its excellent gameplay and successful character descriptions, rather than overemphasizing the history of the Mongol invasion of Tsushima. So, what about Rise of the Ronin? I think Koei Tecmo is the best game maker in the world at incorporating historical stories into their games.
The game takes on the role of a neutral ronin in an open-world manner, and throughout his travels in Japan, he encounters various historical figures from the time of the arrival of the Black Ship, such as Matthew C. Perry, Yukichi Fukuzawa, who laid the foundation for the enlightenment of the Japanese mind, and many more. Players also have the opportunity to learn that in this Japan that pursues change or not, the Shogunate faction did not completely reject Europeans and Americans, resist the United States and protect Japan, and that there were also officials who supported the shogunate faction and interacted with European and American businessmen. It can be said that "Rise of the Ronin" is not only a historical drama about the history of the end of the Edo period, but also has game value.
Of course, you don't have to play to understand history. The focus is on the fun of the game itself. Ronin Rise is somewhat similar in nature to a hybrid of Nioh and Ghost of Tsushima. In the open world, there are story trigger points, and only by traveling to these places can the story be advanced. Players are free to choose to wander around in treasure hunting, help people in difficulty, visit Japan and take pictures, or fight wanted criminals.
At the beginning of the game, the player creates two main characters, one of which will be the protagonist of the player's main actions in the future, and the other can be seen as the protagonist's lifelong partner or nemesis. Then, just like Nioh 2 or Wo Long, play your own protagonist to advance the history of the end of the Edo period, with the main gameplay flow being to complete various missions, defeat various enemies, and collect better weapons and equipment, while expanding your skill tree to increase your strength, and ultimately challenge more difficult and ferocious enemies.
Although the growth of the character's performance is almost entirely expanded by the skill tree and the skill points obtained from defeating enemies, the skills provided by the skill tree in this game are basically the foundation of some basics, and there is not much content that can show a higher level of combat skills. Therefore, the degree of dependence on equipment and the player's individual skills is very important. Due to the relatively high margin for error in the combat concept of this game, it is important to get good equipment or equipment with rich support skills as soon as possible.
Interestingly, in the context of the cultural exchange between Japan and the West at the end of the Edo era, the game featured a wide selection of Eastern and Western weapons, ranging from Eastern katana and naginata to Western sabers and blades. Long-range weapons also include bows and arrows, pistols, flame emitters, cannon cannons, etc., and the character action models are very diverse.
Another element of diversification is the emergence of various schools of martial arts during the end of the Edo period, and each school has its own unique characteristics. Koei Tecmo also exerted his skills in historical investigation in this regard. In addition to equipping weapons, various weapons can also be set up with three genres, which can be switched at any time during battle. These genres include the famous Beichen Yidao Flow, Ertian First-Class, Natural Rational Flow, and many more, and players have the opportunity to use these martial arts.
The combat concept is similar to that of Nioh or Wo Long, with basic attack moves at the core, and players fighting through a combination of ranged and melee weapons, jumping, evading, and more. In addition, it should be noted in the battle that in addition to death when your stamina drops to zero, offensive and defensive actions will consume stamina. When our stamina drops to zero, the enemy will enter a state of weakness for a period of time to attack, while the enemy's stamina will be reset to zero, allowing the player to take advantage of the opportunity to perform a special performance "Critical Blow". Of course, with the exception of the bosses required by the story, most enemies can be dealt with by stealth assassination, and even if you can't kill them in one hit, you can strike first.
The early battles in Rise of the Ronin can be a bit of a tough battle and take a while to get used to. It may be unfortunate that after a few deaths, you will find that compared to similar games, Ronin Rise is actually quite simple. The reason for this is that the game's concept of "flicking the sword" is not quite the same as other games, and is called "stone fire" here. The concept used is different from other games.
Taking the resolution in "Wo Long" as an example, although not every successful resolution will expose major flaws to the enemy, the player will still get a certain degree of feedback when it is successful, and the judgment is more lenient. Even players with slower reflexes can easily succeed. The "Stone Fire" of "Ronin Rising" is more like an attack action, which has a certain amount of damage, and is mainly used to block the opponent's attack or bounce back the flying props launched by the enemy.
But the difference is that the judgment conditions are more stringent, and the sense of rhythm is difficult to master. The main goal of Stonefire is to deflect unleashed powerful moves that the enemy unleashes that are undefensible and generate a red glow. However, due to the strict judgment conditions and the variety of enemy attacks, it is difficult to know the right time to rebound. In addition, while it is possible to reflect normal attacks with Stonefire, only the last attack in a continuous action will have an effect. This means that the player must judge when the enemy stops attacking, otherwise they will continue to be attacked even if they successfully bounce. Some of the enemy's normal attacks are based on the mood of the opponent, so the concept of swords in Ronin Rise is relatively weak in similar games.
This also explains why the initial period can get into tough battles and require a lot of training. There are many reasons why the game becomes easy when players get used to it. First of all, the protagonist is alone in the free movement, but in most plot missions, one or two characters accompany and assist the protagonist in battle. It is even possible to switch between these characters in battle, such as well-known characters such as Ryoma Sakamoto and Shinsaku Takasugi.
In addition, the concept of genre restraint in Rise of the Ronin is also important. Players can switch weapons and use the genre of restraint at any time according to the weapon used by the enemy to gain a certain advantage. In addition, the game offers an abundance of recovery medicines, and there is no rule that you must be proficient in pinching the sword in order to defeat your opponents. Players can pass the level steadily by dodging, defending, and besieging together.
So, if there's one small drawback to this game's combat system, it's that there is a plethora and variety of genres. There are already enough weapons to choose from, and the basic moves and perks are different for each genre. Players need to master various genre moves to avoid wasting stamina without effect. But this problem can be solved by the player becoming familiar with their favorite weapons and genres. It's worth mentioning that it doesn't hurt to keep wooden weapons or learn empty-handed combat techniques since the game sometimes requires non-killing.
Nowadays, open-world games are not only popular for shopping and viewing, but also about whether there are many things to do in the open world. This is not a problem in Rise of the Ronin, and it can even be said that players will be very busy even regardless of the main story. For example, hooks allow the player to reach specific locations, and gliders can take short flights through the air, allowing players to explore as much as they want.
There's a lot to explore in each region. The most basic ones are the military banner that serves as a relay point, the treasure chest where you can get high-rarity equipment, and the buildings that are representative of the late Edo era. Of course, players can choose to ignore these and focus on advancing the game's story, but Rise of the Ronin offers a lot of open-world exploration elements and connects them to the player's advantage.
For example, the shrines scattered all over the place can get some skill points after each visit, there will be special NPCs to reward players if they find cats to pet on the side of the road, defeat wanted criminals everywhere to get a chance to get new genres, and eliminate bad people in areas with poor security, so you can plant military flags, etc. Therefore, dealing with the exploration elements of your area when you have time is a great help for strengthening your character and challenging strong enemies.
Of course, in the open world at the end of the Bakugaku, you will definitely encounter various characters at the end of the Bakuma, which is also one of the charms of the game. It includes not only the well-known Shinsengumi and the Three Masters of the Restoration, but also Naobu Ii and Kankatsu Mabe, who represented the shogunate at the time. Well-known figures such as Murayama Taka and Tenshoin, who are rumored to have had an emotional relationship with Ii Naobi, will also have opportunities to interact with players.
At the beginning of the game, a stronghold is provided as a place to live. In addition to being able to decorate to your liking, the most important thing is to be able to interact with the dogs by the door and assign tasks, as well as exchange emotions with these characters at the end of the scene. In addition to some characters who are bound by the plot to the action location, players can chat with some historical figures and give gifts to increase their friendship in the stronghold. The better the relationship with these people, the more opportunities the related genre will be strengthened.
Since there is communication, there will naturally be times when there is a need to talk. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities in Ronin Rise for players to choose from dialogue options. Dialogue options can sometimes affect not only the favorability of the subject, but also the strength of the forces and the development of events. One interesting aspect is that players can open up dialogue skills such as lying, intimidation, and persuasion in the skill tree, which can be used in dialogue once opened. Sometimes these tips can help players avoid unnecessary strife or gain additional benefits.
As mentioned earlier, the most famous of the end of the Edo period was the confrontation between the Shogunate faction and the shogunate faction. As a ronin with a neutral stance, the protagonist will naturally oscillate between the two forces. After getting to know a few characters from the Fall of the Curtain faction in the early days, the main story quest will appear with a branch of choice. The same task will also decide for which party to do or which party to provide critical intelligence to.
As the player chooses, the plot will naturally diverge and change, and even involve the life and death of specific characters. Players can play according to historical development or try to change history. It is worth noting that after the famous event "The Great Prison" at the end of the Bakugaku, the game will open a "back to the past" system, where players can readjust the divergence of the main story according to the historical chronology to a specific point in time, and try different options.
While the game offers a lot of replayability, it's meant to be played forever once it's thrown into the end-of-Bakuku historical story. However, it is not without drawbacks. The first is the aforementioned dialogue options, where dialogue techniques such as lying, intimidation, and persuasion are not used unexpectedly as often, just to add interest to the conversation. In addition, it was mentioned earlier that there are too many genres, a wide variety of attack moves, and the effect of stone fire is too low. As a result, when players need to find a way to counter and create a brawl when dealing with strong opponents, it can sometimes be difficult to fight. It's also interesting to note that the enemy is alert during stealth assassinations, with a very wide view in the up-and-down direction but a narrow left-right direction. Sometimes they are very sensitive to sound, and sometimes they fight others in front of enemies without being alert.
Overall, Rise of the Ronin is a game well worth playing.
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Team Ninja
Synopsis: Team Ninja is a game development team under the original TECMO company, and its founder and leader, Itagaki Yonobu (nicknamed Sulfur Face) is its creator and leader, and has developed many classic games, such as Ninja Dragon Sword and Life and Death Fighting.
Due to the departure of Itagaki in 2008, most of Team Ninja's staff followed Itagaki Yoshin, and Yosuke Hayayaya took over as the head of Team Ninja. The works such as Ninja Dragon Sigma that he was responsible for the production of have caused many veteran players to be dissatisfied with the innovation of the concept, but objectively speaking, Yosuke Saya is not a bad producer, as evidenced by the good quality of several ported works of Ninja Dragon 3 and PSV platforms.
In March 2013, KT officially announced that Team Ninja was reorganized and split into Ichiya Development Group I and Ichiya Development Team II, of which Yosuke Saya served as the leader of the first group.
Founded: 1995
Headquarters: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
代表作品：《忍者龙剑传》、《生死格斗》、《卧龙：苍天陨落（Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty）》、《浪人崛起（Rise of the Ronin）》