Rise of the Ronin review roundup: 'Team Ninja's most underwhelming game in years'
Reviews are in for the latest PS5 exclusive, but they're not as glowing as we're used to
🙂 Rise of the Ronin has an Opencritic score of 75 after 42 critic reviews
🤷 Only 57% of critics would recommend the game
⚔️ Rise of the Ronin is an open-world, combat-focused action game set in 19th-century Japan
💰 The game is out on March 22 and costs $69.99
Rise of the Ronin is the latest exclusive to hit Sony’s console, but it hasn’t wowed the critics as many had hoped. Some outlets criticized the game for being too forgettable, having subpar visuals, and a dated open-world design. But the game’s combat was consistently praised and might be enough to satisfy fans of Nioh and Soulslike games.
Rise of the Ronin is currently sitting on an OpenCritic score of 75 after 42 reviews. That’s not a bad score, but only 57% of critics recommend the game.
Push Square was one of several outlets that didn’t seem to enjoy Team Ninja’s latest game, saying: “Rise of the Ronin isn't a bad game; it's something debatably worse: completely forgettable. With dated open world design and a monotonous narrative, the cracking combat of a Team Ninja title is left to try and pick up the pieces. It manages to get the title in acceptable shape, and with its Bonds system and culture clash, just about forms an experience one could enjoy. Where it falls apart is the fact the open world is so intrinsically linked to all these features and mechanics that it's impossible to find pleasure in them for any respectable length of time. Rise of the Ronin is designed to attract a wider audience than Team Ninja titles past; what they find might put them off for good.”
GamingBolt shared a similar view, calling Rise of the Ronin “Team Ninja’s most underwhelming game in years” despite the “solid combat and fun traversal”.
VGC said Rise of the Ronin is “a fine open-world adventure that never elevates itself to greatness. Fun Team Ninja combat will drag you through, but pointless open world fluff and questionable visuals sadly result in just another open world game.”
Dexerto was one of the more positive outlets, saying “Rise of the Ronin doesn’t offer the photo-realistic visuals of those seen in Ghost of Tsushima, nor does it provide the nail-biting difficulty of Sekiro. Instead, Team Ninja’s samurai epic successfully forges a new path – blending adrenaline-fueled combat, fun traversal mechanics, and a loveable cast of characters, wrapping them all together in a world ripe for exploration. Just like the ronin themselves, Team Ninja’s open-world game is not bound by the old masters of the past – instead, it rises to the challenge set by Sucker Punch and FromSoftware, forging its own path to stand firmly amongst them.”
It seems like your enjoyment with Rise of Ronin will vary, and rely heavily on how much you appreciate the game’s combat system. If you’re looking for a successor to Ghost of Tsushima or the next Elden Ring, Rise of the Ronin probably isn’t it.
Check out the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games to see what’s next for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles.