All you need to know about the Shogun showdown.
Team NINJA’s next game, Rise of the Ronin is almost here and so to bring us all up to speed, we’ve got everything you need to know about the game’s release date, pre-order details and the latest news.
We’ll also take a look at what to expect when it comes to the gameplay and story with a couple of trailers to provide us with a bit more insight.
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There’s also the question of what platforms Rise of Ronin is coming to, but without giving anything away, it’s a next-gen, beautifully detailed open-world game published by Sony Interactive Entertainment so don’t hold your breath for that Nintendo Switch port.
Us waffling on has probably got you g-ronin so let’s get to to it! Read on and we’ll spill the beans on all.
When is the Rise of the Ronin release date?
The release date for Rise of the Ronin is Friday 22nd March 2024.
This is two days after the Spring equinox, known as Shunbun no Hi in Japan, and coincides with the Flower Viewing Festival (Hanami) when the culturally iconic cherry blossoms reach full bloom – something only briefly shown in the trailers we’ve seen so far.
Much of the game is shown to take place around autumn into winter, perhaps reflecting a Japan in flux as it struggles with its new post-isolationist identity.
But, with such a firm date, hopefully, this means we can expect there to be no delays and that come March, we’ll be exploring Edo.
Can I pre-order Rise of the Ronin?
Yes, Rise of the Ronin is available for pre-order and includes bonuses for doing so if ordering from GAME.
If you do pre-order from GAME, you will get the following:
- Early unlock of Iga Ninja’s Katana.
- Early unlock of Iga Ninja’s Armour set.
- Early unlock of Hayabusa-ryu for Katana.
- Early unlock of Hayabusa-ryu for Naginata.
- Early unlock of Nioh-ryu for Katana.
- Early unlock of Aisu Kage-ryu for Katana.
You can however save a few pennies if you pre-order from Amazon but it’s unclear if you will get any of the early unlocks.
Which consoles and platforms can play Rise of the Ronin?
The Rise of the Ronin.Rise of the Ronin is a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
In recent years, however, PlayStation titles have found their way to PC a couple of years after launch and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment will hopefully give Rise of the Ronin the same treatment.
Previous samurai-simulator Ghost of Tsushima resolutely remains only on PlayStation, though, so there’s every chance that Rise of the Ronin will never rise to the PC.
Should this ever (hopefully) change, we will update you if anything information comes to light. For now though, if you want to play Rise of the Ronin, you’ll need to ask yourself if you think about if the PS5 is worth it or not.
Rise of the Ronin gameplay and story details
Rise of the Ronin takes place in an open-world Japan in 1863, which is towards the end of the Edo period that culminated with the Boshin War that took place between 1868 and 1869.
The year-long conflict involved the century-ruling Tokugawa Shogunate and allied factions opposed to them due to the Shogunate agreeing to open up the country to Western powers after many years of isolation known as sakoku.
Three factions are present in the Rise of Ronin, the pro-Shogunate Sabaku, the anti-Shogunate Tobaku and the pro-Western Obei as they spar in the run-up to the massive conflict.
The unnamed Ronin controlled by the player finds themselves in the midst of all this and the official page on the PlayStation site sets the stage.
“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 oppressive rule, 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.”
Iconic cities such as Yokohama, Kyoto and Edo are present, as well as much of the surrounding countryside.
Gameplay-wise, Rise of the Ronin features a blend of Soulslike combat, Assassin’s Creed world traversal sprinkled with some Zelda-like handgliding as can be seen in the trailer above.
Is there a Rise of the Ronin trailer?
Indeed! There is the new pre-order trailer which you can check out just below.
Compared with the gameplay overview, this trailer gives us a glimpse of some of the themes and story beats we can expect.
We also get a look at some fearsome bosses such as a very tall Sumo wrestler in a dohyō, as well as some lovely snow deformation technology on display.
Also featured is much of what the Western powers began to introduce, such as the architecture and firearms.
The trailer does much to convey the upheaval of the times and how fast things were changing – and why so many were not happy about it.
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