Summary
After years spent perfecting its approach to the Soulslike genre, Team Ninja’s recent release ofRise of the Roninsees the studio enter previously uncharted territory by adapting familiar Soulslike mechanics into a vast open-world adventure. WhileRise of the Roninshares a lot in common with Team Ninja’s previous games, the title errs more on the side of being a “Soulslite” thanks to its difficulty slider and more approachable combat. Combinations between open-world game design and punishing Soulslike mechanics are few and far between, andRise of the Roninsomehow ends up being a polar opposite to FromSoftware’sElden Ringin terms of how it combines those distinct halves.
One area whereRise of the RoninandElden Ringalign is in both titles' position as the culmination of years of their respective studios' output.Elden Ringserves as the end result of more than a decade of FromSoftware perfecting its unique take on the action-RPG and branching out into a vast open-world, whileRise of the Ronintakes all the lessonsTeam Ninjahas learned in the process of making its signature style of Soulslike to deliver an action-adventure game that mixes challenging combat with familiar open-world mechanics. The open-world aspect of both titles, and how each utilize that sandbox, is the dividing line between them.
Elden Ring’s Open-World Game Design Mirrors The Legend of Zelda
LikeBreath of the Wildbefore it,Elden Ring’s open-world sandbox lives and dies by its incredibly dense spaces and emergent gameplay. As soon as players step foot intoThe Lands Between, they are free to go almost anywhere, limited only by their level of skill in the game’s combat and their imagination. Nearly every dalliance from the critical path hides some just-out-of-view cave or building with something worthwhile tucked inside, and the map’s complete lack of any markers or icons (save for the Sites of Grace and region names) means that players need to get comfortable exploring its vast open world organically.
BothBreath of the WildandElden Ringplace a clear emphasis on adventure and exploration, eschewing over a decade’s worth ofopen-world game designin which players scale towers, reveal portions of the map, chase markers, and then repeat ad nauseam. The sheer density of both games' open-world sandboxes results in there almost always being something of interest within line of sight.Elden Ring’s incorporation of its predecessors' excellent combat and character customization makes it an open-world action-RPG unlike anything else (except for maybe theDark Soulsgames that are its progenitors).
Rise of the Ronin Takes a More Familiar Approach to its Open World
Despite bothElden RingandRise of the Roninfeaturing similarSoulslike combatrequiring methodical precision and a measured approach to encounters, the two games are decidedly different in terms of how they go about incorporating Soulslike gameplay into an open world setting. WhereElden Ringfavors the more open-ended approach to open-world game design from modern highlights likeBreath of the Wild,Rise of the Roninadheres to the more familiar and formulaic open-world format popularized by studios like Ubisoft and its open-world franchises.
In no way doesRise of the Ronin’s familiarity work against it, though, as it carefully trims a lot of the excesses of the most recentFar CryandAssassin’s Creedgames and carefully strings the player along from one satisfying encounter to the next to keep its open-world sandbox engaging. That said, players should expect more of an emphasis on completing each region’s different open world activities as part of a checklist rather than the dynamic, freeformexploration inElden Ring. Aside from both games owing gratitude to the likes ofDark Souls,Rise of the RoninandElden Ringembody two diametrically opposed schools of open-world game design.
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
