Summary
Team Ninjais one of the most popular game developers today,responsible for such hitsasNinja Gaiden, andWo Long: Fallen Dynasty. So, it’s unsurprising that its upcoming open-world samurai game,Rise Of The Ronin, is one of 2024’s most anticipated titles. Set in Japan’s Bakumatsu period,Rise Of The Roninpromises a dark decision-driven plot, a rich open world, and plenty of swordplay.
The setting and gameplay have all given gamers plenty of reasons to be excited. After all, games with elements similar toRise Of The Roninare quite popular. For fans who can’t wait to unsheathe their katanas inRise Of The Ronin, there are plenty of games that can help to get them in the right mindset.
In terms of gameplay,Hakuokicould not be more different fromRise Of The Ronin.Roninis a fast-paced open-world action game, whileHakuokiis anOtome visual novel. What the two games have in common is their setting.
Both games take place during the Bakumatsu era, a time of political upheaval when people were starting to reject the traditionalist shogunate. Hakuoki focuses particularly on the real-life members of the Shinsengumi, allowing players to get to know them and their culture. Fans who are excited aboutRonin’ssetting should tryHakuokito fully immerse themselves in the Bakumatsu period.
When it comes to getting hyped for a Team Ninja game, it’s hard to go wrong with another Team Ninja game. Particularly one that has a similar setting. BeforeRise Of The Ronin,Niohwas Team Ninja’s hit feudal Japan game.
ThoughNiohtakes place in a different time period and has more fantasy elements, it touches on real-world events and figures just likeRise Of The Ronin. One ofRonin’sbiggest themes seems to be the melding of Eastern and Western ideologies, andNioh’sprotagonist is the real-life English Samurai William Adams. Even if the gameplay and setting don’t completely match up,Niohis an excellent way to prepare forRise Of The Ronin.
One ofRise Of The Ronin’sbiggest selling points in its marketing is howimportant choice is to the narrative. The alliances the player makes or breaks can greatly alter the game experience. As unlikely a comparison as it seems, it has this in common with the sci-fi RPGStarfield.
LikeRonin,Starfieldgives players a huge amount of choice, with certain decisions affecting the characters the player can meet and the missions they can undertake. Players eager forRonin’sapproach to decision-making should tryStarfield. In addition, both games share a composer in Inon Zur.
Trek To Yomiis a side-scrolling action game where players control an Edo-period samurai out for vengeance. Players must master swordplay in intense duels against merciless opponents. The game is most famous for its black-white art style, clearly meant to invoke classicAkira Kurosawa films.
Though the gameplay is different fromRise Of The Ronin,Trek To Yomiwon fans for its dark story and its great sword-based combat. Those happen to be two elements that many fans are anticipating inRise Of The Ronin. For fans who can’t wait for a dark tale full of samurai action,Trek To Yomiis sure to help pass the time.
Batman: Arkham Cityis considered by many to be one of the greatest superhero games ever made, not least of all thanks to its big open-world and traversal mechanics. While this sounds like it couldn’t be further from the grounded Samurai drama ofRise Of The Ronin, the two games actually have some key traversal mechanics in common. Mainly: grappling and gliding.
Ronin’sprotagonist can usea grappling hookto climb atop buildings and use their Avicula flying machine to glide. These traversal mechanics are similar to how Batman navigates the Arkham City skyline. For players who can’t wait forRise Of The Ronin’straversal, returning toArkham Citywould be a good way to scratch that itch.
While there’s been some fan debate on whether or notRise Of The Roninwill be a Soulslike or not, its combat system certainly seems to be taking queues from the genre. Fans have noted many combat elements shown off inRonin’smarketing bear certain similarities to FromSoftware’s belovedSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
In addition to utilizing a similar system of parries and backstabs,Sekiroalso uses a grappling hook to achieve a level of vertical traversal previously unheard of in Soulslikes. It seems that Team Ninja was taking notes when creatingRise Of The Ronin. For those who can’t wait forRise Of The Ronin,Sekiromight be the closest thing in the meantime.
WhenRise Of The Ronin’sadvertising campaign showed off an open-world historical adventure with rooftop-jumping and stealth gameplay, many fans immediately thought oftheAssassin’s Creedfranchise. There are many classicAssassin’s Creedgames that would scratch players’ itches for an open-world romp through history, butAssassin’s Creed 2might be the best.
Assassin’s Creed 2marks a huge turning point for the franchise, and many players hail it as the best. While it has a different setting fromRise Of The Ronin, its sneaking, parkour, and sword fighting are sure to help players get in the right headspace forRonin. Plus,Ronin’sAvicula bears more than a passing resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine.
While the series isn’t a household name nowadays,Way Of The Samuraiis abeloved cult classic. Just like inRise Of The Ronin,Way Of The Samuraiputs players in the shoes of a Ronin warrior in the midst of a conflict between different factions. Players can take whichever side they wish, which can lead to a different experience each time.
This is similar to the narrative promised inRise Of The Ronin. While every entry inWay Of The Samuraihas fans, the original is most beloved for its excellent story and deep combat mechanics. Anyone who can’t wait to get their ronin on should try to hunt down this beloved classic.
Most might not think that theLike A Dragonseries would be a good match forRise Of The Ronin, but one of its spinoffs actually sharesRonin’ssetting.Like A Dragon: Ishin!takes place in the Bakumatsu period and focuses heavily on the shogunate’s waning power. It even stars Sakamoto Ryoma, who abehind-the-scenes videoconfirms will be a character inRise Of The Ronin.
Like A Dragon: Ishin!recreates a key moment in Japanese history with belovedLike A Dragoncharacters playing the roles of historical figures. While the brawling gameplay ofLike A Dragondoesn’t quite match up withRise Of The Ronin,Ishin’ssetting and story make it a great way for eager players to get their feet wet.
When thinking of games to compareRise Of The Roninto,Ghost Of Tsushimais probably the easiest comparison. While samurai games always had fans,Ghost Of Tsushimabrought them to the forefront like never before. It’s impossible not to notice a few small similarities between it andRise Of The Roninbeyond just the setting.
Ghost Of Tsushimautilizes a wide open-world, stealth mechanics, and combat that encourages parrying. Players also need to choose theright combat styleto best counter enemies with specific weapons. All of these are features boasted byRise Of The Ronin, makingGhost Of Tsushimaan excellent primer.
