In addition to outlining the missions and features imminently arriving in Rise of the Ronin's next update, developer Team Ninja took the opportunity to point out the PS5 exclusive's connections to previous entries in the studio's back catalogue, specifically the Nioh and Ninja Gaiden series. Warning: a boss spoiler for Rise of the Ronin is incoming; the developer says two months is long enough.
Over on the PlayStation Blog, Team Ninja director and game producer Fumihiko Yasuda spilt a considerable amount of ink outlining exactly how Rise of the Ronin connects to two of its other franchises, Nioh and Ninja Gaiden.
Team Ninja was eager to collaborate with PlayStation Studio's XDEV team to get Ryu Hayabusa's iconic Ninja Gaiden costume in the game. Initially, one of the game's combat styles (Hayabusa-ryu) would be implemented at the same speed as in the original, but Team Ninja couldn't make it work. Hayabusa's iconic Izuna Drop, as well as his Ultimate Technique, made it into the game. Ryu's costume marks the first appearance of Nina Gaiden-related content on PS5, meaning everything needed to be remade in high-resolution 4K format, and the team took into account materials available at the end of the Edo period for the redesign to make sure it looked authentic.
As for the Nioh connection, Team Ninja let slip a minor spoiler: the protagonist of the first game, William Adams, appears as a hidden boss in Rise of the Ronin. The studio has wanted to do this since the early planning stage, believing it would be a pleasant surprise for players. Fun fact: the character of John Blackthorne in FX's recent Shōgun adaptation (based on the novel by James Clavell), better known as the Anjin, is based upon the real-life figure of William Adams. Adams was the first Englishman to visit Japan and even aided the Tokugawa Shogunate to come to power; fittingly, for this achievement, he has been forever immortalised as the face of Team Ninja's Nioh series.
What do you think of Team Ninja's intentional connections to its history? What did you think of Rise of the Ronin? How does it compare? Let us know in the comments section below.
[source blog.playstation.com]
Comments 13
Unrelated (kinda), but I feel like it’s time for a new Ninja Gaiden game. Everyone, including Team Ninja, have largely just been making Soulslikes and adopting Souls or Sekiro style of combat. We need more character action games like Ninja Gaiden. We have DMC which hasn’t had an entry in 5 years, Bayonetta which has a rocky future, and Hi-Fi Rush which just had its studio shut down.
Just started playing Ninja Gaiden on the Game Gear! Good times.
@Deoxyr1bose Still waiting for a game that actually has the combo complexity of DMC :/
It's still mind blowing that Ronin is selling more than the Nioh franchise in the same time frame. It's even better than thanks to those numbers they are going to open a new studio.
It's funny that KT and Shift up are growing thanks to their partnership with Sony and then there is Square ... the difference? The public perception. KT has a divisive reputation but those who like KT games buy them for what they are. SE now has a bad reputation so even when the games are good people don't want them.
@Deoxyr1bose TN have never made a soulslike. The last few games have been Ninja Gaiden hybrids that become progressively easier with each game. They have some FromSoft inspirations. RotR is the closest but still more Nioh than a Soulslike. Nioh is 100% not a soulslike. If you tried to play that game like it was a Souls game you'd struggle a lot.
William is also a character creation option in this, just like Nioh 2.
I never paid enough attention to the story in any Team Ninja game to care XD Im just in them for the action/set building/combat
Finally, another expanded universe no one wanted or asked for
still waiting for them to return to stylish action. They cant keep doing these games forever. They have to return to their roots eventually right? RIGHT???
@JohntheRaptor how are the nioh games not soulslikes? They play differently but they have the shrines which are pretty much bonfires, the same styled bosses, different builds, lose your "souls" upon death and have to recollect, etc
@GymratAmarillo KT?
God nioh was good!!
@JohntheRaptor A hybrid, for sure, but it doesn't quite scratch the NG itch. The pacing of combat is closer to that of a Soulslike - smaller, slower, more methodical encounters.
NG is somewhat unique. It features hyper-aggressive, highly lethal enemies. On Master Ninja, they'll punish you for standing still or blocking as readily as they will for excessive movement or careless attacks. Throw in orbs and UTs and it becomes equal parts spatial puzzle, where precise positioning, use of the environment and decisive actions are outright required, and a doom-like adrenaline rush as you cleave your way through said enemies by the dozen.
I'd love to see NG return. The polish of NGB alongside the intensity of NG2 is pretty much everything I could wish for in an action game.
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