“A different flavor” Rise of the Ronin on PS5 is not a copy of Ghost of Tsushima: 5 fundamental differences

Koei Tecmo and the Team Ninja teams granted the JV editorial team an interview during which we were able to discuss numerous subjects including the specificities of Rise of the Ronin and especially what differentiates it from another First Party PlayStation game… Ghost of Tsushima. Yosuke Hayashi (Producer) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director) answered our questions for 30 minutes, starting with the major exclusive status of the PS5 in early 2024.

What do you think of Rise of the Ronin's status as PlayStation 5's biggest exclusive in early 2024? Is the pressure high?

We don't feel too much pressure as a studio. It's clear that our titles have a different flavor than other First Party PlayStation games. It's really about bringing the best Team Ninja experience to as many PS5 players as possible. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

• Rise of the Ronin releases for PlayStation 5 on March 22, 2024.

See Rise of the Ronin on PS5 on Amazon

Rise of the Ronin vs. Ghost of Tsushima

If at first glance, Rise of the Ronin may resemble (from a distance) Ghost of Tsushima. In fact, the action video game published by Koei Tecmo moves away from its illustrious predecessor in many aspects. The cooperative dimension and the historical period in which the Team Ninja title is set allow Rise of the Ronin to stand out.

Many people compare Rise of the Ronin to Ghost of Tsushima? What are the main points of difference between the two games? How does it stand out from this other PlayStation exclusive in terms of gameplay, story, etc.? ?

Ghost of Tsushima was very well received by critics. It's a title we took inspiration from, but in Rise of the Ronin there are some key differences. There are a lot of characters. The story is inspired by a specific period in Japanese history. Many famous and well-known historical figures have appeared there. As the protagonist, you can decide to ally with them or fight them. The game allows players to make choices throughout the adventure. Rise of the Ronin is an action game that takes the strengths and style of the Team Ninja titles, including the online cooperative dimension. This is another key difference from Ghost of Tsushima's single-player narrative approach. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

A cooperative adventure

This is probably one of the most differentiating elements between Rise of the Ronin and Ghost of Tsushima. Unlike the video game developed by Sucker Punch, that of Team Ninja adds a cooperative dimension like previous productions from Japanese studios. Three players will be able to explore 19th century Japan side by side, but also solo.

Can you describe this cooperative experience imagined by Team Ninja? How does it look in-game?

The game is mission based. You can participate in these missions with two other members online, like in our previous titles, and face the missions as well as their bosses. Aside from that, there are also open world elements. We will give more details on this later. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

The difficulty

Team Ninja has carved out a solid reputation among Die & Retry aficionados. The Nioh and Ninja Gaiden sagas offer one of the toughest challenges in the entire video game industry, and Rise of the Ronin inherits this “hardcore” vision of video games, but also knows how to open up to so-called “casual” players. . Titles like Elden Ring – a particularly devious open-world Action-RPG – have inevitably been analyzed by the studios.

The Nioh and Ninja Gaiden sagas are renowned for their level of difficulty. Can we expect an extremely difficult video game? How to manage this increase in difficulty in an open world? Have you analyzed games like Elden Ring to achieve this?

Obviously Team Ninja titles aren't designed to be easy for everyone to play, but we wanted to make this title more accessible to a wide range of players. We have developed three distinct difficulty modes that players can choose based on their preferences. The first is aimed at players interested in storytelling, who want to experience the story and play without too much difficulty. Then we have an intermediate mode for players used to this kind of experience. Finally, we have a harder mode that is more in line with our previous games and meets the needs of hardcore gamers and Souls-Like fans. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

19th century Japan

Rise of the Ronin offers an open world which sets it apart from previous Team Ninja projects. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty opened its play areas a little more compared to the Nioh games, but it is in no way comparable to this new title. PS5 owners will be able to explore 19th century Japan, although there are limits to this virtual universe. The Japanese archipelago has not been recreated in its entirety.

How big is the open world of Rise of the Ronin? Can we explore all of Japan? What are the limits of this world?

Rise of the Ronin takes place during the Bakumatsu period, the end of the Edo era, a time of political unrest and conflict within the country. The game is therefore centered on 3 key cities which play an important role in the story: Yokohama, Edo (Tokyo today) and Kyoto. Players will be able to discover these three cities. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

A Civil War Story

Nearly 600 years separate the events narrated in Ghost of Tsushima from those of Rise of the Ronin. The title of Sucker Punch depicts the Mongol attack of 1274 on the famous Japanese island while that of Team Ninja focuses on a much later period… the Bakumatsu period (1853 – 1868) at the end of the Edo era.

Why did you choose this specific period of Japanese history for Rise of the Ronin?

This period, known as Bakumatsu, is a time of chaos and political unrest. It is a turning point in Japanese history. This is a time when there has been a lot of exciting and interesting drama that we can draw inspiration from to depict our history. It was also a time when different groups had their own sense of justice. There was no right or wrong. It's a perfect setting for the protagonist as a ronin. He has neither master nor allegiance. The player can decide who they want to ally or fight with, and create their own story. The era of samurai and ninja was about to end. This time period is the most modern we can implement while creating a Samurai game. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

Firearms

Team Ninja places the plot of its new game in the 19th century in the heart of a Japan in the midst of a political, social, but also technological revolution. The arrival of Westerners profoundly transformed Japanese society and democratized new technologies. Firearms, for example, are essential both in the art of war and in the gameplay of Rise of the Ronin.

What role do guns play in Rise of the Ronin? Are they central to the gameplay?

An interesting aspect of this period is the meeting of East and West in Japan. In the trailer we see pistols, cannons and rifles, but also new unique weapons like bayonets which were invented at that time in Japan. Team Ninja is known for its katana and spear-centric combat, but we wanted to bring in new elements like guns to add a new layer. Obviously, enemies use them against you, which creates unique challenges and combinations, as well as interesting scenarios for players. – Yosuke Hayashi (Producer – Team Ninja) and Fumihiko Yasuda (Development Producer and Game Director – Team Ninja)

See Rise of the Ronin on PS5 on Amazon