Team Ninja's next game is plans to be a new Ninja Gaiden-like power fantasy and so far, it looks incredible.
Rise of the Ronin will take place in 1863 Japan where players control a nameless Ronin that must navigate a turbulent time as the Edo period comes to an end. It's a time of change where the new world's influence clashes with the honorable traditions of ancient Japan. It's a great setting to make a Ninja Gaiden successor, and is an attempt at tackling a brutal period in Japanese history, a period that saw the rise of the wandering Ronin, a samurai that served no lord. The main character looks like a Ronin stand-in for Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa. The character's stoic appearance, calm, collected attitude, and lightning-fast reflexes bring to mind various anime and samurai references, similar to Ryu Hayabusa being an amalgamation of several ninja fantasy tropes. The best parts of the genre seem to be thrown together in a remix of everything that makes Ninja Gaiden great, but now on a scale Team Ninja has never attempted before. Nioh 2, another game by Team Ninja, had the largest world created by the developers so far, although even its levels were disconnected unlike Rise of the Ronin, which promises a large connected map to explore.
Rise of the Ronin's combat looks to take the mantle long held by Ninja Gaiden and propel it into the current generation of video game entertainment. The trailer shows several combat nods to Nioh 2 and Ninja Gaiden's impressive combat mechanics.
Rise Of The Ronin Is A New Generation Of Ninja Gaiden
No game could claim to be a Ninja Gaiden successor without it having plenty of awesome items and special techniques. Rise of the Ronin understands this as the trailer shows the character leap into the air to dodge an attack by attaching a grappling hook to the enemy before closing in for a spinning, flaming finisher. It's a clear sign that Rise of the Ronin is attempting to find a balance between historical accuracy and blazingly fast action sequences. The trailer shows a brief moment of Team Ninja striking that balance when the camera pans just behind the samurai who pulls out a revolver to execute a fallen enemy. The playful elements of Ninja Gaiden and the dark realm prequel Nioh 2 are on full display as the Ronin wields a rifle with a bayonet to impale an enemy before firing a kill shot at the attacker's head.
Team Ninja says the game has been in development for seven years, and the quality displayed in the trailer shows the dedication the developer has to create an open-world Ninja Gaiden experience. Rise of the Ronin is the Ninja Gaiden samurai game combining all of Team Ninja's skills into something truly special.
