Team Ninja is famous for making you sweat. If you’ve ever played Nioh or Ninja Gaiden, you know that specific brand of digital masochism where a boss breathes on you and your health bar simply vanishes. But Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5 is different. It’s messy, ambitious, and surprisingly approachable in a way that feels like the developers finally decided to let us have some fun without demanding a blood sacrifice first.
The game dropped into a crowded market, sandwiched between giants, and a lot of people sort of looked at the graphics and went, "Eh, looks like a PS4 game." Honestly? They aren't entirely wrong. It doesn't have the soul-crushing realism of The Last of Us Part II or the polished sheen of Ghost of Tsushima. But focusing on the textures is missing the point. It's about the friction of steel. It's about that moment you parry a spear, the sparks fly, and you realize you’re playing the most refined combat system Team Ninja has ever built.
What Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5 Actually Is
Forget the Souls clones for a second. This is an open-world action RPG set during the Bakumatsu period—the tail end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It’s 19th-century Japan. You’ve got katanas, sure, but you’ve also got revolvers and bayonets. This cultural collision is where the game finds its heartbeat. You aren't just a nameless warrior; you are a "Veiled Edge," part of a duo of elite assassins. When your partner goes missing, you’re thrust into a political powderkeg involving the Pro-Shogunate forces, the Anti-Shogunate rebels, and the Western powers trying to force Japan open.
The map is big. It's divided into Yokohama, Edo (Tokyo), and Kyoto. You’re galloping across fields, using a steampunk-esque glider to soar off rooftops, and grappling-hooking your way onto ledges. It feels like Assassin’s Creed met Tenchu and they decided to hire the combat designers from Sekiro to moderate the wedding.
The Combat: Where the Magic Happens
If you’re coming from Elden Ring, the "Counterspark" system will feel familiar yet frustratingly unique. It’s a parry. But it's a parry that requires you to know the rhythm of about a dozen different weapon types. You can’t just mash. You have to wait for the flash of red, the weight of the swing, and then—clink.
There are three main fighting styles: Ten (Sky), Chi (Earth), and Jin (Human). It’s basically a high-stakes version of Rock-Paper-Scissors. If you’re using a style that’s weak against your opponent’s weapon, your parries won’t do much. Switch to the right style mid-combo, and you become a whirlwind of limbs and steel. It’s addictive. Truly.
I’ve spent hours just wandering into bandit camps because the flow of combat is so rewarding. You hit a guy with a grappling rope, pull him toward you, slice him twice, switch to your revolver for a quick shot to stun him, and then finish him with a cinematic execution. It’s violent, it’s fast, and on the PS5’s performance mode, it runs at a smooth 60fps that makes every frame of that violence feel earned.
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Breaking the "Team Ninja is Too Hard" Myth
A lot of people stayed away from Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5 because they heard it was "Hard."
Let's clear that up: there are difficulty settings.
For the first time in a long time, Team Ninja included "Dawn," "Dusk," and "Twilight" modes. If you just want to see the story of Sakamoto Ryoma and the fall of the Samurai, play on Dawn. You get more health recovery and less ki (stamina) consumption. It’s fine. No one is going to judge you. The "hardcore" crowd might scoff, but the game is legitimately enjoyable as a historical playground even if you aren't a parry god.
However, if you play on Twilight? Good luck. The AI becomes relentless. They will bait your parries, they will use martial skills that break your guard, and they will kill you. A lot. But that’s the beauty of it—it’s the first Team Ninja game that actually wants everyone to play it, not just the people with lightning-fast reflexes.
The PS5 Experience: Performance vs. Visuals
We have to talk about the "graphics" elephant in the room. If you play in "Ray Tracing" or "Graphics" mode, the game looks okay. Some of the lighting in the late afternoon over Yokohama is genuinely pretty. But the pop-in is real. You’ll see a bush materialize ten feet in front of you.
The real way to play is Performance Mode.
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On the PlayStation 5, the SSD makes fast travel almost instantaneous. You click a landmark on the map, and three seconds later, you’re there. In a game with this much "busy work"—collecting cats, taking photos, clearing out fugitive camps—that speed is a godsend. The DualSense haptics are also surprisingly subtle. You feel the tension of the bowstring and the tactile thud of a successful parry through the triggers. It’s not revolutionary, but it adds a layer of immersion that the visuals sometimes fail to provide.
The Bond System: It’s Secretly a Social Sim
This caught me off guard. You don't just kill people; you make friends. You meet historical figures like Katsura Kogoro or the eccentric inventor Igashichi. By talking to them, giving them gifts, and taking them on missions, you strengthen your "Bond."
Why does this matter?
- It unlocks new combat styles you can’t get anywhere else.
- Your allies get stronger when you bring them along as AI companions (or co-op partners).
- It actually changes the narrative.
Deciding whether to support the Shogunate or the revolutionaries isn't just a menu choice. It’s about which characters you’ve spent time with. You might find yourself siding with the "wrong" side of history just because you think the guy leading the faction is a cool dude. It adds a human element to the chaos of the Bakumatsu.
Addressing the "Ghost of Tsushima" Comparisons
Everyone compares this to Ghost of Tsushima. It’s inevitable. Both are Sony-published Samurai epics set in Japan. But they are fundamentally different experiences.
Tsushima is a poem. It’s about beauty, stillness, and the tragedy of a man losing his honor. It’s polished to a mirror finish.
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Rise of the Ronin is a bar fight. It’s gritty, it’s complicated, and it’s deeply concerned with the "mechanical" joy of being a warrior. While Sucker Punch gave us a cinematic masterpiece, Team Ninja gave us a toy box. The movement in Ronin is faster. The loot system is—for better or worse—overflowing with different hats, armor pieces, and katanas with +0.2% fire damage. If you love the "diablo-fication" of gear, you’ll be in heaven. If you hate managing menus, you’re going to spend a lot of time "disassembling" junk at the blacksmith.
Is It Worth It in 2026?
Looking back at the game’s trajectory since its 2024 launch, it has aged surprisingly well. Updates have smoothed out some of the early technical jitters, and the community has mapped out every secret. It stands as a testament to what happens when a developer known for "niche" difficulty tries to go big and broad.
The game doesn't respect your time in the way a 10-hour indie darling does. It wants you to sink 60 to 80 hours into its world. It wants you to learn the timing of an Odachi swing versus a pair of dual blades. It’s a "comfort food" game for people who love the PlayStation 5's capability for fast, fluid action.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you’re just booting up the game or thinking about grabbing it on sale, here is how to actually enjoy your first ten hours without getting overwhelmed:
- Don't ignore the cats. Seriously. Finding cats and "renting" them out through the cat consulate is a primary way to get rare currency for high-end gear. It sounds ridiculous. It is. Do it anyway.
- Focus on the "Counterspark" timing. Go to the training ground early. Each weapon has a different parry window. The Katana is the most balanced, but the Paired Swords are much more forgiving if you’re a "button masher" by nature.
- Clean your inventory often. You will pick up hundreds of items. Every 2 hours, go to a blacksmith and "Auto-Sell" or "Auto-Disassemble" everything below "Exquisite" rarity. Your sanity will thank you.
- Use your glider. The verticality of the cities is the game's best-kept secret. Always look for the highest point in a district before you start exploring; it makes spotting objectives much easier than just staring at the mini-map.
- Experiment with your sub-weapons. The flamethrower (Fire Pipe) is actually incredibly useful against shield-bearing enemies. Don't just rely on your sword. The game gives you tools for a reason—use the gunpowder.
Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5 isn't a "perfect" game. It's got rough edges and a loot system that can feel like a part-time job. But the core—the fighting, the history, and the sheer speed of the gameplay—is something you won't find anywhere else. It’s a loud, proud, messy love letter to Japanese history that refuses to be boring.