Rise of the Rōnin is a 2024 action role-playing game created by Team Ninja, a group within Koei Tecmo, and made available on PlayStation 5 and Windows computers. This is the third time Sony and Koei Tecmo have worked together, following the Nioh series and its sequel. When it was released, critics gave the game mostly positive reviews.
Gameplay
Rise of the Rōnin lets players create their own custom character. Combat includes many types of weapons used during the Boshin War, such as katanas and firearms from that time. The game has story choices at important moments, letting players decide to support or oppose other characters, which changes how the story unfolds. Players can explore historic cities like Yokohama, Kyoto, and Edo, as well as countryside areas. Movement is possible through different methods, such as riding a horse, using a grappling hook, or flying with a glider. The game allows players to switch between three difficulty levels and includes a cooperative multiplayer mode for three players.
Story
Rise of the Rōnin is set in Yokohama, Edo, and Kyoto during the mid-19th century, a time known as Bakumatsu, which marks the final years of the Edo period. The game shows the events leading up to the Boshin War, a conflict between the Tokugawa Shogunate and groups that opposed the Shogunate’s acceptance of Western influence after Japan was forced to open its doors to foreign trade following the Sakoku period.
The story centers on the Blade Twins, whose genders are chosen by the player. After their family, the Kurozuku clan, is killed by oniwaban (Shogunate spies) because of the clan’s opposition to the Shogunate, the Blade Twins join the Veiled Edge, a resistance group. They are trained by the Veiled Edge’s leader, the Bladesmith, and begin a mission to overthrow the Shogunate.
In 1853, the Blade Twins are sent by the Bladesmith to assassinate Commodore Matthew Perry and steal a secret message from him. They succeed in stealing the message but fail to kill Perry because another assassin, the Blue Demon, intervenes. One Blade Twin escapes while the other sacrifices themselves to save their partner, who becomes the Protagonist. When Shogunate oniwaban attack the Veiled Edge’s village, the Protagonist believes their partner may still be alive and decides to leave the group to search for them. The Bladesmith forces the Protagonist into a duel to decide whether they can abandon the clan. The Protagonist wins and is wished luck by the Bladesmith before she dies.
In 1858, the Protagonist travels to Yokohama, where they meet Ryoma Sakamoto, a wandering ronin. Japan’s social order is in chaos due to the arrival of the Perry Expedition and growing Western influence. Ryoma searches for his teacher, Shoin Yoshida, while the Protagonist looks for their missing partner, now known as the Demonclaw Samurai, who works for the Americans and British. Shogunate Chief Minister Ii Naosuke suppresses anti-Shogunate and anti-foreigner groups, leading to Shoin’s arrest and execution in 1859. This angers Ryoma and his friends. Genzui Kusaka, along with Kogoro Katsura and Shinsaku Takasugi, begins a rebellion against the Shogunate. The Blue Demon, whose real name is Akikatsu Manabe, tries to protect Ii but is killed by the Protagonist. Ii is either assassinated or escapes, later being killed by the Demonclaw Samurai. After Ii’s death, American influence in Japan declines, and British influence grows, led by Ernest Satow and Rutherford Alcock.
In 1863, the Protagonist works with Ryoma’s group in Edo after learning the Demonclaw Samurai is collaborating with the British. When Genzui burns down the British Legation, Ryoma becomes uneasy with Genzui’s violent tactics. Genzui targets Kaishu Katsu, a Shogunate official, but the Protagonist and Ryoma attack Katsu instead. Katsu convinces them to join his cause to reform the Shogunate peacefully. Katsu and the Protagonist recruit others to support his plan. They later meet the Shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, who also wants to modernize Japan. Yoshinobu travels to Kyoto to lure his enemies into the open, and Katsu asks the Protagonist and Ryoma to join the Roshigumi to protect him. However, in 1864, the Roshigumi’s leader, Kiyokawa Hachirō, is killed by the Demonclaw Samurai, revealing him as a traitor. The Roshigumi disbands, with some members returning to Edo and others forming the Shinsengumi in Kyoto.
In 1863, Genzui leads the Choshu clan to attack Kyoto. The Shinsengumi, along with the Satsuma clan using British cannons, defeat the Choshu. The Protagonist confronts the Demonclaw Samurai, who admits to causing events that weakened the Shogunate as revenge for their village’s destruction. The Protagonist refuses to support the Demonclaw Samurai’s violent path. The Demonclaw Samurai flees, and Genzui commits seppuku (ritual suicide) to avoid capture. In 1866, Ryoma convinces Satsuma general Saigo Takamori to ally with the Choshu clan, forming the Choshu-Satsuma Alliance. The Protagonist infiltrates the Shinsengumi to investigate an assassination attempt on Ryoma, uncovers a traitor, and helps Ryoma stop an attempt by Satow to kill Yoshinobu. They convince Yoshinobu to dissolve the Shogunate and transition power peacefully.
In 1867, despite Yoshinobu’s efforts to negotiate with the Choshu-Satsuma alliance, the Demonclaw Samurai stages attacks to worsen tensions, including an attempt to kill Ryoma, who dreamed of a democratic Japan. Ryoma is either killed or severely injured, causing the alliance and Shogunate to collapse. The Boshin War begins in 1868. After an assassination attempt by the Demonclaw Samurai, Yoshinobu retreats to Edo, allowing the alliance to capture Kyoto after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Katsu plans to destroy Edo but is stopped by the Protagonist, who negotiates a peaceful resolution. As peace talks conclude, the Protagonist defeats the Demonclaw Samurai one last time, choosing to spare or execute them. If spared, the partner realizes their mistakes and leaves Japan to watch its future from afar.
After the Shogunate dissolves, Yoshinobu retires quietly, while the Choshu-Satsuma alliance reforms Japan’s government and modernizes its military. The Shogunate’s remnants and Shinsengumi flee to Hakodate to form the Republic of Ezo. If the player saves Ryoma and spares the Demonclaw Samurai, a post-credits scene shows them meeting in New York City.
Development
Development of the game Rise of the Rōnin began in 2015, with help from PlayStation Studios’ XDev team. Team Ninja president Fumihiko Yasuda explained that the game aims to show Japan during its darkest times, specifically the Bakumatsu period, which many video games avoid. The game’s setting fits well with Team Ninja’s experience creating games about ninjas and samurai, such as Ninja Gaiden and Nioh. Yasuda said Rise of the Rōnin is the most challenging project Team Ninja has ever worked on. Creating an open world game was a new challenge for the team, as they previously made only linear, level-based games. Yasuda noted that designing non-player characters who do not fight the player was difficult, as their earlier games focused on defeating all characters on-screen.
Film director Keishi Ōtomo, known for directing the Rurouni Kenshin movie series, directed the game’s opening and real-time cinematic scenes. Ōtomo said he wanted to show the tension and energy during the darkest moments of the Bakumatsu period, as people waited for major changes. He praised Team Ninja’s detailed world design and their thorough research into historical events.
Composer Inon Zur created the game’s music, with the cello and shakuhachi being the main instruments used for melodies. Zur studied Japanese music as part of his work and found composing the theme for the Blade Twin characters the most difficult. He explained that these characters are not clearly good or evil, but instead represent conflicting ideas that challenge the story’s main character.
Release
Rise of the Rōnin was announced on September 13, 2022, during PlayStation's State of Play livestream. On December 7, 2023, at The Game Awards 2023, a pre-order trailer was shown, with a release date set for March 22, 2024. Pre-orders for the game began in Japan on December 14, 2023, and it was sold in two versions, CERO D and CERO Z, because of the level of violence in the game, which the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization of Japan determined was too extreme.
A playable demo was released on July 24, 2024, allowing players to save their progress for the full game. A physical artbook was made available on September 10, 2024.
A version of the game for Windows computers was released on March 11, 2025, by Koei Tecmo. This version includes features that take advantage of computer capabilities, such as support for ultra-wide screen displays, up to 8K resolution, 120 frames per second, AMD FSR, NVIDIA DLSS, Intel XeSS, frame generation, and ray tracing.
Rise of the Rōnin will not be released in South Korea. Early reports suggested this was because Fumihiko Yasuda compared Shoin Yoshida to Socrates, which caused controversy in South Korea. Although Yoshida was important in the Meiji Restoration, he is also linked to Japan’s historical occupation of Korea. Sony later confirmed the game would not be released in South Korea but did not give an official reason.
Some Asian versions of the game included Korean language support, and the game was mentioned on the official South Korea PlayStation blog during its initial announcement in September 2022. However, that page has since been removed. All promotional videos for the game on the official Korean PlayStation YouTube channel have also been taken down.
Reception
The game Rise of the Rōnin received mostly positive reviews from critics, according to the website Metacritic. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 37 out of 40.
In its 2023 annual report, Koei Tecmo stated that most critics praised the game’s action and the complexity of its combat systems. They also appreciated the expanded story and setting, which took place at the end of the Edo period. However, some critics pointed out that the game’s visuals and open world design were not of high quality.
The PC version of the game faced many complaints about performance problems when it was first released. In response, Team Ninja apologized on their Twitter account on April 10, 2025, before the fourth patch for the game was released. Some issues remained even after the update.
In Japan, Rise of the Rōnin sold 64,646 physical copies during its first week. This made it the third best-selling game, behind Princess Peach: Showtime! and Dragon’s Dogma 2. By June 9, 2024, the game had sold 128,110 physical copies in Japan.