Rise of the Rōnin is a 2024 action role-playing game created by a team within Koei Tecmo called Team Ninja. The game was released for the PlayStation 5 by Sony Interactive Entertainment and for Windows by Koei Tecmo. 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

The game Rise of the Rōnin lets players create their own character. Combat includes many types of weapons used during the Boshin War, such as katanas and firearms from that time. The game has important decisions in the story that let players choose to support or fight against 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 using different methods, such as riding a horse, using a grappling hook, or flying with a glider. The game allows players to choose from three difficulty levels and includes a multiplayer mode for three players to work together.

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 end of the Edo period. The game shows events leading up to the Boshin War, a conflict between the Tokugawa Shogunate and groups opposed to the Shogunate’s acceptance of Western influence after Japan reopened to foreign trade following the Sakoku period.

The story follows 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, to fight against 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 protect their partner, who becomes the Protagonist. Later, when the Shogunate attacks the Veiled Edge’s village, the Protagonist believes their partner is still alive and leaves the group to search for them. The Bladesmith forces the Protagonist to fight her in a duel to decide whether they can leave the group. The Protagonist wins, and the Bladesmith gives them a final blessing before dying.

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 Western forces, especially after the Perry Expedition. Ryoma searches for his teacher, Shoin Yoshida, while the Protagonist looks for their missing partner, now known as the Demonclaw Samurai, who works for foreign powers. Shogunate leader Naosuke Ii enforces strict rules against anti-Shogunate and anti-foreign ideas, leading to Shoin’s arrest and execution in 1859. This action angers Ryoma and others, who then rebel with figures like Genzui Kusaka, Kogoro Katsura, and Shinsaku Takasugi. They attack Ii, who is either killed or escapes, later being assassinated by the Demonclaw Samurai. After Ii’s death, American influence in Japan decreases, 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 helping the British. When Genzui burns the British Legation, Ryoma begins to oppose Genzui’s violent tactics. Genzui plans to attack Kaishu Katsu, a Shogunate official, but Katsu convinces the Protagonist and Ryoma to join him in reforming the Shogunate peacefully. Katsu and the Protagonist recruit others to support this goal. They later meet Shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa, who also wants to modernize Japan. Yoshinobu travels to Kyoto to lure enemies into the open, and Katsu asks the Protagonist and Ryoma to join the Roshigumi, a group meant 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 dissolves, 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 they caused events that weakened the Shogunate as revenge for their village’s destruction. The Protagonist refuses to support the Demonclaw Samurai’s violent plans, and the Demonclaw flees as Genzui commits seppuku to avoid capture. In 1866, Ryoma persuades Satsuma general Takamori Saigo to ally with the Choshu, forming the Choshu-Satsuma Alliance. The Protagonist later infiltrates the Shinsengumi to stop an assassination attempt on Ryoma, exposing a traitor and helping Ryoma prevent an attack on the Shogun.

In 1867, the Demonclaw Samurai stages attacks to worsen tensions between the Shogunate and the Choshu-Satsuma Alliance, leading to Ryoma’s injury or death. Without Ryoma’s leadership, the alliance and Shogunate fight in the Boshin War (1868). Yoshinobu is forced to retreat 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 solution. During final talks, the Protagonist defeats the Demonclaw Samurai, choosing to either spare or kill them. If spared, the partner leaves Japan to watch its future.

After the Shogunate’s fall, Yoshinobu lives in peace, while the Choshu-Satsuma Alliance reforms Japan’s government and modernizes its military. Shogunate remnants and Shinsengumi members 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 Rise of the Rōnin began in 2015, with assistance from PlayStation Studios' XDev. According to Team Ninja president Fumihiko Yasuda, the team aimed to create a game that portrays Japan during its most difficult time, the Bakumatsu period, which many video games avoid. The game’s setting fits well with Team Ninja’s experience in making games about ninjas and samurai, such as Ninja Gaiden and Nioh. Yasuda stated that Rise of the Rōnin is the most complex project Team Ninja has ever developed. Creating an open world game was a new challenge for the team, as they previously only made linear, level-based games. Yasuda noted that designing non-player characters who do not fight the player was both impactful and difficult, as previous games focused only on enemies the player could defeat.

Film director Keishi Ōtomo, known for his work on the Rurouni Kenshin movie series, directed the game’s opening and real-time cinematics. Ōtomo explained he wanted to show the tension during the Bakumatsu period, as people waited for major changes. He praised Team Ninja’s detailed historical research in creating the game’s world.

Inon Zur composed the game’s music, with the cello and shakuhachi being the main instruments for the melodies. Zur studied Japanese music as part of his work and found composing the theme for the Blade Twin to be the most difficult task. He explained that the Blade Twin’s actions were not clearly good or evil, but instead complex and conflicting with the main character’s story.

Release

Rise of the Rōnin was announced on September 13, 2022, during PlayStation's State of Play livestream. On December 7, 2023, during The Game Awards 2023, a pre-order trailer was shared, with the game set to release on March 22, 2024. Pre-orders began in Japan on December 14, 2023, and it was revealed that the game would be sold in two versions, CERO D and CERO Z, because of the high level of violence in the game, as judged by Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization.

A playable demo was released on July 24, 2024, and players could save their progress to use in the full game. A physical artbook was released on September 10, 2024.

A version for Windows computers was released on March 11, 2025, by Koei Tecmo. This version includes features that use the power of personal computers, such as support for ultra-wide screens, 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 of comments made by Fumihiko Yasuda, who 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 history of occupying 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 shown on the official South Korea PlayStation blog when it was first announced 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 "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the Metacritic website, which collects and summarizes reviews. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 37 out of 40.

In its FY2023 Annual Presentation Materials, Koei Tecmo reported that most critics praised the game’s action and the complexity of its combat systems. They also appreciated the more detailed story and setting, which take 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. Despite this, some issues remained unresolved.

In Japan, Rise of the Rōnin sold 64,646 physical copies during its first week, making 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.