Rise of the Ronin – Review

The most influential historic period in Japan is feudal Japan. Due to which, it has been the inspiration for many movies, books and games. Team Ninja has also focused on the same and its latest game, Rise of the Ronin, which is a PS5 exclusive, goes full open world.

Modes of Play and Performance

Once you boot up the game, you will be provided a choice. There is a Graphics mode that focuses on resolution. There is also a Ray Tracing mode, which has a similar visual quality, but boasts ray-traced reflections. These can be seen on some surfaces, like no dynamic reflective objects and small water bodies. Another mode is Prioritize Frame Rate and this one is just like the Graphics mode, but the 1080p version. Every mode runs a 4K UI.

You will find the Ray Tracing Mode to be quite appealing, as it is within the Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) range. It feels superior and responsive, which is quite a perk. But, you will experience some incorrect frame pacing issues in all modes because the cut-scenes are capped at 30fps. They will struggle with streaming and traversal.

As far the ‘performance’ mode is concerned, it is mostly similar to the Ray Tracing mode, but the performance is smoother. But, none of the modes are able to lock to a stable 60fps, even if the performance mode comes close.

Graphical Quality and Technology

Visually, Rise of the Ronin is quite good, even if it does not stand out. It has clean art and it is also bright in accordance with the designs and period of Japan. You will be able to see a variety of locations and the texture details are also done right, if not spectacular. Given that the world is quite dense, the filtering and shadow cascade does prove to be impressive. Shadow and light are considered key elements in design and the game has made full use of its weather and day system.

Therefore, you will be able to enjoy deep blue nights, burnt orange sunsets, snow-filled, flame-ravaged scenes and also dark torch-lit caves. However, the best visual quality comes from the use of particle, alpha and geometry effects. The character builder is also quite versatile and superb and it enables you to customize your heroine or hero to perfection. Character rendering is also decent.

Sound and Loading

Loading is fast during the game and even in real-time cut-scenes, but the game does not use SSD super speeds. It takes around 8 seconds to load a save, which is quite fast. But, you will see some small delays like when you come out of the bigger story sequences. Team Ninja has also used music appropriately and the Japanese themed tunes add serenity and tranquility to the tension and quieter moments. Voice mixing and acting is also done well and creates a deep audio experience, with plenty of surround.