Is ‘Rise of the Ronin’ a soulslike?

Now available on PS5, Rise of the Ronin is the latest action game from Team Ninja – known for creating grueling soulslikes like the Nioh series. But what genre and style of gameplay can you expect from their latest title and their first step into the open-world genre?

• READ MORE: Will ‘Rise Of The Ronin’ come to PC?

Unlike most of the studio’s games, Rise of the Ronin‘s open world allows for more flexibility on when you can tackle encounters, challenge bosses, and find secrets. The soulslike formula of the Nioh series and titles like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty meant they could easily scale difficulty and increase the challenge as you got further into the game. But, that isn’t as easy with Rise of the Ronin.

Is Rise of the Ronin a soulslike?

Rise of the Ronin isn’t a soulslike. However, it takes a lot of the same core concepts from the genre but allows for more accessibility, while putting a focus on the story. There are difficulty options that allow you to tone down the challenge and you can complete a variety of optional objectives and open-world activities to boost your strength and get better gear before taking on a tough fight or boss.

However, combat can still be tough. In our review of the game, we compared it to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and said “a poise bar encourages you to parry and deflect blades head-on rather than roll out of the way. A limited ability to heal means battles are unforgiving, and though it initially feels clunky and slow, as you come to grips with its deliberate weightiness and stop instinctively button-mashing, every showdown becomes sublime.”

Different sword styles also add some additional complexity as you will need to switch in the middle of fights when taking on different enemies. But the combat is a bit more forgiving than what you would expect from Team Ninja’s other titles and games from FromSoftware.

So, you can expect a hard experience if you want to be challenged. But, this is by far one of the more flexible soulslikes available right now. If you have been convinced to check out the game, take a look through our Rise of the Ronin review to get our full thoughts on Team Ninja’s latest.

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