On March 22, players can get their hands on 3 very different games: Princess Peach Showtime, Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin. All three were particularly anticipated by their respective target audiences. But while the first two are almost guaranteed to work, this will not be the case for Rise of the Ronin, which features unknown characters in a brand new franchise.
But as the first tests and reviews fall, the future of the title becomes more and more uncertain. Indeed, Rise of the Ronin does not only get good marks. Overall rated between 6 and 8 out of 10, the PS5 exclusive has not made everyone happy. In our own review, we found that it was a dated game, both in terms of visuals and controls, with an interesting but poorly exploited story and other unfinished features. However, there is one thing in common between all the reviews: Rise of the Ronin is absolutely not equal to Ghost of Tsushima.
Why such a comparison?
In the world of video games, every player knows that it is not relevant to compare all works between them as they are intrinsically unique (at least for the most part). Contrasting Rise of the Ronin and Ghost of Tsushima therefore makes no sense a priori. They are not developed by the same studio, do not belong to the same license, are not centered on the same characters or the same eras, and do not promise quite the same gameplay.
Despite everything, the two games have similarities that force the comparison quite instinctively. They both take place in Japan, are based on a historical period loaded with conflict and twists, and are both marketed and published by PlayStation. If they did not benefit from the same advertising treatment before their release, it is normal that they hold a more or less equivalent aura in the eyes of players. And how can we not expect an excellent game from Rise of the Ronin, when we see the exceptional quality of Ghost of Tsushima released 4 years earlier?
Glare results
This is precisely what will have worked against Sony and Team Ninja. In comparison, Rise of the Ronin seems poorly executed, incomplete, and sometimes very obscure in its operation. It is particularly at the level of artistic direction and graphics that the comparison is unforgivable. Released on PS4 years earlier, Ghost of Tsushima has Japanese settings of unparalleled beauty, with particularly touching attention to detail.
The PS5 promises us incomparable performance to previous generations, so why is a game that should be optimized less good than a similar title, published by the same company, released 4 years earlier? Rise of the Ronin has fewer textures, sharper edges, and doesn't really deliver on its immersion. On a technical level, it's easy to see why players aren't excited about Sony's latest opus.
The second mistake the game makes is that it never really grasps the impact of its story. The story is based on one of the most politically charged periods in Japan. But the title fails to make us feel its importance, neither personally nor collectively. We run and fight without paying much attention to what's around us, which is a real shame.
If Ghost of Tsushima had never existed, it's a safe bet that indulgence would have been the order of the day. But this parallel highlights significant flaws in the quality standards PlayStation has accustomed us to over the years.
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