Rise of the Ronin (v1.09.0.5)

Feudal Japan is splitting at the seams, and every sword drawn feels tied to the country’s future. Rise of the Ronin places you in the Bakumatsu era of the 1860s, when Western powers arrive, the Tokugawa shogunate weakens, and rival factions fight over what Japan should become. You play a customizable masterless warrior, known as the Veiled Edge, whose personal search for answers unfolds alongside major political upheaval. The mood is more grounded than supernatural: a historical action RPG full of duels, assassination plots, uneasy alliances, and sweeping views of Edo, Kyoto, and Yokohama.

Combat carries Team Ninja’s familiar emphasis on timing, aggression, and weapon mastery. Katana, odachi, spears, sabres, bayonets, bows, and firearms each support different approaches, while distinct combat styles create advantages or disadvantages against enemy weapons. Well-timed Countersparks deflect attacks and drain an opponent’s Ki, opening brutal opportunities, but button-mashing still gets punished by skilled enemies. Between missions, you roam sizable city maps on horseback, climb buildings with a grappling hook, glide across rooftops with the Avicula, take side jobs, build relationships with historical allies, and improve equipment and combat skills; selected missions also support online co-op with up to three players.

Choice is the feature that gives the adventure its identity. Supporting pro-shogunate forces, anti-shogunate revolutionaries, or foreign interests changes relationships and can steer the narrative toward different conclusions, while key encounters ask whether prominent figures live or die. Rather than presenting history as a museum exhibit, the game turns it into a personal political drama where friendship, ideology, and combat success all matter. The PC version is particularly flexible, with ultrawide support, unlocked high-frame-rate options, ray tracing, upscaling technologies, 3D audio, and full keyboard-and-mouse customization. Players who enjoy Nioh’s demanding action but want a more accessible open-world structure will find plenty to like, while newcomers can lean on difficulty options and companion assistance without losing the thrill of a close sword fight.