Combat is easily one of the most important things that can be developed for a video game, depending on the type of combat involved. If the “combat style” is meant to be intense, fun, and yet diverse, you must work hard to bring all those elements to players. Thankfully, Team Ninja is pretty much an expert in doing such things. They’ve done multiple franchises that depended on great action sequences for gamers to have fun with, and now they’re bringing that to feudal Japan via Rise of the Ronin. As you can imagine, there’s plenty of potential there for “mixing and matching” until you find the weapons and style you want to use.
On the PlayStation Blog, the Rise of the Ronin team discussed the various options and abilities your Ronin will have throughout the game. For example, regarding weapons, you’ll have your standard Samurai armaments via swords and even spears, but you’ll also have the options for other weapons, including having firearms at your disposal! As such, you can mix and match your attacks to do what you desire to your foe so you can drain their Ki!
Ki is a natural life energy within everyone, including yourself! If you can drain your foes Ki, they’ll become much more vulnerable to strikes! You’ll have special attacks you can use to help lower key further in foes, such as Counterspark:
“Counterspark is an action that parries enemy attacks. When you use Counterspark to evade damage from attacks that you cannot guard yourself against, your foe’s Ki reduces, and they will be stunned briefly. This can create a window to deal even more damage to reduce their maximum Ki.”
Going back to your weapons, Team Ninja noted that not only will you be able to use various weapons and skills, but you can enhance them over time and even learn new fighting styles through them:
“Each Japanese and Western weapon—Katana, spears, dual blades, bayonets, and sabers—has its own capabilities and attack actions. As you build bonds with characters you meet, you will acquire new combat styles and further evolve their capabilities to enhance your battle experience.”
Furthermore, there are three key “fighting styles” that you’ll need to learn and then use to counter foes easily. Ten, Chi, and Jin are their names, and each one has things they have an advantage, and weaknesses against. So, for your RPG fans, it’s a classic weapons triangle. Mastering it will help you master combat!
