Rise of the Ronin received a rating hinting at its mature content.
As reported by Tech4Gamers, it has received the straightforward 18 rating from PEGI, for violence and gambling. Our source speculates that this title could offer a similar experience to Ghosts of Tsushima, that’s clearly not what Team Ninja said. So let’s examine what this means in context to what we really know about Rise of the Ronin.
As Team Ninja explained in a PlayStation Blog late last year, they have chosen to depict a Japanese historical setting that is little known outside of Japan, but is also one of the darkest periods in the country’s history.
You see, much of the stereotypes of samurai in Japan place it in an identifiable feudal setting. There are rich daimyo, poor peasants, some ‘ronin’ fighting the daimyo’s men. Some historical fiction made by the Japanese like to sex it up with naked women, often doing the killing too. But the truth isn’t as entertaining.
So let’s be clear. The Tokugawa shogunate was a military government, who was an oppressive regime towards the Japanese people. Their reign also enabled the rise of inequality by the creation of a merchant class.
Two of the historical characters Team Ninja named to be in the game, Sakamoto Ryoma and Yoshida Shoin, were both killed by their government.
(Historical details that could be considered spoilers and graphic descriptions follow.)
Sakamoto was assassinated before he could see his actions prosper in the end of the Tokugawa era and the start of the Meiji restoration. Yoshida lived through the Meiji restoration, but conspired to kill a high ranking official, Ii Naosuke. He would be executed by beheading shortly after.
These men helped save Japan from the grip of a military government, a situation that would define Japan’s history many times before and after. This game endeavors to tell the story of that period.
So, don’t expect this story to be about facing Dark Souls-style difficulty, even if that may or may not be in the final product. We know that Team Ninja will stretch historical detail as well, for example with the kite flying/gliding mechanic. But what this game is really about is history, Japan’s history, a time comparable to America’s Civil War or France’s many revolutionary wars.
Like those wars, there are going to be many unhappy stories to tell in this story. For example, the fates of the protagonists I had just mentioned. We may even wager that your character, who seems to be set on a path of vengeance vs the Tokugawa, may not survive the events of the game either. That’s the kind of dramatic story we have to look forward to.
It would certainly be a bold decision to end a game on a downer, but that is the inevitable truth behind this tale. So it’ll be interesting to see what Team Ninja does with this.
Rise of the Ronin is releasing on March 22, 2024, exclusive to the PlayStation 5.
