Summary
Ghost of Tsushimais one of the most well-received PS4-era Sony exclusives—a major accomplishment, considering its competition. While Sucker Punch and Sony have not been forthcomingabout aGhost of Tsushimasequel, there’s a clear demand for samurai action games, and this year’sRise of the Roninmight just topGhostas PlayStation’s leading game in the category.
Samurai-centric video games have seen a major resurgence in recent years, withSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Trek to Yomi, and Team Ninja’s ownNiohseries being notable, contemporary examples of action-packed titles starring East Asian warriors.Ghost of Tsushimamanaged to pull off something special, however, offering mass appeal through its stunning visuals, polished cinematics and voice acting, and fluid, satisfying gameplay. These strengths, plus the game’s AAA budget and light RPG elements, have led many to compare it to thebest-selling historical action seriesAssassin’s Creed, and not in a way that does Ubisoft any favors. Indeed, when it comes to mainstream, accessible, story-driven samurai action games,Ghost of Tsushimaseems to wear the crown.
Why Rise of the Ronin Might Take Ghost of Tsushima’s Throne
Rise of the Ronin & Ghost of Tsushima’s Key Differences
While they are both action-adventure games inspired by real history, there’s a lot thatRise of the Ronindoes that will set it apart fromGhost of Tsushima, and these differences could work to the former’s benefit. Perhaps the most immediately apparent distinction between the two games is setting:Ronintakes place several centuries afterGhost of Tsushima, in the mid-1800s, and this has a major impact on both narrative and gameplay. Like fellowsamurai gameSekiro: Shadows Die Twice,Rise of the Roninfeatures firearms and other technologies that were missing inGhost of Tsushima. The player will be able to use these tools themselves, leveraging guns, grapple hooks, and gliding devices to get the upper hand in gameplay. The world design ofRise of the Roninalso looks a bit more varied thanGhost of Tsushima, owing to this setting.
Team Ninja’s approach to game development will undoubtedly separateRise of the RoninfromGhost of Tsushimaas well.Roninlooks to be iterating on the intense third-person action found in theNiohgames andWo Long: Fallen Dynasty.AlthoughRise of the Roninaims to evolvethe studio’s signature gameplay fundamentals, its focus on relentless, high-paced combat will likely be present to some degree. This style of gameplay would stand in stark contrast toGhost of Tsushima’s more grounded, methodical approach to combat and exploration.
Ghost of Tsushima’s Strengths
Rise of the Ronincertainly seems to have a great deal of potential, and many PlayStation owners are eagerly awaiting its release on March 22 of this year. Having said that, it’s not guaranteed to be a perfect replacement forGhost of Tsushima, let alone a superior version of it. At the end of the day,Ghost of Tsushimaexhibits certain strengths thatRise of the Roninlikely won’t be focusing on.
For one thing, the cinematic approach to storytelling, inherent to so many of Sony’s first-party titles, is prevalent inGhost of Tsushima, with the game putting a premium on graphical fidelity, character animations, and voice acting.Rise of the Ronincould prove to be different, but these elements of narrative polish have never been prioritized by Team Ninja. Additionally,Ghost of Tsushimaexcels at environment design, which is something that Team Ninja has struggled with in the post-Niohera.
It may be best not to think ofRise of the Roninas aGhost of Tsushimasuccessor, clone, or competitor. Ultimately, each franchise is aiming at a different target, and it’s likely thatRoninwill simply be a different sort of game thanGhost of Tsushima, not one that is inherently better or worse.
Ghost of Tsushima
WHERE TO PLAY
A storm is coming. Discover the expanded Ghost of Tsushima experience in this Director’s Cut. Uncover the hidden wonders of Tsushima in this open-world action adventure from Sucker Punch Productions and PlayStation Studios, available for PS5 and PS4. Forge a new path and wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima. Challenge opponents with your katana, master the bow to eliminate distant threats, develop stealth tactics to ambush enemies and explore a new story on Iki Island.
