Rise of the Ronin, the PlayStation 5 exclusive title from Team Ninja, has been out for a while now and has received “generally favorable” reviews as per Metacritic. The game has been praised for its smooth and thrilling combat, beautiful open-world design, Bakumatsu-inspired setting, and more.
The game features incredible storytelling and gameplay that has really impressed players, and the developers at Team Ninja have abandoned realism at times to get that. Although it may have caused issues, the developers have done it in the best ways possible so that players don’t even notice.
Rise of the Ronin Prioritizes Player Experience Over Realism
Rise of the Ronin producer Yosuke Hayashi and game director Fumihiko Yasuda sat down for an interview with Automaton Media and discussed the game’s development and several other aspects. The game is an open-world RPG set in 19th-century Japan during the Bakumatsu period.
When asked how the developers were able to connect realism to the game that takes place in a historical setting, Fumihiko Yasuda said that there was a lot of fact-checking and research involved in the making of the game, which is also Koei Tecmo’s expertise.
He added that since Rise of the Ronin is a period drama and an action game, Team Ninja added a “sense of urgency” to prioritize the player’s experience. He said that the team also abandoned realism to provide players with comfort while playing the game. Here’s what Fumihiko Yasuda said:
For example, we made decisions to prioritize player comfort and, in some cases, abandon realism. For example, we don’t make the player spend ages riding a horse to get somewhere.
What Yasuda is referring to here is that Rise of the Ronin allows players to ride horses to travel places, and players don’t have to ride for a long time to get to that place on the map.
The game lets players select a spot once they are on the horse, and then, with the press of a button, they will be automatically taken to their chosen location. Players can even collect any resources they pass by.
Rise of the Ronin Favors Players in Several Other Ways
The game also allows players to automatically get on their horse once it arrives after they summon it. There is also automatic loot disposal that abandons any resources such as weapons, cosmetics, and other items that are below a specific level, which can be selected by players.
Players can also fast-travel to any checkpoint they wish using the activity icons at any point in the game. Moreover, the stamina meter in Rise of the Ronin turns endless if players are out of combat, allowing them to travel all around the game world and not care about their health.
Surely, the developers have abandoned realism, but players won’t really care about it if they are having fun. These quality-of-life features save players time, keeping them engaged to experience everything that the game has to offer.
What are your thoughts about the game abandoning realism? Have you played Rise of the Ronin yet? Let us know in the comments.
