Rise of the Ronin has been released for the PlayStation 5, and the general reception has been extremely positive. It seems like Sony has yet again found success with the help of Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja. This game is the developers’ first open-world title, and the large scale requires different forms of traversal.
Players will have various options to explore the map, from horseback on land to grappling hooks to clinging to ledges and gliding through the air. Team Ninja has proof that gliding was possible back then.
History is an Advantage for Rise of the Ronin
In an interview, game director Fumihiko Yasuda was well-aware of the skepticism surrounding one of the traversal options, which is gliding. Yasuda believes that flight was achievable back during the Bakumatsu period because of historical evidence and blueprints that were uncovered.
As for the glider, you will probably think it sounds like fantasy. but actually, an inventor from the Bakumatsu period left behind blueprints for such a device, which inspired us to add it to the game.
The gliding feature also helped the game to stand apart from more recent games that are also inspired by Japanese culture, like the fellow PlayStation exclusive Ghost of Tsushima. It is a testament to how creative and advanced the Japanese are, even in a difficult time.
I don’t think anyone has experienced flying through the sky in a Japanese period drama yet. I hope you will enjoy this game as a historical adaptation rather than a reality-based experience.
The director also mentioned the inability to fly in previous games, and the discovery of the blueprints was meant to be a way to honor the inventor and a means for the project to be historically accurate.
Naysayers can doubt all they want; Team Ninja did the research and wouldn’t include an idea that wasn’t proven or entirely possible. Gliding during the Bakumatsu era of Japan may seem unlikely, but it turns out to be possible.
Rise of the Ronin Offers the Convenience of Gliding
Playing an open-world game with an insane level of difficulty and complex combat can be taxing, but Team Ninja has found other ways to make a player’s experience much more convenient aside from traversal. The developers have implemented several time-saving features such as automated loot disposal, unlimited stamina outside of combat, and fast travel.
Through these features, players now feel a lighter load of burden and can focus on much more important things in the game. The developers have made the right decision to include historically accuracy to the game and used it as an advantage.
Gliding may seem ridiculous to exist at a time when technology has yet reached the full potential for people to benefit from it but it is evidence of Japanese ingenuity and expert craftsmanship.
Rise of the Ronin is an ambitious yet historically dependent game, and it seems like PlayStation has achieved greatness through cultural representation. Do you enjoy gliding in the game? Let us know in the comments below!
