The PlayStation 5 exclusive, Rise of the Ronin, launched last month and has received mostly positive reviews from both gamers and critics. The game takes players to 19th-century Japan amidst the Boshin War and has been praised for its open world, fine-tuned combat, and more.
Rise of the Ronin also features several real-life historical figures of the 19th century that players come across during their playthrough and can interact with them as well. This has led to one unintentional crossover with one popular SEGA game that is quite different from Team Ninja’s.
Rise of the Ronin Features a Crossover With Popular SEGA Title
The game is set in Japan’s Bakumatsu era, 300 years into the tyrannical rule of the Tokugawa shogunate, where players play as a ronin. It features personalities including Ryoma Sakamoto, who was a Japanese samurai and an influential figure in the Bakumatsu era.
While many may not be familiar with the name, those who have played SEGA’s Like a Dragon: Ishin would know Sakamoto, as he was the main protagonist of the game. The game features Ryoma Sakamoto in the same era and creates an unintentional crossover between the stories of games from Team Ninja and RGG Studio.
Rise of the Ronin producer Yosuke Hayashi talked about this in an interview and said that it did not surprise the team as the Bakumatsu period is a very popular time in Japanese history. He said:
Yeah, so the timing…there was quite a bit of overlap. But you know, we saw that – but at the same time, we weren’t really surprised that Japanese developers would be releasing or remastering a game set in the same period as [Rise of the Rōnin]. It’s a very popular period in Japanese history.
Although Rise of the Ronin does not focus entirely on Sakamoto, he is the first real-life character players encounter in the game. He is well-versed in the Hokushin Itto-ryu combat style, which makes him important for the players. Players can go with him on Ronin Missions, assist him in Bond Missions, and more to form bonds.
Yosuke Hayashi Explains Why Team Ninja Chose the Bakumatsu Era for the Game
Rise of the Ronin is the first true open-world game by Team Ninja. It became more important as the developer had to prove that it could take on something like it and do justice to it, especially in the period the game is set in.
Yosuke Hayashi explained in the same interview why Team Ninja chose the Bakumatsu era for the title. Hayashi said that the Bakumatsu period was an important time in Japanese history as it was the beginning of “Japan’s modernization” and the end of the samurai age.
He said it provided the “ideals and value systems” that are seen in the game, as it requires players to form bonds with characters and make different choices. “We felt that this dynamic provided by this historical period was a good fit for the concept of the game,” Hayashi concluded.
What are your thoughts about this unintended crossover between Rise of the Ronin and Like a Dragon: Ishin? Let us know in the comments.
