Rise of the Ronin And Ghost of Tsushima Have Assassin's Creed's DNA

Summary

Rise of the Ronin triggers nostalgia for classic Assassin's Creed games with its parkour, reminiscent of the Ezio Auditore era.
The game features an inventor character who provides new weapons and upgrades, similar to Leonardo da Vinci's role in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.
The architecture of Yokohama in the game reminds the author of Ezio's adventures in Renaissance Italy, blending Japanese culture with Western influences.

has been on my radar since it was announced at 2022’s State of Play, though I’ve never felt any great d𝔍rive to play it. If you’re really into Samurai games, it’s a big deal, but I am not. I played some of Like A Dragon: Ishin!, which didn’t click, and I wasn’t particularly taken by Ghost of Tsushima either. But watching Rise of the Ronin’s gameplay overview during yesterday’s State of Play finally piqued my interest enough for me to commit to playing it this year.

Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin Have More In Common Than Just Samurais

I think Rise of the Ronin triggered a deep-rooted nostalgia for the kind of game we haven’t really seen since the Ezio Auditore era of Assassi൩n’s Creed games. Ghost of Tsushima reminded me of a lot of early AC games because of its stealth mechanics and assassinations from the grass, but its open world map full of icons reminded me of later Ubisoft games in a way that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Rise of the Ronin, by contrast, doesn’t look as stealth focused, leaning more into the parkour that we also associate with Assassin’s Creed. Right at the start of the gameplay over♌view, we see our Samurai grappling to rooftops with a rope and even using a glider to soar through the air. I immediately entered my own mental animus and returned to the memories of my 13 year old self, who spent countless hours leaping around the rooftops of Florence and gliding through the 𝐆air with the flying machine Leonardo da Vinci gave me.

Two Protagonists, Two Inventor Besties

You can get new weapons and upgrades from an inventor - also based on a real historical figure - in Rise of the Ronin as well, which reminds me of da Vinci’s role in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. As you become lifelong friends with him, he gives you more and more weapons in your fight against the Templars. It looks liꦍke fancy equipment and technological inn♔ovation will have a place in Rise of the Ronin, just like it did in Ezio’s life.

Surprisingly, despite Rise of the Ronin taking place in Yokohama in the 19th-century Bakumatsu era, the arc🐟hitecture of the city also reminds me of Ezio’s adventures in Renaissance Italy. The gameplay overview says that Yokohama was🅷 one of the first Japanese ports opened to foreign countries, which led to its cityscape becoming a fascinating blend of Japanese culture and Western influences. Watching the game’s Samurai protagonist bounce around familiar-looking rooftops only makes it feel more like Ezio is sprinting around Florence and Venice all over again.

Yokohama is alsℱo a location in my current favourite game, Like A 𝓡Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Are these games going to be very alike as whole, individual games? It’s hard to say, but when Rise of the Ronin comes out next month, I intend to find out. The Ezio era of the Assassin’s Creed games were my favourite – I haven&rs⭕quo;t liked any modern Ubisoft games as much as I liked that trilogy – and to see a similar energy in a modern triple-A game, hopefully with better map design and combat mechanics, will make it a hit for me.