Recently released player achievement data from Rise of the Ronin suggests that players of the epic action RPG are also enamored by its side content- more specifically the game’s fluffy felines. An impressive 16% of players have already gone to the trouble of fully exploring the open world game’s locations to find all 100 cats (source: Official PlayStation blog).

Published by Koei Tecmo (Dynasty Warriors, Nobunaga’s Ambition) and developed by Team Ninja (Sekiro, Nioh), Rise of the Ronin was released on PS5 back in March 2024. The game lets you experience life as a ronin (masterless samurai) in Japan’s turbulent Bakumatsu period. As well as offering a variety of combat, an engaging story and the chance to interact with and even romance historical figures, the epic title features plenty of side content. This includes 100 cute cats to track down and pet, a feat which 16% of players have already achieved.

Rise of the Ronin cats — *Rise of the Ronin’s cats (image credit: IGN)*.

Getting all the collectables in a game (even for a trophy) is something many players leave until later, or never get around to doing. This surprising level of commitment to tracking down felines suggests that a lot of cat lovers play Rise of the Ronin. The developers noticed this early on, with May’s Version 1.05 update adding in an ability to let players pet cats to their hearts’ content (even after they had found them all).

Cat collecting players may also have another motivation. Although cuddling cats may be a reward in itself for some people, finding them in Rise of the Ronin is also important if you want to raise your bond with Usugomo Dayu, the courtesan in the entertainment district who can also be romanced. Having a good bond with Usugomo lets you purchase more useful items from her shop. You can also send out cats on missions using the Cat Concierge feature, which nets you more rewards.

Rise of the Ronin calico cat — *Calico cats are the hardest to catch in Rise of the Ronin as they will run away if you don’t approach them quietly (image credit: The Gamer).*

Rise of the Ronin’s play data also revealed some other interesting facts. Surprisingly 19% of players have been completing missions on Rise of the Ronin’s Midnight difficulty, the game’s hardest setting. This might be due to fans of Team Ninja, who are accustomed to the studio’s high difficulty level games like Sekiro and Ninja Gaiden.

Rise of the Ronin has been particularly well received in Japan, probably in part due to Japanese people’s familiarity with the real-life historical figures who appear in the game, many of whom are household names. For those who have yet to pick up Rise of the Ronin and are unsure if the game is for them, a demo was just released on July 25. This lets you try out the first chapter for free, with the ability to carry over save data to the full game.

For a glimpse behind the scenes, check out our full interview with Rise of the Ronin’s developers.

Rise of the Ronin is available now on PS5. A free demo can also be downloaded from the PlayStation store.