Rise of the Ronin lets you casually chill with the guy who forced Japan’s borders open
Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin came out last week. In the open world action RPG, players become a masterless samurai in mid 19th century Japan during the country’s turbulent Bakumatsu period. Some real-life historical figures appear in the game, and the surrealism of having famous faces like Commodore Perry visiting your house is amusing Japanese gamers. Please be aware that this article contains mild story spoilers and in-game screenshots from Rise of the Ronin.
Rise of the Ronin drops you right in the middle of Japanese history, and as a masterless samurai in the dying days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, you can meet various real historical figures like Shogunate opposer Sakamoto Ryoma on the one hand, and high-ranking feudal lord Ii Naosuke on the other. The story plays out depending on which ideologies you sympathize with and which faction you follow. As well as giving you an impressive arsenal of weapons to play with, Rise of the Ronin also lets you interact with an impressive range of people, regardless of whether they are from the pro-Shogunate (Sabaku) faction, the anti-Shogunate faction or foreigners from the West.
As the story progresses, you will gain access to a longhouse in Yokohama. Longhouses in Rise of the Ronin basically serve as your base of operations. You can rest between missions, change your character’s appearance and specs, store items or send your dog to look for money. You can also decorate the interior, and the items you choose can give you buffs- for example scrolls and paintings can increase your acquisition of various in-game elements like weapon proficiency, coins and enemy item drops.
Some familiar famous faces may drop in to your longhouse. This gives you the chance to talk to them, give them gifts, and improve your bond with the character and their faction. People turn up at random, though you can deck your house out with certain accessories that will appeal to individuals and increase the chances of them popping round for tea.
One of these famous visitors is Commodore Matthew C. Perry. Commodore Perry was an American naval officer who came to Japan in 1853 to demand that the Shogunate open Japan to the outside world, an event that became known as “the coming of the Black Ships.” This was one of the incidences that contributed towards the domestic movement to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate. The beginning of Rise of the Ronin sees you and your Blade Twin accomplice sneaking on board a Black Ship to try to assassinate Perry. Your Blade Twin is killed in the botched attempt.
Despite this, Perry seems willing to let the past be the past, and your relationship can become cordial as the game progresses. Perry’s appearance at your longhouse despite your personal history, plus the fact that historical figures with opposing ideologies may drop in at the same time, seems to be blowing Japanese players’ minds. The juxtaposition of serious faces from your history textbook against the relaxed atmosphere of the longhouse is just too surreal.
You can quickly make connections with Sakamoto Ryoma and even the bandit chief Gonzo, resulting in them showing up at your house on occasion, which makes for an amusing sight. On the other hand, there are plenty of social media users complaining that the person they want to visit their longhouse doesn’t come round. It seems that the longhouse situation is complicated in Rise of the Ronin- and it may help to research which accessories attract which people, so that you can have the laid-back historical house party of your dreams.
Rise of the Ronin is available now on PS5.
Based on the original Japanese article by Kosuke Takenaka (original article’s publication date: 2024-03-28 17:47 JST)
Maybe there will be a QOL update on helping people understand which accessories or furniture can attract certain characters to the Longhouse. This was an amusing read.