Rise of the Ronin Game Director Teases Hard Mode Difficulty, 'Challenging' Post-Game Content

Team Ninja says fans of its work will find Rise of the Ronin’s hard mode to be just as difficult as some of the studio's past games, and there will be plenty to keep players entertained before and after the credits. Development Producer and Game Director Fumihiko Yasuda and Producer Yosuke Hayashi spoke about their upcoming 19th-century-set action game during a recent chat with IGN. We asked how its hard mode option, Twilight, compares to other similar action games, and it sounds like veteran players looking for an extra challenge will feel right at home. “The equivalence of hard difficulty that's in the game is that it provides an experience that's similar to our previous titles in terms of combat difficulty,” Yasuda said. He continued, saying Twilight will offer “a similar sense of intensity,” but there will also be more to do after the credits roll: “There's also post-game content that is challenging that players can also enjoy.” While Hayashi says the team wanted to create an experience "that could be enjoyed by a wide range of players," it sounds like those looking to test their skills won't be disappointed. Part of what will keep players on their toes is Rise of the Ronin’s variety. Although this more grounded Team Ninja title won’t feature heavy fantasy elements like we’ve seen in some of the studio's past games, Yasuda teases an array of enemies to encounter. “The player, as well as the enemies that appear in the game, use a wide variety of weapons, whether they be close-range weapons, or ranged weapons,” he explained. “There's also a wide variety of combat styles. Actually, some of the weapons have a certain affinity with the certain combat styles. It will be up to the player to discern and assess which affinities work well and employ their own approach from this wide variety that's available to them.” As players guide the Blade Twins through Rise of the Ronin’s story, they’ll visit three major cities. Yasuda tells us that access to these locations is tied to player progression, meaning there’s a specific order in which you’ll unlock each area. You will, however, be able to return to each city after it's been visited. The Blade Twins themselves are customizable from the beginning. Players should make sure to create a character they’re happy with, as Yasuda explains that they won’t be able to be tinkered with until later in the story: “At the beginning of the game, the player is able to customize and create the two Blade Twins, and then in the middle of the game, there's also a specific location that the players can go to recreate their character if they would like.” Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo recently invited IGN to check out a pre-release version of Rise of the Ronin. We walked away with a few reservations but still enjoyed the slice of story beats and the smorgasbord of activities on offer. We’ll have a better look at everything the studio is cooking up when Rise of the Ronin launches for PlayStation 5 tomorrow, March 22, 2024. For more, check out our review.