'Rise of the Ronin' Release Date: Story, Gameplay, and More

Rise of the Ronin takes place in 1863 in Japan, where the tyrannical rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate has been in place for three centuries up until that point. A Boshin war breaks out between them and numerous anti-shogunate factions that are none too pleased with the Western influence brought upon them after the forced reopening of Japan following the Sakoku period. After the "Black Ships of the West" and its people descend upon Japan's borders, mayhem breaks out among its people as that new Western presence results in rampant war, disease, and political unrest. The three main political factions vying for power during this period include the "Sabaku" (pro-Shogunate), the "Tobaku" (anti-Shogunate), and the "Obei" (Western Forces). Your character will have a major impact on how this violent political struggle plays out based on your actions during assorted missions, the characters you choose to align yourself with, and the impactful decisions you make along your journey.

Rise of the Ronin is a third-person action RPG that places your custom masterless samurai known as a Ronin in an open world that lets you explore real-world historical locales such as Yokohama, Kyoto, and Edo. On your own or with three other online warriors, you'll battle your way through packed battlefields with a combat style that should instantly be familiar to those of you who have played the Nioh series and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty extensively. The many weapons at your disposal include a katana, a staff, double swords, and an armory full of Boshin War firearms. Timing is key during your many one-on-one and multi-man skirmishes as you'll need to switch up your battle stances, block, and parry your enemies while also going in for the kill. Two of the cooler methods that'll knock your foes off balance include using a bayonet to deflect blades & counter incoming rifle blasts and putting your flamethrower-like "Fire Pipe" to good use to burn your enemies & ignite flammable barrels for explosive damage.

Of course, you'll be able to traverse across this game's open world on foot or atop a horse. The two additional traversal methods you can employ in Rise of the Ronin include a grappling hook that quickly transports you to higher locations and a wing glider that lets you soar to your next destination. For those of you reading this right now who are worried about Rise of the Ronin employing the same high-challenge factor of the Nioh series, you can push those fears to the side. This upcoming release will feature three difficulty modes - "Dawn" (Easy), "Dusk" (Normal), and "Twilight" (Hard). Additionally, the Dawn difficulty mode will allow players to increase their health recovery from acquiring medicine and reduce their Ki loss from attacks.