Yasuda describes Rise of the Rōnin’s close-quarters swordplay as having familiar elements to games like Nioh. The game includes different weapon styles, parrying appears to be an important skill, and players can employ tricks like setting their katana on fire to deal extra damage. However, Rōnin were known for using a variety of weapons, and that’s represented by polearms and the most devastating weapon granted by the time period: guns. The influx of Western firearms, such as pistols and rifles, adds a vital ranged element to the action. The grappling hook can also be used offensively; a recent trailer showed the Rōnin hooking it to an explosive barrel to swing and lob at a mob of targets. The story may be more reality-based, but the action is as over-the-top as you’d expect from a Team Ninja title.
Team Ninja states Rise of the Rōnin’s combat revolves around studying and learning enemy patterns gleaned after repeated failures, suggesting it will be as challenging as the games preceding it. When I asked if it still punishes death in the same Soulslike fashion, where players must retrieve fallen experience points, and how the more realistic story would justify this, Yasuda confirmed it does and involves a progression resource called Karma. It’s an apt name; the developers say the word symbolizes the destiny people carry from one life into the next. However, Yasuda clarifies that Karma only represents one system. There is another, more traditional type of XP that players retain after death. “You can look forward to the details of this in the future,” Yasuda says.
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