We’ve all finally had enough time to filter through all of the March 22 releases. I’m not sure who decided that we needed three major game releases on the same day, but I can kind of see how it could work. The three games — Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin, Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Nintendo’s Princess Peach Showtime! — are different enough to appeal to different audiences. However, some gamers fell into the middle spot on the March 22 Venn diagram and wanted to play all of them, myself included.
Of the three games, Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin got a bit overshadowed. Dragon’s Dogma 2 had a lot of pre-release hype and Princess Peach comes with her own built-in fandom in addition to the residual excitement from the Mario movie. However, I think that’s a bit unfair to Rise of the Ronin and Team Ninja, because the game itself is a good action RPG, even if it feels a bit bland compared to its fellow games.
What I liked and didn’t like about Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin follows a former assassin whose partner, or “blade twin,” is killed during a failed mission. The player character’s destiny takes them on a pseudo-historical tour through the Bakumatsu Period, where they’ll meet historical figures, influence events and forge bonds that determine the course of the country’s history. I say “pseudo-historical” because it’s very clearly not trying to be a note-for-note recreation of real events: You can play a white female samurai with purple hair and there’s nothing weird about it.
The best part of Rise of the Ronin is the combat system, which reminds me in a good way of Nioh or Sekiro. It’s about wearing down an enemy’s Ki gauge (their stamina, more or less) until their staggered and you can finish them off. The Ronin has multiple weapons and stances at their disposal, and can tailor their approach to the enemy in question in order to finish fights faster and with more panache. The combat and narrative are the most interesting parts of the game, by a longshot.
Sadly, its one of those games where the extra gameplay doesn’t live up to the main story. There are plenty of side quests and tasks you can take on for loot, if you’re into that sort of thing, but it’s not really a particularly rich or delightful open world. Also, while playing on the PS5, I experienced some framerate issues, even while playing on the Performance difficulty. In an action-heavy game that requires thinking fast, that’s a problem.
So what else is going on this week?
I’m so tired of having to tell everyone about layoff stories, and I’m very much looking forward to such stories becoming more rare. As it is, we saw this week that Take-Two Interactive is planning to lay off 5% of its staff, anywhere from 500 to 600 people. Not even a very pleasant Nintendo Indie World Showcase was enough to make the week better after that happened — though I did enjoy getting to publish my thoughts on Simogo’s Lorelei and the Laser Eyes.
In personal news, I … honestly have no news on what games I’m going to play this weekend. I think I might be tapped out for once. That being said, I am over the moon about the fact that we finally got a gameplay trailer and a release date for the next Nancy Drew title, Mystery of the Seven Keys. I’ve been waiting what feels like forever for the thirty-fourth (yes, you read that right) entry in the series, and I’m going to clear my calendar for May 7 so that I can play it in peace.
What to play this week
What’s new:
- No Rest for the Wicked
- Reigns: Beyond
- Harold Halibut
- Kill It With Fire 2
- Age of Water
New on subscription services:
- Orcs Must Die! 3 (Xbox Game Pass)
- EA Sports NHL 24 (Xbox Game Pass)
- Dave the Diver (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Oddballers (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Construction Simulator (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- The Crew 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Raji: An Ancient Epic (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Nour: Play With Your Food (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Deliver Us Mars (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Lego Marvel’s Avengers (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Miasma Chronicles (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Stray Blade (PlayStation Plus Extra + Premium)
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- MediEvil (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- The Crew Motorfest (GeForce Now)
- Evil West (GeForce Now)
- Lightyear Frontier (GeForce Now)
- Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (GeForce Now)
- Rose Riddle: The Fairy Tale Detective Collector’s Edition (Prime Gaming)
- Dexter Stardust: Adventures in Outer Space (Prime Gaming)