I don't know how Rise of the Ronin is doing sales-wise. I'm sure it's doing well enough, but considering the way Sony tried to position it as a tentpole exclusive, you kind of get the feeling Dragon's Dogma 2 sucked up a lot of the air in the room. Which is a shame, because the game is fantastic.
Where DD2 is a very atypical open world game with a lot of esoteric design choices (that either really work for you or really don't), Ronin is a very comfortable experience. It's very much a game with icons on the map, completion metrics for each area, color coded loot, random events and enemy outposts to clear out, etc. All that stuff. Depending on your tastes, or how cynical you tend to see those games, this is a good thing or a bad thing. Me, I know how I play games and what I enjoy, and this game is supremely my shit.
Overall, Ronin just feels tuned to prioritize having fun. The gameplay loop is addictive, you always feel like you're close to an activity that has some sort of gameplay or narrative reward. The combat in Ronin is excellent. It's challenging but totally doable once you grasp the parrying mechanic (which you need to grasp at some point), with a ton of depth in the systems and various weapons, stances, moves, etc. Stealth is pretty workmanlike but it's satisfying as hell, and offers a fun alternative way to clear out areas. Traversal is fast and fun, stamina doesn't run out when you're out of combat. The game has both a grappling hook and a glider, and while both feel a little bit janky they're also just a ton of fun.
I feel like Ronin is very much a "people pleaser" game. It's taking a pretty well-worn design and executing on it very well, with better combat than most other games in this genre see. Seeing on Era more and more people discover it, some on their own volition, some hearing word of mouth, and some bouncing off of Dragon's Dogma after realizing that game isn't for them, has been great. I get similar vibes from this that I did with Days Gone, where the game didn't review incredibly well, but over the years more and more people picked it up and found themselves saying "wait, I think this game is fantastic?". I hope Rise of the Ronin has a similar tail, because it offers up an experience that's proven to be beloved, and it's a very good traditional open world game.
Where DD2 is a very atypical open world game with a lot of esoteric design choices (that either really work for you or really don't), Ronin is a very comfortable experience. It's very much a game with icons on the map, completion metrics for each area, color coded loot, random events and enemy outposts to clear out, etc. All that stuff. Depending on your tastes, or how cynical you tend to see those games, this is a good thing or a bad thing. Me, I know how I play games and what I enjoy, and this game is supremely my shit.
Overall, Ronin just feels tuned to prioritize having fun. The gameplay loop is addictive, you always feel like you're close to an activity that has some sort of gameplay or narrative reward. The combat in Ronin is excellent. It's challenging but totally doable once you grasp the parrying mechanic (which you need to grasp at some point), with a ton of depth in the systems and various weapons, stances, moves, etc. Stealth is pretty workmanlike but it's satisfying as hell, and offers a fun alternative way to clear out areas. Traversal is fast and fun, stamina doesn't run out when you're out of combat. The game has both a grappling hook and a glider, and while both feel a little bit janky they're also just a ton of fun.
I feel like Ronin is very much a "people pleaser" game. It's taking a pretty well-worn design and executing on it very well, with better combat than most other games in this genre see. Seeing on Era more and more people discover it, some on their own volition, some hearing word of mouth, and some bouncing off of Dragon's Dogma after realizing that game isn't for them, has been great. I get similar vibes from this that I did with Days Gone, where the game didn't review incredibly well, but over the years more and more people picked it up and found themselves saying "wait, I think this game is fantastic?". I hope Rise of the Ronin has a similar tail, because it offers up an experience that's proven to be beloved, and it's a very good traditional open world game.
