Rise of Ronin Devs Show Off Combat Styles and Weapon Variety

Team Ninja dive into the array of weapons and combat styles players will get to experience in the upcoming Action-RPG Rise of the Ronin.

Rise of Ronin Devs Show Off Combat Styles and Weapon Variety

Developer Team Ninja has dived further into the choice of weapons and martial skills that will appear in Rise of the Ronin next month. In the second showcase of a series of videos, the studio has zeroed in on “The Fight”. This footage contains details on the challenging combat and weapon types to explore during this Bakumatsu set game.

The Battle of Ki

Rise of the Ronin will have the Ki combat system, where using melee weapons such as Katanas, spears and even ranged weapons will affect your foe’s Ki bar. Using melee attacks with the Square button, L1 to guard and Circle to dodge. Only after your enemy’s Ki is worn down completely will you have the advantage to deal major damage and land some critical hits.

Ki works both ways as when your own is depleted, you can’t attack or run, so this will be something to keep an eye on especially in the heat of battle. If you’re familiar with Nioh 2, you might find the Ki system familiar, as attacking, blocking, and dodging can be affected.

The Use of Counterspark and Martial Skills

Another way to get that Ki bar down when facing off with major foes is to use the Counterspark to parry. By pressing Triangle, you can adjust your melee weapon to deflect the attacker with a large arc. This can be used to evade attacks that you are not able to guard, but it will chip away at your Ki and cause your opponent to be stunned for a moment. This will be a great opportunity to really go ham and knock down their maximum Ki.

Weapons, Foes and Combat Woes

A major part of any Action combat game, especially a Team Ninja one is knowing how to best utilise your weapon choices against enemies. Rise of the Ronin has a mix of Japanese and Western weapons such as Katanas, spears, dual blades, bayonets and sabers. Each of the weapon types has their own attack actions. But how do you learn new combat styles? Team Ninja explains in the PlayStation Blog posts that meeting new characters will be key to getting more combat styles and will be a way to further extend your capabilities.

Enemy combat styles fall under Ten (Sky), Chi (Earth) and Jin (Human). These will have their strengths and weaknesses against the different weapons. Knowing which can parry the right combat style will help to push back your foe with dramatic effect.

Stylish Combat

Mumyo Style

Next, the devs dive into the different kinds of Combat Styles. Firstly, Mumyo is described as a martial art “performed in pairs”. Its origins are a little mysterious as the master behind it isn’t known, but it comes from the Kurosu Clan.

Hokushin Itto Style

This style is rooted in swordsmanship by the creator Shusaku Chiba in the beginning of the 19th century. It uses a cluster of attacks that is meant to overwhelm the target. Hokushin Itto’s dojo was born in 1822 in Edo (now known as Tokyo) and still remains today.

Yagyu Shinkage Style

This swordsmanship style was invented by the famous military teacher of the Tokugawa clan. Initially starting with the shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. There have been many of the Tokugawa clan who have learned this style of sword fighting.

You can use nine different weapons to fight your foes, such as double swords, Oxtail Swords, large swords, and long swords. The combat is steeped in Japanese history and culture, which makes for an exciting setting.

From a Longer Range

If you’re looking to attack from afar, Bows and Firearms will be the way to go in Rise of the Ronin. Bows are on the more silent side where you stealthily take out a target completely unaware. Firearms will provide a powerful approach but of course give away your position in an instance. It will be up to you if you want to go in guns blazing or take out a foe or two from the shadows.

Handguns on the other hand give a great option to stun foes for a duration, and can be used to get that Ki limit down. Probably the most interesting weapon introduced is the Fire Pipes. This flamethrower-esque weapon can set fire to gunpowder barrels for an explosive conclusion.

Action“>Grappling into Action

There looks to be an exciting range of ways to defeat enemies in Team Ninja’s latest foray into Action. After Wo Long Fallen Dynasty, this entry is looking is quite varied combat and exploration-wise.

A Big Wide World

Previously the developer showcased the ways to get around in the game which includes horse riding, swimming, gliding and grappling to greater heights. There were also teases of interacting with cats in your downtime, maybe a collect-a-cat situation might occur with these cute fur balls to be found. If you’ve played Nioh 2, it might remind you of the strange but adorable Scampuss that deploys an Anima buff. I wonder if these cats in Ronin will have any effect apart from temporarily disarming you with their floofiness.

Rise of the Ronin’s open world will have plenty to keep players busy with and won’t be short of ways to explore. The studio has already teased a heated narrative with the main Action-rpg/”>three factions which hold influence during this era.

If you’re eager to learn more we have a great video/article covering what we know about the game so far. Rise of the Ronin: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Team Ninja Game.