By the time of its launch, Rise of the Ronin is joining a staggering lineup of open-world RPG-style games. With games like Assassin’s Creed and Elden Ring setting the standard for this genre, Rise of the Ronin has had to shift from the norm to stand out. Some of that was successful, while some seemed to fall flat.
The comparison between Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) and Rise of the Ronin (RotR) feels unavoidable. However, it’s also entirely unfair to only view RotR exclusively from the lens of GoT. That being said, if I saw someone playing RotR two months before launch, I’d think it was GoT until I was told otherwise. That is until you get to the combat.
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via Twinfinite
One of the biggest differences is that Rise of the Ronin plays like a Soulslike. This isn’t to say it is one, but the combat warrants the comparison. The difference is that RotR doesn’t make me feel like I need to rip my hair out to get through a boss fight. You might have to leave and get stronger materials, but you can always return and finish the job.
If I compare RotR to Lies of P, they almost don’t play like they’re in the same genre. For Soulslikes, there’s a certain level of practice that you can’t progress without. Rise of the Ronin differs because it feels more lenient, making the combat feel hollower than that of Dark Souls or Sekiro. The challenge is less present, meaning the reward doesn’t feel as meaningful.
Rise of the Ronin seems to take after Tears of the Kingdom more than Soulslikes. It’s approachable, showing you missions or bosses you can take on whenever you encounter them. However, you can fight them too early and get beaten enough times to realize that you’ll have to come back later. It toes the line of Elden Ring in that sense, but trying to ground that sort of combat into this story feels a bit forced.
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via Twinfinite
Rise of the Ronin is set in the 1850s in mainland Japan when the country was opening its doors to the rest of the world. The map is substantial and filled with many things to do and people to meet. This subconsciously makes RotR feel like a spiritual successor to Ghost of Tsushima, and that’s a high bar to reach.
Rise of the Ronin has a compelling story, but something about it feels hollow beneath the surface. In contrast, Ghost of Tsushima thrusts you into the shoes (or geta, rather) of Jin Sakai, a samurai who has lost everything and has to reclaim his home at the cost of his honor, and you see that struggle play out as the game goes on.
RotR has you make two characters who are bonded because of their shared childhood, and the one you choose becomes the one you use to seek out the other after a mission gone bad. Sure, you get the “lone samurai seeking their other half” trope, but it’s played out quickly. It doesn’t feel strong enough to drive the story through such a massive and diverse world.
The game is set during a turbulent and controversial time in history, and you’re actively working for or against the core change that’s at the centre of it. However, instead of immersing yourself in this story, your character is silent and only has the flat motive of “must find Blade Twin.” Rise of the Ronin places you in a breathtaking and fascinating time, only to make your participation hinge on something trivial.
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via Twinfinite
Even many of the side characters are quite one-dimensional. It feels like you’re forming a strong bond with those you can just for the sake of doing so. The dialogue feels hollow as they recite answers at you, and every choice feels like a matter of “yes vs. no” rather than having a real conversation. It’s no Baldur’s Gate 3, that’s for sure.
Without trying to draw too heavy-handed of a comparison between RotR and Ghost of Tsushima, some mechanics still feel better in the latter. Riding your horse is a better experience in Ghost of Tsushima because you feel more connected to your mount. You get to choose its name, Jin talks to it often, and it’s less jumpy as you ride.
Rise of the Ronin’s horse only serves as another thing to upgrade and maintain, but it also doesn’t ride exceptionally well. The controls in the game are already a bit sensitive due to the combat style, but that main traversal method feels clunky. I appreciate the auto-run feature, but even that can take a second to kick in properly.
Regardless, these are two entirely separate games. Ghost of Tsushima served as a love letter to Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai films and matched the style in almost every way. Unfortunately, almost any game that’s as similar as Rise of the Ronin will look a bit dry in comparison.
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via Twinfinite
One of the aspects of open-world games that I love is getting to roam the map and mingle with the NPCs a bit, but even the various collectibles and tasks in Rise of the Ronin feel a bit hollow. To establish bonds with various locations, you’re restoring “public order” to the area. It feels like a forced way to get you to contribute to society without giving you any real motive.
This forms a struggle in me as I play the game. I want to keep playing because I am intrigued by where things are going, but the variety runs short after a while. I can’t stop myself from bouncing between red blips on the map and restoring the public order, but as I do it I don’t feel like there’s ever really much point.
Rise of the Ronin dictates your choices based on where your blade twin goes, and it doesn’t feel like the story elicits the passion to get many players to the end of it. The graphics are breathtaking and the music is appropriate, but the gameplay and story don’t seem to stack up. Even though there’s no lack of things to do or fights to be had, Rise of the Ronin doesn’t feel as substantial as it could have been.
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It’s beyond undeniable that 2023 was one of the most memorable years in recent history when it came to new game releases. From completely brand new IPs, to long-awaited sequels, to surprisingly refreshing remakes, there was something for just about literally everyone to try.
It puts just a little bit of pressure on this new year to keep that momentum going, but thankfully there are even more exciting new titles to look forward to, particularly on the PlayStation side of the field. If you’re wondering what all is on the docket this year for PS5 players, we’ve got you covered. Here is our list of all PS5 exclusives releasing in 2024.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Release Date: January 19, 2024
Image Source: Naughty Dog
On the heels of giving the universally acclaimed The Last of Us Part I an incredible glow up with their new PS5 engine technology, Naughty Dog has understandably done the same for the sequel, which is set to release in just a couple of weeks now on the PS5. Revered as one of the most controversial and yet most successful sequels in the industry, The Last of Us Part II takes players back into the lives of Joel and Ellie a few years after the events of the first game, and the consequences of Joel’s decisions which have created a familial rift between the two of them.
This time around, players experience the journey ahead mostly through Ellie’s eyes, and even those of new characters she encounters along the way. The journey itself is perhaps one of the most emotionally palpable and devastating ones ever seen in modern gaming, and one that powerfully divided the fanbase of the series in the months and years following its release. If you’ve never played the sequel before, or want to relive it in its completely remastered version, this will be your chance. This version will also debut a brand new, roguelike survival mode called No Return mode for players to try out.
Helldivers II
Release Date: February 8, 2024
Image Source: Arrowhead Game Studios
Helldivers II, which releases on PS5 and PC early next month, looks to be a spectacular reimagining of the original game that debuted back in 2015, with far more explosive action that you can share with friends. While keeping the soul of the first game, the team at Arrowhead Game Studios set aside the top-down aesthetic and instead opted for a more immersive and modern style this time around as a third person shooter.
They’ve also promised plenty of “fast, frantic, and ferocious” action, albeit with a stroke of good humor on the side, as players are tasked with fending off ruthless alien invasions on various planets. You don’t have to face them all alone, however, as the game will feature online co-op, allowing you to team up with your friends against these dangerous threats.
Pacific Drive
Release Date: February 22, 2024
Image Source: Ironwood Studios
Pacific Drive is the very first IP out of Seattle-based Ironwood Studios, and if the trailers are anything to go by, it looks like a very promising and unique experience behind the wheel. An amazing soundtrack plays alongside the backdrop of a mysterious supernatural catastrophe that’s happened in the Pacific Northwest of the country. The region has since been renamed as the Olympic Exclusion Zone where outsiders aren’t permitted, but your character remains trapped within this treacherous, unforgiving landscape, and it’s all about personal survival while uncovering the source of what happened.
The key to actually surviving this supernatural catastrophe is your beloved station wagon, which you need to keep alive and running just as much as yourself. That requires venturing out into the wilderness of the Exclusion Zone to gather as many resources as you can, and each time you travel, new threats and mysteries await in the darkest shadows. Customize and upgrade your car in any way you see fit, with as many bells and whistles as you can, all in the hopes that you can discover the truth and finally escape. Pacific Drive pulls in for players everywhere on PS5 and PC at the end of February.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Release Date: February 29, 2024
Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite
After Final Fantasy VII Remake blew countless fans away with what turned out to be a dramatically immersive reimagining of merely the beginning of the iconic game’s original story, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is set to be the next huge chapter of Cloud Strife’s epic adventure, emphasis on “huge”. After he breaks out of Midgar alongside Tifa, Barrett, Red XIII, and Aerith in order to pursue Sephiroth, the party now has the entire world of Gaia before them to explore. As beautifully vibrant as it is, Red XIII reminds them that the planet is actually on the precipice of death thanks to Shinra, as well as the machinations of Jenova and Sephiroth.
Along their journey, as revealed in the game’s latest trailers, the party will unite with familiar characters such as Vincent, Cait Sith, and Cid, as well as Yuffie whom players first got to play as in the Intergrade DLC. The gameplay will further evolve, with players able to seamlessly combine abilities between characters during battle. Plenty of open world exploration will mix with more linear storytelling as players are taken through an almost entirely new version of the story, with Cloud’s former friend Zack Fair mysteriously alive in another timeline. Not only that, it’s all but confirmed that arguably the most iconic scene in the game will occur, which has fans all the more anxious for what will truly happen.
Either way, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will finally release at the end of February as a timed exclusive on the PS5. A PC port will follow suit sometime after, as FFVII: Remake and the Intergrade DLC have since become available on Steam.
Rise of the Ronin
Release Date: March 22, 2024
Image Source: Team Ninja
If you’re someone who enjoys an action-packed, sword-wielding samurai adventure like Ghost of Tsushima, then Rise of the Ronin will probably hit that same sweet spot for you. Players will be able to create their very own customized character, whom will embark on a open-world journey across various iconic cities and countrysides of Japan during the final years of the Edo period, at the peak of the Bonshin War between the Tokugawa Shogunate and factions opposed to the Western influences coming into the country that’s been sealed off for years.
As an action-based RPG, while cutting down those who stand in your way, your character will come across important story-related decisions that will impact the outcome of the conflict one way or another. This is the most ambitious game Team Ninja has developed to date, going from more simplistic, linear titles to an immersive, higher tier RPG with the visual fidelity of previous, similar IPs like Ghost of Tsushima. Its open-world gameplay is bolstered with dynamic battle mechanics and an impressive variety of close-quarter and ranged weaponry. There’s also the transportation, which allows to you go by ground on horseback or by glider in the air, if you wish. That’s right, flying samurais, as if it wasn’t cool enough already.
Rise of the Ronin arrives in late March exclusively on the PS5.
Stellar Blade
Release Window: TBA 2024
Image Source: Shift Up Corporation
Originally marketed as Project EVE by Korean studio Shift Up, Stellar Blade is an action-packed and absolutely stylish hack-and-slash adventure that introduces us to the one and only Eve. After Earth is overwhelmingly invaded by an alien species known as NA:tives, Eve and her squad are tasked by the Colony with going down to Xion, the last standing city on Earth and repelling the invasion at all costs. While there, she meets the city’s residents, particularly a survivor named Adam, and eventually the elder Orcal, who each plead her for help in saving the planet.
With a vibe that definitely feels like Nier-meets-Bayonetta, Stellar Blade looks to make a name for itself in the hack-and-slash genre, and certainly promises plenty of stylish action for players to enjoy. While the game was initially supposed to release in 2023 for PS5, Shift Up announced a delay in December to 2024, with no exact date yet given. Once we know more, we’ll update that here.
Foamstars
Release Window: TBA 2024
Image Source: Toylogic
If you’re in the market for a more light-hearted, free-for-all online bonanza with a bunch of colorful foam cannonballs, then Square Enix’s aptly named ‘Foamstars’ is likely something you’ll want to check out. Since described by public opinion as a homage to the beloved Splatoon franchise, the game is a free-to-play (FTP), 4v4 online multiplayer game that brings much of what makes Splatoon great from the Switch to the heftier PlayStation console.
An open beta hit PS4 and PS5 in Fall of last year, giving players a firsthand look at the foam-based, third-person shooter, and the full game is slated to release sometime this year. Even if you’re on the fence about it, the game will be free to download, so you can decide for yourself with no strings attached.
Concord
Release Window: TBA 2024
Image Source: Firewalk Studios
Concord is the latest IP that comes from the minds of Firewalk Studios, who previously worked on the Horizon: Call of the Mountain VR game that released to critical acclaim. This time around, players will be zooming through the far reaches of space, at least according to the teaser trailer released last summer that didn’t give much away beyond that at the time.
We now know, however, that Concord is slated to be an online multiplayer FPS game that is also being developed in tandem with Bungie, the hub behind the Destiny franchise, and newcomer Haven Studios. Firewalk themselves has so far described the game as having a “unique universe of vibrant worlds” with a “rich” cast of “colorful characters”.
The game is set for a release sometime in 2024 on PS5 and PC, though even that may be tentative as the game isn’t available to wishlist yet on Steam. As soon as more details follow, we’ll update this.
Baby Steps
Release Window: Summer 2024
Image Source: Bennett Foddy
Bennett Foddy is back to both entertain and undoubtedly enrage us once again with his newest, hilarious project called Baby Steps. With the same inherent spirit as Getting Over It, the viral indie title that had many of the biggest streamers screaming and smashing their keyboards a few years ago, Baby Steps is the successor that will have us traversing a vibrant variety of environments, from mountains to jungles, with some very unbalanced footing and a snug onesie outfit to match.
Deadbeat Nate has quite the journey ahead of him, and players will have to get a handle on the unique physics gameplay as best they can, to ultimately put one foot in front of the other and avoid having Nate awkwardly plummet off cliffsides and any other embarrassing stumbles that can mean lost progress.
Baby Steps was first revealed during last year’s Summer Game Awards, and is currently slated to release summer 2024 on PS5 and PC.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Release Window: TBA 2024
Image Source: Bloober Team
This one is probably a surprise to many, given that so little news has come out about the Silent Hill 2 remake since the teaser trailer first released a year ago in Jan 2023. The cat is now out of the bag, however, thanks to PlayStation’s new 2024 release reel that popped up on YouTube most recently, which briefly showcased the Silent Hill 2 remake among this year’s upcoming games. As soon as Bloober Team officially discloses a closer release window, we’ll update this entry promptly.
In similar fashion to other remakes like Capcom’s Resident Evil 4, this is a top-to-bottom, faithful reconstruction of Konami’s most iconic supernatural horror game, Silent Hill 2. Thanks to the creative minds of Bloober Team, and of course the reunion of Team Silent’s Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka, players will get to relive the harrowing journey of James Sunderland as he returns to the eerie lakeside town of Silent Hill in search of his deceased wife, Mary. Along the way he comes across other mysterious characters, and encounters truly unsettling horrors that pull the curtain back on his own past.
That concludes our list of all upcoming PS5 Exclusives releasing in 2024. We hope you found this informative, and let us know which games on this list you’re looking forward to the most.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides and lists on releases for the new year, such as our list of upcoming JRPGs in 2024.
About the author
Stephanie Watel
Stephanie Watel is a freelance writer for Twinfinite. Stephanie has been with the site for a few months, and in the games media industry for about a year. Stephanie typically covers the latest news and a variety of gaming guides for the site, and loves gardening and being the bird lady of the neighborhood. She has a BA in Writing from Pace University in NY.
