With Rise of the Ronin released recently, many gamers are curious just how it compares to the highly rated Ghost of Tsushima.
Both video games take you to highly detailed worlds grounded in Japanese culture and history, where you will follow the samurai fighters. But underneath the surface, these games have some fairly distinct differences between them.
Here we will break down the main differences between Rise of the Ghost and Ronin of Tsushima to allow you to determine which one is much more your preference.
Setting and Time Period
The largest distinction between the games is exactly what era they’re set in. Ghost of Tsushima transports you to the late 13th century in the course of the very first Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274.
Rise of the Ronin, though, takes place centuries later in the late 19th century during the social revolution of the Bakumatsu period. This is why Rise of the Ronin boasts more modern technology including firearms and grappling hooks that simply weren’t obtainable in Ghost of Tsushima’s medieval world.
You’ll get to use these unique tools and weapons, adding a very different layer of gameplay mechanics compared to Jin Sakai’s adventure.
Combat and Gameplay
Speaking of gameplay, that is another huge area where these two truly split apart.
Rise of the Ronin comes from the masters of intensive action at Team Ninja, the studio behind games like Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. As a result, it is all about intensive combat – so prepare to put your samurai skills to the test.
Ghost of Tsushima’s combat is no cakewalk, but it doesn’t go quite as hard into the deep end of difficulty. The priority here is more on an immersive, storytelling experience that lets you soak in the journey of being a samurai in feudal Japan. Intense sword fights are part of that, but not the entire driving force.
Graphics and Details
While we still have to go hands-on with Rise of the Ronin, from what we’ve seen, both games are absolute feasts for the eyes in terms of graphics quality and attention to fine details.
That said, Ghost of Tsushima seems to have the edge when it comes to pure graphical fidelity and life-like animations that lend it a stunning lived-in quality.
The Verdict
At the end of the day, Rise of the Ronin and Ghost of Tsushima are both highly anticipated titles delving into samurai action, but with pretty different approaches.
If you’re all about throwing yourself into utterly challenging combat above all else with some cool modern gadgets, Rise of the Ronin may be more your speed.
But if you want that meticulously crafted cinematic samurai drama experience first and foremost, Ghost of Tsushima will likely be more your vibe.
Whichever you go with, just know you’re in for an amazing showcase of Japanese culture and some truly epic katana-swinging action! The real winners here are us gamers.
