Rise of the Ronin is the result of a long, long build-up by Team Ninja. Everything they learned since making Nioh have been all thrown together into this one big attempt to make a meaty open world action game. Standing on the shoulders of greats such as Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Ghost of Tsushima, Ronin is a massive game indeed. I don't usually do this, but I feel like I had to separate my review in a few parts just to make it a bit more digestible. Anyways, let's start. This will be a fun one.

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COMBAT (on Normal difficulty)

I enjoyed the two Nioh games, particularly because of the combat system. It tastefully fits Team Ninja's hack and slash origins into a Soulslike's deliberate, lock-on dependent tendencies. Both you and the enemies would just aggressively hammer on each other, constantly looking for chances to fully decimate the other first. I'm very happy to say this school of combat is at its absolute top form here. With 9 weapon types to choose (not including the ranged sub-weapons), each with their own selection of unlockable combat styles, you have a lot of freedom to structure your modes of attack. Then you have the various combo-enabling mechanics, such as abilities that can be done after canceling attacks, being able to restore Ki (stamina) after attacking, attacks that can only be done when you switch combat styles or weapons, and so on. When you find the weapon that suits you the most, and are able to fully take advantage of it, you can end even boss fights with just 2 or 3 openings, and it's an utterly exhilarating feeling to successfully nail a planned attack.

Also, shoutout to the team for making a childhood dream of mine come true; being able to use a bayonet rifle like the Gunblade that it was meant to be. It's hard to beat the Katana just because it's easily the most flexible weapon, but it's a very close 2nd best weapon type for me.

Since the enemies are also powered by the same aggresive mechanics, you would still need to properly execute defensive moves, and boy the parries are satisfying in this game. The flashy visual effect and the clashing sound creates a strong, exhilarating feel. There's also a system where some enemy types' attacks would be best parried by certain combat styles, which allows you stagger enemies much faster with the right style. On Normal it's not necessary to strictly follow this, but I'm sure on harder difficulties it would be a much more helpful tool.

A massive thing that I have to appreciate is how many enemy movesets there are, especially the bosses. There is a LOT of characters in this game, and everybody wants to spar with you, friend or foe. Even rematch bosses would have new attacks and patterns that make it feel like you have never fought them before. And there's a dojo where you can fight against the characters you have met so far, I gotta say it's quite addicting to just start one of these fights and keep grinding until you get a better score.

When all is said and done, what you get is basically an fast-paced "anime" action game with a grounded historical theme in realistic clothing. Just sit on that for a second, imagine all those embellished folktales of swordsmen of yore, with such skill that allows them to strike faster than light, deliver multiple stabs within a second, and so on. Ronin is bringing that to life.

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STORY ELEMENTS

The way Team Ninja approaches the story continues the maximalist approach that they have been happily leaning on. The game wants to have as many story arcs and scenes as possible, and it becomes this dramatized history action show that definitely feels cramped and too fast paced in some places, because it doesn't necessarily show these story arcs in detail. You'll often feel like relationships are progressing a bit too quickly. This isn't such a huge flaw to me because ultimately the game still delivers solid emotional moments, but it's definitely something to keep a note of.

What I like the most about the story is the romantic portrayal of its historical characters. Even when people from opposing sides meet, if they each have the chance to show their strength, then no matter how it ends, they will usually gain respect for one another. It's a oddly wholesome thing to have in the midst of this bloody struggle for Japan's future. It's not to say that pure animosity and degeneracy doesn't exist, but through this romantic lens, you get this strong feeling that all the characters want a better future in their own ways, and because of that, everyone's stories are worth paying attention to. There's also a handful of lighthearted story moments, and the game never feels like it takes itself too seriously. I can't speak at all to how it compares to actual historical facts, but I do want to read up on some history right after this, and surely it means that the game is doing something right.

Like I said before, there's a lot of characters to meet, even when you're in the final hours of the game already. It is definitely too many characters to fully keep track of, but I'll say that the game does a good job with the characters that takes the most prominent roles. A lot of them have more elaborate personal side missions (called bond missions) that makes them stand out as well, and they're usually quite worthwhile from the story standpoint. You can also get closer to some characters and initiate romances if you gift them enough nice stuff or do enough missions for them. I got locked in with three lovely people; they didn't seem to mind the polygamy, and the intimate scenes are pretty sweet and wholesome, so no complaints from me.

I think the most disappointing thing about the story is the endings being basically the same, despite having to make some choices that feels like they would matter more. It would be way more fun if they have more actual endings, mostly because the story really allows for a lot of potentially satisfying places for it all to end up on.

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OPEN WORLD

The open world areas are pretty standard for the most part, structure-wise. It's very Ubisoft-inspired, you can see the entire map of the region you're currently in from the start, you just have to unlock fast travel points by lighting bonfires. Other than the main/side missions, there's some stand out activities like collecting cute cats, and the shooting gallery & gliding challenges, which I wish they had more of.

In exploration, you have a glider that you can use anytime and anywhere provided enough height, and I have to admit that it was kinda underwhelming until I got the upgrade that allows you to glide faster. You can also drop firebombs from above later on, which is quite situational but still fun. Then you have a grappling hook that you can use to grapple onto certain spots of the environment. There's not a lot of grapple spots, which is disappointing. You can use it to hook onto enemies, which is the most fun usage of the hook, since you can use it either aggressive or defensively in an active combat scenario. Overall, I think they could have done more to make these traversal mechanics more useful. The open world design doesn't lean on these mechanics enough, IMO. I'm not necessarily expecting something like Insomniac's Spider-Man where you would just swing and zip and glide all over the place like a madman, but I wish the exploration has the same level of flashy pizzazz that the combat has.

I do love the quality of life stuff that they figured out, like being able to find out locations of collectibles by doing enough activities in a local sub-area. Basically you can earn XP to progress a "Bond level" for a sub-area, and when you level up 2-3 times, the collectibles locations are revealed. It makes the side activities more rewarding because you're essentially being led straight into more rewards right after.

I also love the overall setting of the open world, this specific era of Japan is just so interesting to me. It's so cool to see how the previously closed world of Japan is being interwoven with effects from the outside world, it's like a place stuck between two different periods of time. I don't think this era of Japan is well-explored in pop culture, so Team Ninja really did well to strike gold.

A particular quality that I noticed about the overall open world design is that it feels like they made a handful of Nioh-style linear, smaller levels, and made in-between areas to connect them. Or maybe it's the other way around? Anyways, it's an approach that I have noticed more lately. Horizon Forbidden West had a similar feel, where I would stumble upon certain areas of the map that feels more deliberate and detailed in its design, and then I find out that a specific quest would take place in said area. It's probably a good way for a open world newbie like Team Ninja to start with, it's not like they did a bad job overall here. Finding a little nook in the map that feels intimately designed, taking a guess whether or not a quest will used that place as its backdrop, and finding out that you're right is a neat little meta-game.

There's also the neat detail of having other players' characters in the game. Every once in a while you'll stumble upon an NPC with an user name above them, and these are other people's MCs. You can see them just walking around the map, being held hostage in spots overrun by thugs, or even serving the antagonist's side as a hired ronin. It's a fun little touch that makes the game feel grander than it is.

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There's a lot more that I can talk about, but I want to end on how fashionable this game is. There's a lot of cool looking outfits/armors and weapons to collect. I probably spent maybe 5-6 hours total just trying to mix and match all the clothes and weapons I have. And it's all because you can just transmog your equipment so easily, so you don't have to worry about the stats. A lot of the coolest outfits/weapons are in the late game bond missions too, so you're getting rewarded for caring about the story of the characters. This whole fashion aspect of the game easily compensates for the horribly bloated loot system that Team Ninja carries from the Nioh games.

Now, that'll be enough. I had a lot of fun with Ronin. Although the open world aspects are far from perfect, it's clear to me that this is the way forward for Team Ninja. The claustrophobic and limited feel of their previous games always felt like the main obstacles for me to fully enjoy them. The open world approach fits Team Ninja because it always feels like they just want to do a lot of things at once, and in Ronin we finally get to see that desire unshackled. It's definitely my favorite Team Ninja game so far (although I'm not too familiar with their games before Nioh). They has successfully expanded their expertise, and that's good news for all of us.

Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, Review,
Spoiler Free,

As a huge fan of this series of games I was so excited to check this one out as I never got around to playing it when it first released.

I quite enjoyed Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, getting the Platinum trophy was a blast. The gameplay as per usual for a Ratchet and Clank game is absolutely superb with creative weapons, a diversity of amazing worlds and is something that just feels right at home for me. This is a legendary series and the story takes an interesting turn which is deeper explored in Rift Apart. The implementation of the jet pack and jet boots are welcome additions and the new gadgets are really satisfying to use and tie into the platforming really nicely.

In terms of negatives, I think that the game is just far too short. It felt so disappointing to go to the fifth planet knowing that was it. The Clank sections in this are also awful, I finished the game 3 times and they never grew on me due to being frustrating, tedious and feels so lack of anything creative.

Overall, Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus is a great and worthwhile entry into the franchise. If you haven't checked this out yet I do think its worth your time and gives you so much context for Rift Apart.

Having now beat it twice, I feel pretty conflicted on this game. The combat and bosses can be really awesome when they get a chance to shine. The music has clear inspirations but is beautiful all the same. However, most of the story has no heart, the writing is terrible, the side missions are almost exclusively mid, and the art direction has no cohesion.
The only thing more stale than most of this game is the conversation surrounding it. But when the game has as hype as a final few hours as it does, its hard to not be excited for a possible sequel

Mechanically, this is the best game in the entire franchise. The amount of creativity on display with the levels, characters, and the time-based game mechanics, really give this game an air of wonder. It doesn't hurt that the trademark of the series, the weapons, are firing on all cylinders here, with a solid selection to choose from, all balanced nicely to complement each other.

There's a pretty good story in here too, one that explores the 2 leads in a way that the franchise hasn't really attempted to do before, and arguably since. The dichotomy between playing as Ratchet and playing as Clank really keeps the game paced to never allow any one style of gameplay to become too repetitive too quickly.

This game is just pure fun, a game that looks great, plays great, and is written to keep things light and comedic while still telling an engaging narrative. Games like this are just cozy, and fun no matter when you play it. It may not be my personal favourite in the series, but I can't deny that this is the best Ratchet & Clank game made so far.

Although I don’t think Pikmin will ever get the credit it truly deserves, I will always see it as arguably the most consistent game franchise of all time.

Pikmin 4 is a celebration of Pikmin 1 and 2. They brought back caves, and my god did they absolutely nail them. The caves are so fun, so pretty, so addicting. Everything in this game is so beautifully detailed. This is without question the best looking game on the Switch.

When you’re not in awe at the appealing visuals, you’re constantly losing focus on the task at hand, exploring a world amongst giants. The classic Pikmin creatures are what really makes the enemies so fun. The uniqueness, the unsettling, and the Pikmin just add to the atmosphere.

The main game is fairly simple, just progress in whatever way you please to get to Olimar. I feel like they could’ve added a few more required boss fights like Pikmin 3 did, but the caves are almost as interesting and detailed as the main areas, so I’m not too upset about it.

Where Pikmin can really lose you though, is how nobody knows when to shut the fuck up. For the first hour, it’s nothing but handheld walkthroughs, bombarded with dialogue after dialogue, with only a semi-interesting story at that. It happens when the night missions start too, and kind of lurks around for the rest of the game. Sometimes I got irritated because I was having fun until Yonny had to open her annoying ass mouth and pause my gameplay.

There’s a fairly lengthy post-game too, if you didn’t feel like you had enough Pikmin in your diet for 17 hours before. Plus, the entire game is unique enough to really strive for a high completion percentage. After the game “ends,” there’s another mission to cure Oatchi, and you kind of just go from there. Oh, and Oatchi… is a cute little dog… that you can ride around on… and he can swim… half the people playing this just gave it 5 stars for that.

I feel like Pikmin 4’s focus was very obviously how it looked, rather than the challenging bosses and different ways to control your game from the previous entries (The Wiimote, the Wii U GamePad). There’s nothing wrong with that, because it made a damn good game. I just wish sometimes they would SHUT THE FUCK UP. 8/10.

This game is very cute. It nails the style it's going for. The sounds the kids make when they're running around or biking really fast are fantastic. The music and incredible art style bolster the style which permeates all facets of the game.
The story is fine, but way too slow. The game is much too long. It feels like a 3-4 hour cute little indie game but it lasts 8 hours.
The gameplay is fine, but not nearly good enough to justify how repetitive it is. The combat is fine, but not great. There are some interesting ideas incorporating co-op mechanics such as high-fiving to heal and the two character's abilities interacting. It kind of falls flat, though. We usually just separately beat the shit out of the enemies except when a boss required us to combine our powers. It Takes Two, one of my favorite games, does a much better job at co-op combat. The puzzles are fine, but nothing to write home about. They rarely made me feel smart, and a few times made me feel annoyed. At one point, we couldn't figure out what to do, and then I somehow walked through the fence we were trying to get through, as though there were a gap in the fence that we couldn't see, but then neither of us find the hole or figure out how it happened. I still don't know if it was a glitch or what. There's too much walking/biking around. I wish biking were more interesting.
All of the gameplay mechanics feel like they would do a good enough job at supporting a story driven game, and the story feels like it would be good enough for a gameplay driven game. This combination results in a game that is frequently slow and boring.

So far it is a really enjoyable game.

The visuals are nice and the game-play is very fun, even if you're trapped in dungeons for a while.

What frustrates me in this game is the difficulty (I am not sure if it changes as you level up). The enemies are too strong at the beginning so you can easily die with 3 blows.
The battle system, although challenging, can be improved with the amount of weapons you have (distributed between characters). You can evolve weapons and change them (synthesizing your weapons isn't as fun though because it could be done in a faster way, instead of taking all those steps).

Characters-wise and plot-wise it is not its forte. It's what you would expect from Japanese games (surely not bad but not amazing either). It's a very simple game in terms of this.

In terms of enjoyment it doesn't disappoint and I can easily recommend this game for people who like playing on the PS2.

A very mediocre game, but still enjoyable. There isn't a whole lot that stands out for Trinity Trigger which makes it feel like a generic game.

The story is unremarkable and doesn't become more interesting after the first few hours of the game. It has only one notable plot twist, but it doesn't leave much of an impact. I do like the setting and world though so it did have potential to be something even better than it actually ended up.

The main characters are likable, but they lack character development and depth (small exception with Zantis). Otherwise, they are very static in growth and you don't learn much more about them after their first appearance.

There are a few story NPCs, but I guess due to the lack of screentime, their impact on the story is minimal. A shame since some appear to have interesting potential.

The music sounds nice for most of the game, but within the large sea of JRPGs, the songs comes off as generic and forgettable.

The graphics and art direction are colorful. I liked the chibi character models too, but overall, the graphics aren't that detailed or impressive. I will say that the many different towns have decent variety in appearance so that was nice. They have their own identity and are unique compared to each other despite most of them are pretty small in scale.

Combat is probably one of its stronger suits, but even then, it's not particularly remarkable. Due to the stamina system, you can't really do long combo chains and there's no juggling enemies either. There isn't much customization for the weapon attacks other than having the option of switching out each of the three weapon chain skills for one more at each tier. Fortunately, you can equip accessories like attachments to your weapons and armors for various effects. I do wished the combat was at least faster paced too.

I beat the post game story in 25 hours and cleared all of the sidequests. It seems like a short game, but there is a decent amount of content mostly due to the 50 sidequests in the game. They are generally simple to do and have some nice small story to them so it's worth doing them. There's also a number of optional bosses and enemies to fight.

For a game with mediocre characters, story and combat, I still found it enjoyable to play likely due to its comfy relaxing vibes. I never really needed to grind, but if I wanted to farm for materials, then at least it would be a relaxing experience.

If you want a chill relaxing game and not much else, then Trinity Trigger would probably be appealing. Otherwise, it's a pretty unremarkable game overall.

Trinity Trigger is a top-down action RPG in the vein of Secret of Mana. While some of the big-picture ideas are interesting, the execution is pretty middling. The player can upgrade and swap out moves for their main weapon combo, but the moves feel largely the same. Much of the combat is predicated on fast-paced button mashing and dodge rolling, but triggering a perfect dodge is pretty tricky due to poorly signaled enemy attacks. The slower weapons also feel awful to play.

The story has some unique ideas, but the dialogue devolves into irritating anime tropes around the time the third party member joins. Crafting and weapon mods are benign but also have little impact on moment-to-moment play. Side quests are tedious and give little reward, but because the game world is so small they are mercifully brief. Overall this is a cute little homage to Secret of Mana but is held back from greatness by its weightless combat and mediocre writing.