Violent adventure game about revenge; tons of blood & gore.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Players use swords, spears, flame throwers, pistols, throwing stars, and a flamethrower to kill people, resulting in copious (bordering on ridiculous) amounts of bloodshed, as well as a lot of images of dismemberment and decapitation.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
While players can change the breast size of a female character in the customization menu, and are shown in their underwear, there are only three options, none of which are excessively large, and none of their outfits they wear outside this menu are revealing.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
The game has three difficulty options: "Dawn" (a.k.a. easy), "Dusk" (normal), and "Twilight" (hard). The game opens with some helpful training. But it's also a complicated game at times, and doesn't always explain these aspects well. The difficulty can be dramatically uneven at times.
Diverse Representations
some
Players can customize their character, including their gender, race, skin tone, age, voice, and body type. One of the main characters is an older women, who is shown to be as skilled -- maybe even more so -- as her male counterparts. The game is set in 19th century Japan and characters are Japanese.
The hero of this game tries to help people, but they're also trying to get revenge for their fallen twin. To do this, they commit numerous acts of violence, killing many people and animals.
Positive Role Models
a little
In this game, the player puts their life on the line to help other people. But they're also looking for revenge, and use violence to get what they want, which results in the death of many people. The player is sometimes given the choice of sparing someone or taking their life.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know thatRise of the Ronin is a very violent and blood action/adventure game for PlayStation 5. Players use a variety of bladed weapons (including swords, katanas, and pole arms), as well as rifles, Japanese throwing stars, and other weapons. Used against both human and animal enemies, the resulting bloodshed borders on excessive, as do the instances of decapitation and dismemberment. It's a very bloody game. Players can also customize their character -- including their gender, age, skin color, voice, and body type -- though when doing the latter for female characters, they can adjust the breast size. The dialog includes occasional uses of the word "sh-t." There are places where alcohol is served, and while you don't see anyone drinking, there are times when you interact with drunk characters.
Rise of the ronin is ok for kids over 10 because while it can be very violent. You can turn blood to low and blood on low is basically the same amount f blood you’ll see in an average marvel movie. The bad words are rare and not horrible. If blood is not on low it is pretty gory but if the blood is on low, this game is a ok for kids over 10
My kid is 13 and plays this game. I’ve watched him play and all the talk about blood and gore really isn’t very true. The blood and gore is really not all that bad. I’m not sure if he’s playing the game with a low blood setting or not. If you are worried about iffy content there really is very little. The bad words are very rare and are not that bad. You won’t find people saying the f bomb in the game or anything.
What’s It About?
Set in 19th century Japan, RISE OF THE RONIN initially casts you as twin warriors who must work in secret (and for a secret organization) to make life better for those not in the ruling class. But when one of those warriors is killed, it's up to the other one to complete the mission...and get revenge for their fallen sibling. As the game progresses, you realize your actions could have profound consequences for Japan and Japanese sovereignty. This is why you spend your time in this game getting into sword and spear fights with tons of enemies as you try to complete missions and run errands for friendly villagers.
While very similar to other games, this epic, third-person, open world, hack & slash action/adventure game still manages to be compelling. Set in the 19th century, at the end of the Edo period in Japan, Rise of the Ronin casts you as a secret warrior who's trying to make ancient Japan a better place, while also getting revenge for your twin, who's killed in battle. To do this, you use a variety of bladed and ranged weapons as you fight tons of enemies, all while freeing occupied villagers from bandits and running errands for friendly people.
While we've played games like this before, Rise of the Ronin distinguishes itself in some interesting ways. First, while other games were more serious, and more influenced by samurai movies, this is far more influenced by other games. Hence why you can do some clever combat movies to find impossibly large enemies. That said, not all of the differences are good ones. The difficulty can be uneven and the game play can feel somewhat complicated. Despite these irritations, Rise of the Ronin still manages to be an effortlessly fun and engaging game, although incredibly bloody and gory.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about excessive violence in video games. In Rise of the Ronin, players kill a lot of people and animals, and in very violent and bloody ways. What is the appeal of using such intense imagery? Where can or does the blood and gore cross the line in your opinion?
Families can talk about revenge. One of your motivations in this game is to get revenge for your dead brother or sister. But seeking revenge never ends well. Why do you think seeking revenge is fun in games but terrible in real life?
Families can talk about player choice. When making your character in this game, you can not only decide to make them male or female, and can chose their race and skin tone, but you can also make them older or younger. What kind of character did you make, and why did you make them that way instead of some other way? Do you like to play characters that reflect yourself, or one that's different?
ESRB rating:
M for Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
Last updated:
August 23, 2024
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Paul Semel
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