Rise of the Ronin: Japanese Fans Upset After Low Review Scores From West

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Avinash Jaisrani

At Tech4Gamers, I contribute as a News Reporter, combining my skills and gaming enthusiasm to keep our audience updated on the latest developments.

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Rise of the Ronin was on track to be one of this year’s biggest releases, with Team Ninja setting its sights on 5 million sales. However, the game appears to have faded out of discussions following decent reviews.

Most reviewers were not too impressed by the title, but Japanese fans feel different. A number of posts on social media hint that Japanese fans enjoyed Team Ninja’s offering much more, claiming that its Metacritic average is too low.

Why it matters: Rise of the Ronin is based on historical events from the Bakumatsu era. Therefore, Japanese fans have found it more enjoyable in particular.

ローニン終盤ぐらいまできたけど、不満点が複数ボス多すぎ問題ぐらいしかない

それらを差し引いても90点ぐらいはある

やはりメタスコア76なのは
納得いかないな

ドグマ2が謎の高得点だったり
外人の採点基準が狂ってる

美形キャラ多いんでポリコレ減点でも
されたんだろうか😕

— BadGames (@badcolt1) March 26, 2024

Various posts from Japanese gamers on Twitter indicate that Rise of the Ronin is much more enjoyable than the reviews suggest.

One user stated that foreign reviewing standards are quite bizarre. The user pointed to the positive reviews of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and even wondered whether Western media outlets cut points due to political correctness.

Others commented on the game’s historical setting, claiming that it would have been reviewed better with a fantasy theme. However, one theme was common across all tweets- the Japanese gamers liked Team Ninja’s latest release quite a bit.

ローニン15時間ほどプレイ後の感想

普通に面白い😂
現代の最先端のオープンワールドって感じ

これさぁ…舞台が幕末ってところで人を選んじゃうところがあって勿体ない…

普通にファンタジーで作ってたらもっと売れてたと思う✨

さすがにメタスコア76点は低すぎ💦もっと高いって#RiseoftheRonin pic.twitter.com/cKrGHVp93e

— ふぁいぶ (@ss10062018) March 26, 2024

Some gamers also pointed out that Japanese people are likely to enjoy the experience more due to the cultural and historical significance of this era.

It is interesting to note that Rise of the Ronin has received much better reviews from Japanese critics as well. For instance, Famitsu’s review was among the earliest to have come out, scoring the game 37/40.

This score set high expectations, but the game was later criticized for lacking substance and shipping with a bland open world. Despite its promising combat, Rise of the Ronin failed to live up to its promises.

Ultimately, this discrepancy shows that every game has its audience.

Despite the Metacritic score painting a less-than-stellar picture for Rise of the Ronin, many players enjoyed it more than higher-rated games. This is yet another example that shows Metacritic scores are not as important as the industry thinks.

Avinash Jaisrani

[News Reporter]

Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.