Rise Of The Ronin Is Perfect For Those Who Find Soulslikes Too Difficult, Including Me

I know what the general consensus around this write-up is going to be—”a Soulslike ain’t no damn Soulslike without getting your butt handed to you time and time again,” and for the vast majority, that might just hold true. But for some of us out there who neither have the time nor the mental capacity to face off against Malenia twenty times a day, Rise of the Ronin is the one game I know I can rely on when I just need to kick up my feet and get a good session in.

FromSoftware is as good as it gets — possibly one of the greatest video game developers out there to do it — but you don’t really get that sort of flexibility with its games, do you? That is unless, of course, you start mastering the particular ins and outs i.e. harness perfect deflections in Sekiro and read enemy attack patterns elsewhere, such as in Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and others. 

Needless to say but all that takes time … and effort … and energy—all of which I do not have in abundance when I get back home after my 9-5. Thankfully, Team Ninja’s latest venture in the action-adventure space lets me turn the difficulty down a notch, so the “git gud” part is no longer a requirement, period. 

In before I’m called a wuss by the majority of you out there. 

Rise Of The Ronin Features Adjustable Difficulty

Although Respawn’s Star War Jedi games, both Fallen Order and Survivor, have done it too, it’s refreshing to perceive Rise of the Ronin trekking along the path of adjustable difficulty. Head on over to the “Game Settings” section in the Pause menu and you’ll find the ability to change the difficulty level right there at the top, so the levels range between Dawn, Dusk, and Twilight, going from easy to hard.  

But wait, there’s somewhat of a catch to address here.  

Just So You Know, Easy Mode Still Isn’t Entirely “Easy” 

Pretty self-explanatory, the headline, but it bears mentioning how Rise of the Ronin’s easy mode still isn’t regular easy. Being a Soulslike and coming fresh off the hands of Team Ninja, which is known for the likes of Nioh and Nioh 2, this is to be expected. During my playthrough, I experimented in some areas, battling against enemies in different difficulty modes. 

To my surprise, “Dawn,” while obviously making the gameplay much more bearable, still has its moments where I have to take a step back, rethink my strategy, and worry about the stamina bar. This makes sure that I’m not too relaxed with the gameplay, and I still have to stay focused when it boils down to battling several foes. 

That said, Team Ninja did incorporate a way for players to make Rise of the Ronin super easy, and that’s by making two accessibility options available and making it possible to turn them on or off. These are: “Increased Health Recovery from Medicine” and “Reduced Ki Loss from Attacks.” Toggle them and voila! You’re no longer a pawn in a Soulslike universe. 

Turn things up to Twilight, and oh boy, you better buck up for what lies ahead. Seriously though, I do recommend playing in Dusk, it’s a balanced experience that brings the best of both worlds for you to relish. 

A Petition For FromSoftware To Add An Easy Mode In Future Games, Not 

You were about to jump the gun, weren’t you? Look, I’m all about making games more accessible for most of us picking up a controller today so that a wider audience gets to experience these titles in all their glory, but I’d still never wish for FromSoftware to go the route Team Ninja has. And there’s reasoning for that, if you’d hear me out in just a second. 

Let me start by quoting the man himself, Hidetaka Miyazaki — FromSoftware president — who, in this nicely elaborate feature by The New Yorker, spoke about Elden Ring’s difficulty at length. At the time, concerns sprouted about how hard the title is/was, to which Miyazaki remarked, 

I do feel apologetic toward anyone who feels there’s just too much to overcome in my games. I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship.” 

He continued, “We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience. So it’s not something we’re willing to abandon at the moment. It’s our identity.”  

So, let’s just leave it at that. While I wholeheartedly appreciate the good folks over at Team Ninja for allowing me to fit in some playtime for Rise of the Ronin in my busy schedule, I never want FromSoftware to lose its distinct vision and game design ethic just so its game could cater to more people, especially those who are not appreciative of the developer’s work in the first place. 

Any title coming out of FromSoft’s headquarters should uphold its identity, one that may take some time to get used to for many of us no doubt—that’s what I believe.

But if you happen to be a PC gamer and still can’t get a kick out of games like Elden Ring, third-party tools such as this Easy Mode mod on Nexus Mods might be your best shot for the time being. Now, excuse me while I go and get butchered for the 75th time by the Mask Retainers in Rise of the Ronin, even on Dawn. I mean, someone’s got to do it, right?