Ronin
Logo of Ronin
Developer(s)Tomasz Wacławek
Publisher(s)Devolver Digital
Designer(s)Tomasz Wacławek
Programmer(s)Tomasz Wacławek
Artist(s)Łukasz Piskorz
Writer(s)Tomasz Wacławek
Composer(s)Patryk Karwat
EngineGameMaker: Studio
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
30 June 2015
OS X, Linux
15 October 2015
PlayStation 4
1 November 2016
Genre(s)Action, platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Ronin is a turn-based action platform video game developed by Polish indie developer Tomasz Wacławek, designer at Polish indie studio Flying Wild Hog, and published by Devolver Digital. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 27 May 2015 into Steam Early Access and left it on 30 June 2015. A later update for the game introduced builds for OS X and Linux on 15 October 2015. A PlayStation 4 port of Ronin was released on 1 November 2016.

Gameplay

Ronin has a stealth-based business complex level design, which the designer Tomasz Wacławek described as a rip-off from Tom Francis' Gunpoint.[1] The player needs to avoid being seen by the guards and use the surprise moment for silent kills. Once in a fight situation, the player has to dodge the guards' attacks and get the right angle to defeat them. The player can also throw their sword at enemies.

The player can hang from the ceiling in a level. This allows them to attack guards without being seen. The guard must be directly under the player and they must not be an elite guard. This attack kills the guard instantly.

Wall climbing is also a mechanic in the game. The player can slide down walls, stick to them, and launch themselves off the wall toward a guard. This also allows the player to reach the ceiling or another area. This gives surprise moments for silent kills.

Plot

Ronin is about a young girl, known as the "Rōnin", who has lost her father for unknown reasons and the only thing she has left is a photo of five former associates of her father, responsible for his death. The Rōnin is now in charge of self-justice by taking revenge upon those five persons, one at a time.[2]

Development and release

Ronin was originally created for the itch.io "Cyberpunk" Game Jam, it was submitted under the user name teedoubleu in March 2014.[3] Although it didn't get any high ratings, the highest being place #88 in the category "Relevance", it won the Developer's Showcase and Jury Award at the World of Gamedev Knowledge Conference 2014 (WGK) in Gdańsk, Poland.[4][5] After having gained a new artist, Łukasz Piskorz, the game's graphics were polished up from pixel art to high-quality 2D art. This change was done not only to make it look better, but also to distinguish it from Gunpoint. Piotr Iwanicki, creative director of Superhot and part of the WGK award jury, gave Wacławek then the idea of handing Ronin over to Devolver Digital, and so he did.[6] Their first public collaborative announcement was the release of Ronin's reveal trailer.[7]

After a longer silent development phase, Wacławek released an updated version of the original Ronin game jam entry, using the new graphics, soundtrack and functions of the full game, to its itch.io page on 20 April 2015, therefore recalling the page from "RONIN" to "RONIN Demo".[8] The game was initially released onto Steam Early Access on 24 May 2015 for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux, however, the OS X and Linux versions were taken down due to their instability. The game left Early Access on 30 June 2015 for Microsoft Windows only.[9] On 18 June 2015, it was announced that Ronin would be ported to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.[10] On 15 October 2015, update #9 for the game introduced builds for OS X and Linux.[11] On 1 November 2016, the port of Ronin for PlayStation 4 was released.

Reception

The PC and PlayStation 4 versions received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[12][13] Reviewers praised the PC version's overall design concept and the alikeness with Gunpoint. Though, people still differentiated them, where Phil Savage of PC Gamer stated that Ronin is "the schlocky B-movie to Gunpoint's more cerebral stealth-puzzling".[22] Something that was not as well received was the repetitiveness of some levels, as Matt Porter of Hooked Gamers wrote: "Each of the five people you have to kill are in the same type of boring office building."[27] Ronin's lowest review rating was given by Steven Bogos of The Escapist, who said, "Ronin is a remarkably average game. When it works, it's kind of fun, but there just isn't enough here to maintain interest, and it has nothing that we haven't seen before."[25]

References

  1. ↑ Francis, Tom (12 August 2014). "It's Time I Did Something About This 'Gunpoint Ripoff'". Pentadact. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "RONIN". Steam. Valve. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Wacławek, Tomasz. "RONIN Demo by teedoubleu for Cyberpunk Jam". itch.io. Itch Corp. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  4. ↑ SUPERHOT Team [@SUPERHOTTHEGAME] (9 September 2014). "Ronin won Developers Showcase on @KonferencjaWGK. It's the same place we started last year!" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 May 2015 – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ World of Gamedev Knowledge [@KonferencjaWGK] (17 September 2014). "Ronin won Jury Award and Warlocks Audience Award at WGK this year. Support the game here:" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 May 2015 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Devolver Digital [@devolverdigital] (22 January 2015). "Introducing RONIN, a turn-based action platformer coming to PC in 2015. Watch the trailer and follow @RONINGame!" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 May 2015 – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ Devolver Digital (22 January 2015). RONIN: Turn-Based Action Platformer. YouTube. Google. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  8. ↑ Wacławek, Tomasz. "RONIN Demo by teedoubleu". itch.io. Itch Corp. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Nunneley, Shephany (30 June 2015). "Ronin slices and dices her way out of Early Access onto PC, Linux and Mac". VG247. Gamer Network. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Priestman, Chris (18 June 2015). "Ronin's Turn-Based Stealth Killing Is Coming To PS4, PS Vita". Siliconera. Gamurs. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Lowrie, Nigel (15 October 2016). "Mac + Linux and Update 9". Steam. Valve. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  12. 1 2 "RONIN for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  13. 1 2 "RONIN for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  14. ↑ Schmädig, Benjamin (10 November 2016). "Test: Ronin (PS4)". 4Players (in German). 4Players GmbH. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Schmädig, Benjamin (1 July 2016). "Test: Ronin (PC)". 4Players (in German). 4Players GmbH. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  16. ↑ Hancock, Patrick (30 June 2015). "Review: RONIN (PC)". Destructoid. Gamurs. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Miller, Matt (30 June 2015). "Ronin Review (PC)". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Woolsey, Cameron (30 June 2015). "Ronin Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  19. ↑ GamesTM staff (1 September 2015). "Ronin review (PC)". GamesTM. Future plc. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  20. ↑ Miller, Daniel R. (30 June 2015). "RONIN Review (PC) [date mislabeled as "June 26, 2015"]". GameZone. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  21. ↑ iplay4you (3 July 2015). "Test: RONIN : De l'action à la sauce samouraï". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved 15 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. 1 2 Savage, Phil (30 June 2015). "Ronin review". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  23. ↑ "Review: Ronin". PC PowerPlay. No. 244. Next Media Pty Ltd. August 2015. p. 64.
  24. ↑ Wong, Steven (30 June 2015). "Ronin Review: Bitter Revenge (PC)". Shacknews. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  25. 1 2 Bogos, Steven (3 July 2015). "Ronin Review - Lacking in Ninja-like Precision (PC)". The Escapist. Gamurs. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  26. ↑ Sapieha, Chad (3 July 2015). "Ronin review: Ninja action with a curious turn-based twist (PC)". National Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  27. ↑ Porter, Matt (30 June 2015). "RONIN (PC): That extra badassery". Hooked Gamers. Cutlass Isle. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
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