Rise of the Ronin is surprisingly underwhelming. Where combat and traversal are concerned, the game does deserve a lot of credit, because in those areas, at the very least, it manages to remain an enjoyable experience for the most part. In nearly every other way, however, it fails to make any sort of a mark.

As an open world game, it feels too generic and by-the-numbers, not just because of how cookie cutter its content offerings tend to be, but also because of how lifeless and bland the world feels. Meanwhile, the game doesn’t do a good job of backing its storytelling ambitions either, with poor writing and acting performances failing to do justice to what is, at least on paper, a setting with a lot of promise. This is probably Team Ninja’s most unremarkable game in a long time.