Rise of The Ronin reveals why graphics still matter for games with premium price tags
Sony has made jaw-dropping graphics a key feature of its $125 premium games. So when one releases that somewhat looks worse than a PS4 game, it raises questions.
Have you booted an old Nintendo 64 game recently? You are likely in for a shock. For some reason, our brains processes video game graphics with rose-tinted glasses, meaning we remember them looking a lot better than they actually do.
That’s especially the case now, where improving graphics in any game is actually quite tough. Further leaps in graphical fidelity often revolves the small things: tracking shadows, reflecting light or detailed rendering of tricky textures like water or fire. Almost every time I plug in a new games these days, I’m amazed at how far things have come.
That is, until I booted up Rise of The Ronin. The game plays like open-world version of Team Ninja’s original title Nioh, and its feels best in its tense and detailed combat system. But as I moved out of the curated intro scenes and into the open-world component of the game, I started to question: Why doesn’t this game look better?
Maybe my graphics barometer is off I wondered? Perhaps I’m being harsh. So then I downloaded and the nearest comparison I could think of: Ghost of Tsushima — a PS4 game that’s been enhanced for PS5. I took two random screenshots of gameplay below. You be the judge.
These are two very different art styles, so perhaps this is a chalk and cheese comparison. There’s a whimsy to Ghost of Tsushima’s art that isn’t featured in Rise of The Ronin’s more realistic design.
But the point of bringing this up wasn’t to rag on Rise of The Ronin. But rather, I feel it feeds into the debate around superior graphics as a core feature of premium games.
Games these days tend to fall into two categories: premium titles and indie titles.
Indie games seem to fall around the sub-$70 and premium games are setting players back over $125 (RRP via the Playstation store), up from around the $110 mark in the PS4-era.
Sony has defined its latest generation of premium Playstation games as those which push the graphical boundaries of its console. This has been true of Spiderman 2, God of War 2 and many others.
But they are being challenged by indie or niche games that cost half the price and are (arguably) better value for money — despite not pushing the bar for graphics in games.
Xbox exclusive, turned PS5 release Hi-Fi Rush came out last week. Its graphics won’t blow you away, but I can’t think of a better tight 10-hours game from last year.
Personally, I’m happy to pay this additional price for premium games given I support what they are trying to do: push the boundary of what’s possible in gaming.
But that’s on the proviso that these games deliver on what they promise —which is an incredible visual experience. Sony has inadvertently made graphical fidelity a feature of their marquee titles, which is why paying $125 for a game that arguably looks worse than a 2020 PS4 game feels sorta off.
I fully understand that games may need to cost more to cover rising development costs (albeit presumably falling distribution and shipping costs from most gamers opting for digital downloads).
But I think Rise of The Ronin sets an odd precedence here for the PS5’s premium gaming brand, and graphics as a feature of premium games.
It’s a trend to keep an eye on at the PS5’s premium line-up starts to move away from well-established brands and games with future releases. And as the console continue to touts it ability to power graphically intense games with its rumoured new PS5 Pro model.
Then again, maybe ask me about Rise of The Ronin in 20 years time. If it’s anything like my Nintendo 64 memories, I’ll likely think the game looked incredible.