The game didn't start getting good until 2 or 3 hours in (after getting off the ship and completing the next mission), which is usually a big problem with me and this game is no exception.
However, I decided to push in to see if linear and kiting fights was all the game had to offer and I'm glad I pushed through.. about 3 hours in the game really opens up and gets A LOT better. I wasn't feeling it at first and I sat it to the side in favor of other games like Unicorn Overlord and Dragons Dogma 2, but there is a lot of content and great fights in Ronin. It's moving up my list with every hour played.
Around 20 hours in now my favorite style I've found so far is to use the Katana and use the side step dash double strike to open an enemy up on a charged attack and then to immediately switch to my spear and combo into a fast 7 hit combo before switching back to the katana for an upward slash that either staggers or throws the enemy back. This is just one example of hundreds of combinations.
10 different main weapon classes (9 if you don't count ranged) with 10 different styles of arts with their own moves leads into an almost endless (and basically custom) combo system especially when you also realize there are 3 different stances for each which play into balanced, defensive, or offensive approaches. You can stay balanced or keep one weapon defensive and the other offensive in order to have maximum defense and offensive capabilities by simply switching in key areas of a fight.
It's just sad that the first few hours are so slow and have huge difficulty spikes... it's VERY apparent that a lot of other people didn't enjoy that original slog either and chalked the game up as another Lords of the Fallen, cut their losses and moved on.
How do I know this? Well upon getting the first trophy of the game 84% of people unlocked, but by the time the game really opens up and gets MUCH better only around 49% of people have gotten that far. Meaning? Half the player base for the game quit before the game shows how it distinguishes itself from a sea of clones.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm always saying that if a game takes 3 or 4 hours to get good then I probably won't stick around. I'm glad I did with this one, but once you hit the 3rd or 4th trophies it's down to below 40%... the game keeps getting better and better, but I completely understand why people would be turned off by the early game... I know I was. Now the game feels more like Ghost of Tsushima mixed with Nioh or Sekiro instead of Lords of the Fallen... which in my opinion is a good thing.
I am playing on hard and there are definitely big difficulty spikes and it's not a perfect experience, but I went from thinking the game was a 6 or 7 to now feeling as though it's at least an 8... but perhaps my opinion will keep changing with time for better or for worse. Either way, the game is MUCH better than I originally thought, and blows games like Lords of the Fallen away.
Sorry for the book, but I'm just sitting here waiting for my wife to get home from work (she's bringing me home some gift cards, snacks, and we have a game night planned out for our kids) and I thought I'd give my feelings on the game and how that view has changed over time.
If you like Ghost of Tsushima you will like this game as well.
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