On mobile, DreamotionInc has three titles—at least on the Play Store. The one that stands out to me is Ronin: The Last Samurai, an action slasher that requires timing and accuracy.
If that sounds familiar, you could say that the developer took what worked for Sekiro, made it 2.5D, and for the mobile platform.
Ronin: The Last Samurai
There isn’t much to the game but the gameplay and upgrading gear with what you gain from battles. The story is explained in the chapter summary but once you select a chapter, you’re mainly slashing and blocking your way through swathes of enemies.
Gear gained has different qualities and there’s also an awakening and fusing system. Basically, the fusing system takes three pieces of the same gear and quality to make a more powerful version.
Awakening takes gear of the same quality to make a powerful piece of gear. All gear has some stat boost. So, there isn’t any inert gear with little use. There are also stats to your ronin which can be improved in random fashion via training. This feature is locked by level.
As with most games, enemies have a particular attack style and pattern that you’ll want to observe to know when to block. This allows you to impact their posture—basically defense—in a way that they could end up stunned if they take enough damage or if their posture is broken.
Once that happens, they become easier to defeat. Bosses work the same way only they have more HP, attack power, attack range, and their posture is harder to crack. It’s a boss, folks.
Mid-chapter bosses are harder to crush than rank-and-file enemies but are obviously weaker than end-chapter bosses. All encounters are rewarding once you claim victory.
You’ll lose a lot in some chapters but you come back stronger each time because of all of the mechanics in place. You learn patterns, improve your gear, and keep at it.
That’s how player skill progression is meant to work in action-oriented titles and Ronin gives us a condensed version of it.
Overall, the actual controls are easy to grasp following the tutorial, your timing, ability to close distance, and how you build your character are all key in your success.
Mobile Gaming Verdict: 9.25/10
This game is dope, hands down. Ronin: The Last Samurai has a great art style, it’s generous with loot and keys, the energy bar isn’t oppressive, you only have to entertain ads when you want your free chest.
What I’m saying is that you’re not hit with unavoidable ads because you’ve been playing for a while. We need more of this in mobile games.
The gameplay is easy to grasp as there aren’t any complex moves. However, there is a challenge from swarms of enemies, well-coordinated foes, and the mid-chapter and end-chapter bosses.
