Red Ronin

Red Ronin (2021) is an action dash-and-slash game where a bloodthirsty ronin and her computer companion are out for revenge. Play is a series of turn-based decisions about which direction to dash or attack next. It stands out for its gory fights that feel surprisingly fast-paced for a turn-based game.

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After a betrayal, Red sets out with her companion bot to take revenge on those who left her behind. One by one, turn by turn, she aims to kill them all. You move your character around the grid-based levels aiming to take down each enemy character in your way. The catch is that you can only dash until you hit an obstacle and if there's an enemy next to you when you stop, they kill you.

As you progress you learn how to traverse the stages without getting killed. The enemies only move and attack when you move. The game turns into more of a puzzle than a combat challenge. Dealing with enemies that need more than one hit, or avoiding traps all adds to the puzzle. You can pick up some special abilities that help, like rewinding time for double attacks, but really this is a deduction game you solve by tactical thinking.

The result is a gory game that challenges your brain as much as your reactions.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Red Ronin 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Ollie Robertson and updated 4 months ago.