How to win Matthew Perry boss fight in Rise of the Ronin

Despite his name being familiar to many, Matthew Perry definitely isn't your friend in Rise of the Ronin - being the first major boss fight that's seriously tough, setting the tone of difficulty for the rest of the game. 

Still, with enough patience and the right steps in mind, you'll be able to defeat Commodore Perry in no time. 

How to defeat Matthew Perry boss

The key to defeating Matthew Perry here is to be sure to avoid his martial skills and critical hit attacks. Whilst you can parry (Counterspark) an enemy martial skill with the right timing - signalled by the glow of a murderous red aura - Perry's are especially tough to nail down. 

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You can't guard against them either, so any mistimed Counterspark attempts end with you being dealt numerous heavy blows of damage. In the long run, it's far better that as soon as he's about to use his martial skill, press the circle button to evade the strike. 

For his regular attacks though, including spinning sword attacks and gun shots, it won't take you long to memorise the patterns to time a Counterspark Chain and deplete his Ki with your own martial skills for a chance to deal a critical hit. 

Utilise your Blade Twin

You can switch between controlling whichever of your two Blade Twins as you please, so the best way to give you more chances to win this fight is to get enough distance.

• Whilst your AI partner distracts him, you'll have opportunities to strike with your ranged weaponry, including your grappling hook
• The rifle you'll have picked up earlier on the Black Ship is great for inflicting extra increments of damage from afar - I even made most of my Blade Twin's distractions to aim a headshot in for extra damage too
• However, you'll get the most opportunity with the grappling hook - allowing you to press R2 and throw one of the flaming barrels placed throughout the deck

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Lower the difficulty

If you find the fight against Matthew Perry a bit too much, you can always switch your difficulty level to 'Dawn', the equivalent of easy mode in Rise of the Ronin's difficulties. 

Not only does Dawn help you recover more health with medicinal pills and reduce your loss of Ki from enemy attacks, but it also reduces the damage those attacks inflict as well - meaning you don't have to be as sharp in combat as with the other difficulties.

If you're concerned you might miss out on a difficulty playthrough Trophy when taking on Matthew Perry, though, there isn't such an achievement in the Trophies list. There is a Trophy for completing a mission on Twilight difficulty, but you can do that with any mission in the game - including those you can even replay in co-op mode. 

As soon as you've depleted his health and you hear your Blade Twin say "good. Time to Finish him off", you'll need to go up to Matthew Perry and press the triangle button to end the boss fight and begin the last part of the mission.

For more from the game, find out just how good it is in my Rise of the Ronin review, how to get & upgrade your glider, and how to transmog equipment & change your appearance. 

Alternatively, head to our Rise of the Ronin homepage for extra tips and guides.