Ryse: Son of Rome Reviews
Brilliant combat, a sumptuously produced story and some of the best visuals we've ever seen make up for the limitations of the gameplay. Ryse: Son of Rome is bloody good fun.
Ryse is beautiful but hollow
Ryse is an entertaining ride that often values spectacle over skill.
Probably the best graphical showcase exclusive to Xbox One and a fun game if you're willing to learn its combat system--and aren't squeamish.
By the time you've seen that ending, though, you'll have unlocked the majority of Marius' upgrades, and there's nothing like enough substance to the gameplay to tempt you to run the campaign on another difficulty setting or to lure you into long-term engagement with the two-player arena mode. There's no brains, no muscle, no fibre beneath Ryse's extravagantly engineered good looks - this game rings loud but hollow. Crytek likes to contrast Marius' moral strength with the vanity and cruelty of Nero and his made-up sons, but Ryse feels like a product of their dying empire. It's just empty decadence.
When I finished playing this game, I felt like I wanted more. That's the mark of a good game. I also felt like I had played something fresh. If there were 20 games about Rome, this one might not stand out as the most outstanding. But it's good, and there aren't enough tales with a historical background that wind up being big budget video games. I'm glad that Crytek stayed the course on its seven-year journey and finally finished Ryse.
The visual showpiece for your Xbox One.
For those who enjoy a simple hack-n-slash game, Ryse: Son of Rome fits the bill. This is no deep adventure, but rather a chance to burn your aggression by chopping your way through hundreds of barbarians, slowing only to enjoy the carnage during the brutal executions. Still, the stunning visuals and compelling setting will keep some gamers engaged throughout, making Ryse a flawed-but-interesting addition to the Xbox One launch lineup.
A shallow and unambitious tech demo, of the sort that console launches specialise in. The action works perfectly well but it's instantly repetitive to the point of inanity.
Ryse will undoubtedly exceed your expectations with its interesting story and unbelievable visuals. Combat might get repetitive, but you'll enjoy your time as a Roman soldier.
Ryse: Son of Rome is a wonderful experience. The simple, yet always dynamic combat is how it really sinks its teeth into you. By the time you really get hooked, though, the game will be over, and you'll be left wanting more.
Crytek's visceral Xbox One launch exclusive melds strategic split-second decision making with some truly vicious Roman combat
In fact, the promising arena mode is the only saving grace of Ryse. The campaign may as well not even be there, and having to fight the same handful of enemies over and over on top of a trite, stereotypical narrative is not an example of a good time. Ryse looks great and has a lot of great ideas, but it falls flat in nearly every respect in regards to its core story. If you're a hardcore action fan you may get some satisfaction on the highest difficulty setting, but even then I'd wait for an equally hardcore price drop.
Ryse is well-suited to make its entrance alongside a new console, as some of its faults can be overlooked for its commendable bravado and convincing demonstration of power. The bloody spectacle of war and gladiatorial combat are thrilling to behold, and Ryse demonstrates competence even if it falls short of mastery. If Rome were to Ryse again, one would imagine it would be greater.
Ultimately, however, while there's fun to be had, Ryse: Son of Rome is a little too shallow to conquer the Xbox One's launch lineup.
Ryse: Son of Rome is the most technically incredible title available on Xbox One. It is a display of graphic and communicative power, a lesson in style, and a clear example of the wonderful places where the Microsoft console will lead us. Unfortunately, it is also a rather boring title, too equal to itself, which fails to evolve. The combat system, in its foundations, works well: it is fluid and well guessed. But the choice to focus so much on Quick Time Events dampens too much the degree of challenge, and the structure of the campaign, excessively linear, is all focused only on the clashes.
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It's easy to see a new franchise in Ryse; one that could potentially rival God Of War if it maintains the momentum of the latter half of the campaign. However, the gameplay is so rote and uninspired that it merely hints at a more robust and rewarding experience that it fails to deliver. Ultimately, it makes for a few hours of passing entertainment, but it's certainly not one for the history books.
Still, beautiful visuals can only do so much to redeem a game, and as beautiful as Ryse is to look at, it's still more than a bit underwhelming to play. Which is sad, because, with a bit more thought put into the game design side of things, this could have been the Xbox One's standout launch title.
Ryse: Son of Rome isn't terrible. It has its gorgeous visuals, forceful combat system and relatively tight storytelling to recommend it. It's also short, unvaried, hampered by an obsession with QTE events and far shy of a complete game experience. As a game, it won't hold its own next to some of the third-party stars of this holiday season. It has neither the addictive, consuming multiplayer of Call of Duty nor the imaginative scope of God of War, but still holds promise for its next iteration, if that comes.
Ryse: Son of Rome is a gorgeous game that gives us a great sense of what the Xbox One can accomplish in terms of graphics. Sadly, the shallow combat doesn't shoot it passed your average 3rd person action game.