Ryse: Son of Rome Reviews
At its core, Ryse is beautiful, flawed, but still enjoyable. Xbox One owners should definitely give Ryse a chance. Eventually. Maybe just not now, nor at its current price tag.
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.
As good a showcase for the new console's graphics capabilities as Forza 5 – if only the gameplay was as beautiful
While Ryse may not be the train wreck that some feared, it just doesn't live up to the potential that many others hoped for.
Ryse: Son of Rome might be the best looking game released on either the PS4 or Xbox One. Unfortunately, it's lacking in the gameplay department. You can tell that there's potential here, but it has yet to be reached.
Ryse is a decent game, given its length, but it's one that is certainly more fun to look at than it is to play. If you're looking for a game that will push your gaming hardware to the limit, then Ryse certainly fits, especially if you're itching to game on 4K hardware. Otherwise, there are better ways to pass the time.
Ryse is an absolutely beautiful game, but all the beauty in the world can't make up for repetitive gameplay that will most likely bore the average gamer, even those who like hack-and-slash.
RYSE's stunning visuals, solid story and a nearly unmatched cinematic flair, are unfortunately offset by simple and repetitive combat, and gameplay that offers little challenge.
Ryse leans too heavily on its merely decent combat, but at least it looks really, really nice doing so.
Ryse is beautiful but hollow
In the five hours it took to complete Ryse, I experienced a whirlwind of excitement and disgust. I loved the sights, sounds, and basic combat, and loathed the finishers and gameplay deviations
Ryse is a rather short, repetitive, beautiful game that is going to be a tough sell for many while others will adore it.
Ryse: Son of Rome is a bloody, gorgeous adventure. It's a shame then that there's so much squandered potential. Its short length and the lack of variety bury what good the game has to offer. I wouldn't be averse to a sequel if they can flesh out the experience and tell a purely human story, but as Ryse stands it's hard to recommend at full price.
Ryse: Son of Rome is a great tale set in the Roman period, with its visceral limb chopping and an authentic weight to its centurion credentials, but as a third-person action adventure it's something of a one shot deal with little to pull you back in once you've seen Marius' journey through. Its gorgeous visuals and in-your-face combat may wow, but their shine dulls with unfortunately little to be offered in their place to reignite that initial excitement.
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 is a magnificent demonstration of the Xbox One, but if we want to take it as a finished product, it loses by far, relegating it to the sea of titles that are played inversely proportional to how good they look.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ryse is fun at points but is ultimately held back by its repetitious nature. Still the game is a great way to show off the graphical capability of the Xbox One.
Beautiful graphics and scenery, but Ryse's combat fails to reach the level expected of modern brawlers. Worth a playthrough for action fans, but little lasting appeal outside showing off your rig's technical chops.
Ryse: Son of Rome is not only a magnificent shell with an inconsistent soul but most of all a colossal wasted opportunity: at the dawn of a new generation, it's sad to see a game so incredibly beautiful to look at, yet at the same time so shallow to play.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ryse: Son of Rome was one of the games I was looking forward to for the launch of the Xbox One, and I was a bit disappointed. While the visuals and soundtrack helped in getting me through the game, the repetitive combat and a "been there done that" story made it hard for me to get into it.