Ryse was a launch title for the Xbox One when it was released in certain territories last year; there was a lot of expectation placed on Ryse’s shoulders and in the end the critics were pretty harsh on the Roman warrior title from Crytek.

So when I received the Xbox One and a copy of Ryse I definitely wasn’t excited to get into reviewing this title. I play games for fun and the idea of slogging through for hours on end on a crap title filled me with dread. But these are the sacrifices we make for you beautiful people and so I set off to conquer Rome’s enemies and bring you back all the gory details of the title.

Ryse (2)

The first thing you’ll notice once you start playing Ryse is just how incredibly beautiful the game is. The graphics are amazing, the narration is appealing and the animations of the water, textiles and people are leaps ahead of what we’ve been seeing on the Xbox 360.

The second thing you notice is that Ryse is a QTE (Quick Time Event) game. The fighting is split between using X and Y to swing your sword; and using A to deflect and B to roll. As the game progresses, you unlock new swinging motions, but in reality the game just decides which animation to play so it really is just you smashing those buttons all the time.

Ryse (4)

The close up gore comes in with executions, when the enemy has a red or white skull above their head you hit RB (Right Bumper) and it goes into a full QTE event where the enemy will flash a colour and you need to hit the right button to perform the executions. It’s normally three events in a row.

There is something amazingly satisfying about shoving your sword through someone’s neck and watching them collapse to the ground. But executions aren’t just for a visual effect, you can actually choose what sort of boost it gives you. If you push down on the D-Pad then every execution will give you back some life, right for XP and Up for extra power, I think. To be honest I left it on extra health permanently as that’s all you really need.

Ryse-(5)

The game follows the story of Marius Titus whose father is a distinguished general in the Roman army and Senate. In essence, the entire story is actually a flashback which happens after Marius saves Emperor Nero from the British barbarians.

As the flashback proceeds you progress through the Roman ranks while fighting tons of battles utilising spears, swords and scorpions (mounted crossbows). You have the staple of red barrels and boiling pots of oil you can use to kill the various enemies.

Ryse-(6)

Enemies come in a range of sizes and fight styles but by the end you will probably have figured out that the best way to kill the bosses is to wait for them to attack, deflect said attack and then wail on them. It’s not difficult and the game can be completed in around 8 hours. It doesn’t really offer anything in the way of replay value. You do need to fight battles to unlock valour points which you can use to upgrade certain aspects of your soldier but that’s pretty easy to come by so it’s not really something that needs much attention.

The game also has a multiplayer side which appears to be a desolate wasteland and since the fighting isn’t that exciting I don’t really see the point. I went into this game expecting a boring monotonous experience and came away very surprised.

Ryse (7)

Yes the fighting itself is  a tad repetitive but the story was gripping, the graphics were amazing and I honestly didn’t want to finish the game. I truly hope they improve the fighting mechanics and bring us a Ryse 2 so we can see what happens to Rome after the exciting ending.

Ryse is rated 18 for a reason as there is a lot of violence, blood and gore and for one scene in particular a hell of a lot of sex and nudity. So much so that I wished I was a Roman, it looked like quite a party. Crytek also appears to have taken a lot of time working on the breast physics, however I’m not sure they nailed it.

Last Updated: September 8, 2014

Ryse: Son of Rome
Ryse is a bit of a marmite game, if you are looking for a great gaming experience that takes forever to perfect then Ryse is not for you. If you are interested in a Roman interactive movie with a solid story line then I’d say give it a shot.
7.5
Ryse: Son of Rome was reviewed on Xbox One

31 Comments

  1. PERSONA 5!!!! (Umar)

    September 8, 2014 at 15:05

    Well done on SA’s first XBone review! (It is SA’s first right?)

    Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    September 8, 2014 at 15:08

    Doesn’t sound too bad, I’ll pick this up on the PC eventually.

    Reply

    • PERSONA 5!!!! (Umar)

      September 8, 2014 at 15:11

      Probably gonna be a shitty port

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        September 8, 2014 at 15:13

        If DR3 is anything to go by.

        Reply

        • PERSONA 5!!!! (Umar)

          September 8, 2014 at 15:13

          Indeed. Hoping Cry will do better. Though Crysis 2 and 3 were basically upscaled ports of the console versions

          Reply

          • Skyblue

            September 8, 2014 at 16:50

            Dunno which Crysis 3 you played but on PC but it creamed every other game graphically at the time. In fact, it’s probably still the most graphically polished game available on the format currently and played just fine imo. Pity about the story.

          • PERSONA 5!!!! (Umar)

            September 8, 2014 at 17:22

            Never played Crysis 3 in PC to be honest. I know there were a ton of complaints about 2 stating it was like it was made for console first. Just assumed it was the same for 3. My bad 🙁

          • Skyblue

            September 8, 2014 at 17:42

            Np. Crysis 2 complaints were directed more at the gameplay suiting a console style of play and the visuals weren’t nearly as good as Crysis 3. Again, pity about the story. 🙂

        • WarframedSquirrel

          September 8, 2014 at 15:31

          Or Dark Souls.

          Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        September 8, 2014 at 15:19

        That’s what patches & buying a year after release are for 😉

        Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    September 8, 2014 at 15:14

    Doesn’t sound bad at all. Never knew Gavin was a mammary expert btw. Him not being sure they nailed the boob physics 😛

    Reply

  4. Rinceable

    September 8, 2014 at 15:21

    Haven’t seen a review from Gavin in a while. I assume that he was the only one sent a Xbox One?

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      September 8, 2014 at 15:25

      you presume correct

      Reply

      • Rinceable

        September 8, 2014 at 15:27

        Cool. A little disappointed that you didn’t slam the game, what with being a very obvious SONY PS4 website supporter.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          September 8, 2014 at 15:33

          It is, else it would have gotten a 8.5

          Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          September 8, 2014 at 16:03

          It’s the CORRUPTIONS! #gamersgate

          Reply

  5. FoxOneZA

    September 8, 2014 at 16:26

    Solid 7’s are better than a straggling 8 or a COD 10.

    Reply

  6. Skyblue

    September 8, 2014 at 16:52

    If there’s no replay value it means it’ll be on the second hand game shelf sooner rather than later, good! I’ve been Steam’ing for far too long and these R900 games are starting to stress me out.

    Reply

  7. MakeItLegal

    September 8, 2014 at 16:53

    um , 7.5 for a QTE ? i am sorry , maybe i am having a bad day here , but i would imagine a 4.5 is a better score will play myself and get back to you , but 7.5 ?

    Reply

    • Skyblue

      September 8, 2014 at 17:07

      God of War had plenty of QTE’s and those worked out fine.

      Reply

      • MakeItLegal

        September 8, 2014 at 17:49

        Really ? Wow

        A game based on qte compared to an action game of combos and and and and …..

        Reply

    • Kromas of City17

      September 9, 2014 at 09:57

      Uhm … nothing wrong with QTE if done right. For reference see Walking Dead season 1 and 2.

      Too bad every other game sucks at QTE implementation. 😛

      Reply

  8. ZubSaber a.k.a Hans

    September 8, 2014 at 18:32

    “bit of a marmite game”

    I wanted to bash the score you gave as it seemed awfully forgiving, but that statement gives it credibility. Nice one.
    #marmitewhore

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      September 8, 2014 at 19:29

      Yep, 7.5 is a bit generous for a ” marmite game”, but everything tastes better with marmte. #marmiteIsBetterthanBovril

      Reply

  9. Xcalibersa

    September 9, 2014 at 12:01

    7.5? for this…..

    Reply

  10. Tidycpc

    September 10, 2014 at 12:46

    Thanks, made my mind up. Will get this on launch day.

    Reply

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