I still can't decide if Ryse: Son of Rome is actually a decent game or if I was expecting the biggest turd pile since Dragon Age 2: Turd Pile (unofficial title) and, as a result, found myself actually enjoying the hack-n-slash launch title. Because I had formed a very negative opinion of Ryse: Son of Rome before I even played the game. It was hard not to. The project from Crytek had been in various stages of development for years, and an early commercial made it seem like the game was going to feature Wii-style kicking and slashing as you fought opponents in a first-person view. Then there were all the embargo rumors with fanboys in the blogosphere talking about a great conspiracy to suppress reviews because they would be resoundingly awful. And then there's the general malaise that seems to affect launch titles in general. We don't really expect a game to be good because it's "just a launch title."
So do I actually like Ryse: Son of Rome or am I just impressed by the fact its not as bad as I thought it would be?
I'll start with the good. Because the good in Ryse: Son of Rome is very good. Namely, the mouth-watering graphics. The game is gorgeous. Top-to-bottom, back-to-front Ryse: Son of Rome is the prettiest launch title I played on the Xbox One ( I also sampled Dead Rising 3, COD: Ghosts, Killer Instinct and Assassin's Creed 4). It truly looks next-gen. The facial animations and mo-cap on actors are extensive. It's hard to play Ryse: Son of Rome and not commit mental infidelity. You find yourself fantasizing about what the next Elder Scrolls game or Far Cry 4 will look like. It's distracting. And it needs to be, because beyond the graphics,l the gameplay and story are quite average.
Because I'd heard so much about how easy Ryse: Son of Rome is from early reviews I decided to play the game on the hardest difficulty setting. It's still quite easy. The mechanics of the hack-and-slash are nothing groundbreaking. Light attacks, heavy attacks, pushing and evasion are the bulk of your moves. Yes, the animations are great and executing barbarian after barbarian with macabre QTEs is satisfying and (mostly) stays that way. But if you're looking for a white-knuckle challenge or gameplay that reinvents the genre you won't find it here. Ryse: Son of Rome is best enjoyed when you set a low bar.
The story is a snoozer. Think Gladiator. Guys' family is murdered by barbarians but then he discovers that some evil Imperial sh-t is behind it all. One warrior discovers his destiny is to overturn yadda yadda yadda. Again, a low bar helps. This is no Bioshock, but the story provides enough framework to keep you hacking from point a to point b. It's also just awesome to play a game set in Rome. I know this is essentially a God of War rip-off, but still, I think more games need to embrace this era. The armor, the weapons and the environments are spectacular in a fantasy kind of way with the added benefit of actually being real. It's a fun world to explore in, but sadly it's penned in by Ryse: Son of Rome incredibly linear design.
Ultimately, I feel that is the greatest flaw in Ryse: Son of Rome. The gameplay and levels are so linear it's heartbreaking. You want to get out into the distances and explore the gorgeous mountains and cityscapes but you can't. You basically just have to keep walking forward and slashing anything in your path. Yes, it's beautiful. No, it's not as bad you probably think. But the greatest attraction in Ryse: Son of Rome is that it shows you how great OTHER games are going to be.
Obligatory Rating: 6.5 out of 10
