Ryse: Son of Rome (2013)

This title is a visually impressive action-adventure game set in an alternate version of ancient Rome. The MC is called Marius Titus, a Roman centurion seeking vengeance, through cinematic battles and detailed historical environments. The game’s graphics, powered by CryEngine, were considered cutting-edge at the time, delivering highly realistic character models and stunning set pieces.

And while the gameplay is decent, the story and characters are very weak, and everybody at the time admitted that this title was really just meant to be a tech demo. While the visuals stand out, the gameplay has drawn mixed reactions. Combat revolves around quick-time events and choreographed executions, which look dramatic but can become repetitive. The linear level design limits exploration, and the game often prioritizes spectacle over player choice, leading to a predictable experience for some.

The narrative attempts to provide emotional depth to Marius’ journey, but historical liberties and a somewhat formulaic storyline reduce its impact. Nonetheless, some people appreciate the character-driven moments and the effort to weave a personal story amid large-scale battles. Overall, this game is best appreciated for its cinematic presentation and visual fidelity. People seeking a story-driven, visually striking Roman epic may enjoy it, but those looking for varied gameplay or open-ended exploration might find it limited.

Giving this one a 3.5/5, which rounds up of course. I enjoyed this one quite a bit! For one, the graphics, despite being an older title, honestly still hold up so well! I also enjoyed the chance to play in a depiction of Ancient Rome, which I'm not sure how represented it is in first person/3rd person game play like this. I appreciate its depiction, and the moderate usage of red colors, as I know Rome is supposed to be colorful.

This game doesn't appear historically accurate. Ie: I do recognize that certain characters like Boudica, were not in certain places, as in the game here. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the story of the main characters, for the most part. Very much seems to be inspired story wise by the Gladiator movies in ways.

The gameplay is fun albeit sometimes goes a bit longer than it needs to. It relies on gameplay kind of like Batman Arkham series, in that you go to areas, and then you're attacked by a group of enemies. The game does do a decent job of slowly introducing enemies for a little while, but after sometime, it does get pretty repetitive. There's also a heavy usage of quick time events, but mainly during executions, so I suppose avoidable.

I do recommend, and its not too long of a game, so I don't think it overstays too long of its welcome.

Crytek made this game for release in 2013 which, true to their brand, has it look promising with its cutting edge graphics at the time and some game design ideas. The cinematic setting puts you in the Roman legion sandals of Marius Titus, who retells his story of the falling and rise to vengeance in the face of conspiracy. Now, I am open for a good plot in a historical setting (Ryse is in an alternative timeline) but it's lacking in story impact to give more meaning than a subpar revenge story. If the Ryse franchise had been picked up again, accordingly to Crytek's prior intention, there might have been a chance to redeem the lore it's trying to present, including the reason why the gods were playing into story. The unlockables do lend into the lore with the journals and comic pages, which is a plus.

The action gameplay is a mixed bag, for better or worse. Its fighting system has a bit more than a hack-and-slash methodology, incorporating sword and shield attacks, timing scores, focus mode etc. When you ambush or injure a foe enough, you can execute them in a quick-time event manner, where your performance grants you an amount of healing, xp, focus or extra damage, depending on your real-time choice. The choreography is solid and pleasing to the eye (especially at the final level), which sadly gets worn down by a narrow range of enemy fights queued up in the story progression. There are more than a few occasions I find the fighting repetitive and I wonder if a new sort of challenge will arrive soon.

But when it does, it's some breath of fresh air to pick off enemies with javelins and arrows spat out of a scorpio (mounted ballista) and get backup from legion archers. The game had me progress levels by joining up and control a legion formation to shield, press forward and rain projectiles with. Even an element of choice is offered up on where I'd like my fellow soldiers to position at, influencing the flow of the battlefield I see fit.

I haven't delved deep beyond the story mode but there's more from the game that offers some replayability like arena modes for solo or multiplayer that rewards in-game booster packs. In the end, I wonder if Crytek would pick the Ryse IP up again and unlock some potential that it's been lacking. With more foe variety and improved combat dynamics, Ryse: Son of Rome would have risen (no pun intended) to a gem status within the gaming community.

I didn’t really think I would enjoy this one much as I did. Not sure about it being a ‘hidden gem’ because I’ve seen several people singing its praises, but I still think it deserves a lot more credit for what it does: Ryse is a visually epic story of revenge that comes with a great chaotic, war like feel and satisfying combat mechanics. Having come fresh from playing For Honor, I have to say I much rather preferred this approach in such a short game. You won’t find any complicated button patterns or anything like that, and I guess the battles may feel somewhat repetitive towards the end, but the goal is to make you feel like this Centurion badass slashing through enemies like there’s no tomorrow, and in that sense, the simple, streamlined combat works really well to provide that. In fact, most of the mechanics here are simple, and even basic movements like climbing or crouching are done automatically so that the player can totally focus on their visual journey. It feels to me like the mechanics are the way they are because they’re simply there to serve the story, and serve it in a way that still feels punchy and dramatic. And speaking of story, this one actually surprised me quite a bit. I wasn’t really expecting much, but I became hooked on it as it progressed, and what initially looked like a very straightforward narrative turned into something I wasn’t expecting involving subplots of lunacy, megalomania and mysticism. Backed by solid voice acting, I really enjoyed the vibe you get from pretty much the beginning of the game. There’s a lot to like here.

The game can sometimes feel a bit janky, and it’s in these moments that you peek behind the curtain of visual awesomeness (seriously, this game came out in 2013??) and see the lack of polish. I also wish the level design was slightly better, though in such a linear experience that’s not a big deal at all. But overall, especially because it doesn’t demand that many hours from you - you can easily play trough it in one long session -, Ryse is a really cool game that I wish had received a bit more recognition when it came out and I had decided to play sooner. Probably a 8/10 in my book.

They advertised this game so much when the Xbox One came out, yikes. Talk about a bad one, the story alone was not it. The characters were boring and the ones who were interesting never got enough time on screen. The gameplay was too plain and the graphics were not consistent throughout. Extremely skippable, which is a shame since the setting and concept had so much potential. However, it failed at everything it set out to do, the best part is that the game is quite short.

I didn't ever plan on playing this game, cause I've never owned any Xbox systems, but I saw it as a PC game on Humble Bundle for $3. Admittedly, I'm always a little cautious to get really intensive games for PC, cause my laptop is neither fancy, nor dancy. Luckily, I was able to get it running on my PC after cranking the graphics down to low.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this game. If I wanted to be a cynical critic, I'd call this game nothing but a glorified tech demo, but on the other hand I did have fun being in Ancient Rome. Going on about the graphics, as mentioned, it is very good to look at, even on lower settings, this was a game meant to sell the Xbox 1. The two main areas levels are set in are Rome & Britannia. Rome, like AC Odyssey's Athens, is recreated in all it's ancient glory and the forests of the English Isle have a spooky aura to them. There were some issue of lagging, especially during the big battles with lots of moving parts, but I hold my laptop more accountable for that. One thing I do blame the game for is that all the enemy Barbarians in the game look very similar. A little diversity in character models would be appreciated. The Roman Legion can get away with it because they have a standardized uniform.

The gameplay of Ryse is nothing to write home about unfortunately. It boils down to walk a little bit, enter an arena, and fight the Barbarians. The combat is sort of like the Witcher or Batman Arkham. You open them up with a shield bash, take a few stabs, then counter-block & repeat. When the enemy gets to low health, you can execute them with a QTE, those old relics. It's not a very engaging combat system, and it's all you do in the game. So, leaning on the cynical critic side, I would say this game isn't very much of a game.

The history of Ancient Rome is my favorite area of study behind the American Old West. This game is more movie Roman Empire than historic Roman Empire, which is fine. It's not like the Assassins Creed series that tries to have a pretense of historical realism. Ryse pulls the names from some historic characters like Nero & Boudica, but that's about as historic as it gets. It's more an original story set in an Ancient Rome setting. With a majority of the game set during a war in Britannia, a favored cliche for Roman stories. Of course, all the Romans have English accents. I know I complain about all the Frenchmen with English accents, but the "BBC Romans" are one of my favorite media tropes. A lot of the armors and arms look good, except the armors your player character wears look too over-designed. There's sections where you march in formation, which it feels cool to march shield to shield, using testudo and launching pilum.

When it comes to Roman games, I usually only think of the Total War series, or an old PS2 title whose name escapes me. I loved playing general of a vast Legion in Total War, but it's nice to have a modern game that gives you a sandals on the ground perspective. It makes you feel more a part of the ancient history, whereas in Total War you just have little red dudes attacking little purple dudes in an open field.

As for the story, it's a rather short linear game. The narrative does take a few inspirations from Russell Crowe's Gladiator, and the D-Day Invasion from Saving Private Ryan of all things. It's a story of a Roman soldier, Marius, who's family is murdered by Barbarians, so he fights them in Britannia, only to learn it was the Emperor who betrayed his family, so he goes on a revenge killing across Rome. Nothing revolutionary, but it's still solidly told.

The 3 missions in Britannia feel a bit like filler when compared to the final two missions in Rome. Those final missions seem to have the bulk of the story and characterization and I wish more time was spent making the story pace better. Still, there were some great moments that I couldn't help but have fun playing. One in particular is during the escape from York where Marius is fighting off a horde of Barbarians single-handedly with a swelling movie score playing in the background. Another mission with great atmosphere is the path to the Wicker Man. Here you're on what the Romans considered the edge of the world and the game gives you that feeling. You're leading your Legion into a foggy, dark woods that seems more myth than reality.

All in all, this game is first and foremost meant to serve as a launch title to show off the pretty Xbox One graphics and be an engaging game second, kind of like how the Order was for PS4. However, if you're like me and just really like Roman history and the idea of being a Centurion, you can get a few hours of enjoyment for this game. I'd recommend picking it up for a dirt cheap price though.