Legionaries... To me! (Ryse: Son of Rome Review)

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Legionaries… To Me!

      Ryse: Son of Rome is a visceral, brutal tale of a Roman Centurion seeking revenge for the deaths of his family, murdered at the hands of the enemy- The Barbarians. Beautifully rendered, and graphically stunning, Crytek’s newest IP is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, with breath-taking vistas, and intense, motion captured combat. Unfortunately, the quality of the gameplay falls drastically short of the visual appeal.

            In a split second, time comes to a crawl, as you watch Marius’s Centurion armour shift with the contortion of his body, he raises his arm, his entire body weight behind the sword stroke. His face sweltering with rage, grunting as he hurls his shield into his enemy, his eyes glowering as he follows up the attack, lopping off the Barbarian’s arm in a glorious spectacle. You, however, had little to no impact on this series of brutal attacks.

            All of Ryse’s final blows are entirely executed through well timed button presses, the Xbox controller face buttons, and vary dependent on the situation. Some environments allow the player to go for a special execution, for example, Spartan kicking an enemy into a wall of spikes, which, is visually satisfying, but lacks the skill and accuracy behind it. The same can be said for the mundane executions. At first glance, each and every execution is visually stunning, accurate, and visceral. After a dozen or so times of hitting X and or Y to continue down a sequence of painfully easy button presses, it becomes entirely tedious and lackluster. The only penalties for a wrong input or ill-timed button press are a lesser score and reward. Your enemy will not counter attack. The execution system deviates from what I would consider a much respectable brawler.

            Well timed scores, from Recruit, to Legendary, grant varying amounts of XP, and also affect your additonal XP, Life, and Damage gain, which is your choice entirely by selecting any of said bonuses via the D-pad. Leveling Marius' attributes is key to survival. From increased in health, to passive XP boosts, you will acquire all these bonuses as you play through the entirety of the 5-7 hour campaign. This system doesn't offer much choice, however.

Combat is derived of a light attack, a heavy attack, a deflect, and a shield bash that breaks an armored enemies guard, turning into a flurry of hit strings. Enemies will often swarm him on all sides, and attack whenever there is an opening in his defenses. The player, if timed correctly, can deflect and parry all incoming attacks, and continue on racking up their hit counter to double and triple digits. If Marius is struck, the counter resets. These encounters are intense, and as the game progresses, a mixture of enemy types keeps players on their toes.

            Some foes deliver unblockable attacks, which must be dodge rolled, otherwise massive damage (scaling dependent on the difficulty) will be inflicted, bringing Marius to near death. In these instances, you will have to act fast, and either chooses to dodge roll (a much wiser option) or parry (which requires strict timing). Focus power is gained as Marius delivers perfectly timed hits, which builds meter, and allowing him to enter a state of rage where rapid sword strokes cut an enemy down. The implementation of Focus adds a layer of strategy and depth into the combat system, and is carefully balanced so it is not the main go-to to get out of dangerous situations.

            Marius is occasionally tasked to man a ballista; this is where gameplay comes to a slow crawl. Targeting is notoriously awkward, however, a built-in aim assist locks to the nearest target(s). These sequences only last several minutes, and have you shooting at countless Barbarian hordes, distant archers, and barrels of explosives to clear waves of enemies. Shots are fired far too quickly, taking away from the realism. Enemies will often not react to being hit, and stumble goofily, other times, shots are rather precise, and dozens of Barbarians fall within seconds.

            Marius’ commanding presence is most notable in sequences where he assumes command of Roman Legionaries, creating a moving wall to combat enemy archers in the distance. Incredibly simple gameplay drives Marius’ and his allies forward. As shields are raised to deflect arrows, players then move until the archer’s arrows are again notched, and shields are then again raised, this is repeated until they reach their destination, or they archers are defeated with Roman projectiles, known as a Pilum, or Pila.

            Marius’ tale is cliché ridden, touching upon the rebellion of the Britains, led by the Barbarian King and his daughter, against the Roman Empire. From the death of his mother, sister, and father, the entirety of Marius’ tale is of revenge and justice against those who wronged him. He remains filled with a seething hatred of the enemy up to the final moments. The story, although slightly dampened by mundane gameplay, was enjoyable, filled with horrible, despicable politicians who are served the most fitting of deaths for their crimes.

Crytek depicts ancient Rome with such visual bliss, from powerful warships over rough waters, to deep, dark forests littered with countless dead, to sunsets over the skyline of Rome, just over the coliseum. These moments are most worthy of taking the time to pan the camera, and soak in the amazing detail. Players can explore areas such as these for collectibles, some more obvious than others, whereas vistas are Crytek’s way of showing of Xbox One’s next-gen visual capabilities.

            In Ryse’s co-op mode, players assume the role of a Roman gladiator, in a glorified, fantasy-like arena that shifts and changes into varying environments and hazzards. You are your partner are tasked to fell waves of enemies, and complete objectives, earning additional XP, and rewards to further customize your personal gladiator. In the form of micro transactions, you can purchase skins and powerful weapons and armor with gold. The co-op mode is endless fun to be had with a friend, but, the tedious executions will grow tiresome after hours of gameplay, further dwindling upon the replay value.

Ryse is not a bad game, as it shows great potential, however, the combat mechanics, specifically the executions, need a bit of an overhaul. Crytek has proven to the gaming community that the Xbox One is indeed a powerful gaming system, and if I was to show anyone a beautiful looking game, I would show them Ryse: Son of Rome.

VERDICT: 6.5/10 Ryse: Son of Rome is a visual masterpiece. It’s a shame that the gameplay didn’t live up to gamer’s expectations.