I was talking in the previous post about this Ryse: Son of Rome and I was ranting about how I didn’t get to speak of it because of those chaps from Blizz who always keep me busy with their bloody updates. Well, I finally managed to break my unbreakable bond with Wow and find some time to talk about something that’s:
- Not an MMO created by Blizzard
- Not a PC game
- Not a PS 4 game
- Not a toothbrush
- Not a pair of gloves
- And the list could go on and on like this
Anyways the game, Ryse: Son of Rome, caught my eye as it basically stands for a nice slasher set in the world of Rome: Total War if we may call it like that (and I loved that game). So if you ever wanted to explore that world in a different way rather than the good old “city view” the game so kindly provides, this game is the answer. Now without further dilly dallying let’s watch the trailer and then we’ll take it from there:
Ryse: Son of Rome (Launch Trailer)
Alrighty then where to begin, should we take the good side or … Who am I kidding this game only has good sides, that off course if you count out the whole gameplay and the fact it’s only available on Xbox One. So yes, let’s begin with th graphics, those are pretty cool … And how else could they be if they made it on CryEngine 4 (that’s the same thing on which they built Crysis 3 and you all remember that game and it’s cursed astronomical requirements). Graphics are just simply mind blowing and that’s something we want to see on next-gen consoles.
Second thing: the story. It is pretty badass, although it has its lapses and Assassin’s Creed wanabe references with the deities playing around with the fate of the characters, but overall Marius does a pretty nice job at playing the bloodthirsty centurion slashing a way through the barbarian ranks. Now there be no romance, there be no death, only hacking and slashing and testudo formations now and then. Still story related is the nice interweaving of the Damocles legend in the whole narrative and character progression. Speaking of which here’s a second trailer featuring the legend.
Ryse: Son of Rome (Damocles Trailer)
And now for the bad parts. The bloody gameplay, especially the cursed combat system are totally awful and when I say that I mean it. Only a seriosly passionate gamer could ignore it totally and actually “love” the game as a whole. Now I can understand that the game is supposed to be as realistic as possible (thing which was nicely achieved through the breathtaking graphics if I might add), but still why the hell keep a gameplay so rigid and such a bloody repetive combat technique to emphasize that as well? I’m not saying that it should imitate God of War, but still a power combo or some badass hit now then would have been great. How cares about depicting the real, it’s a damn game after all!
Also the fact that it’s only available on Xbox One proves quite a pain in the ass for the majority of the poor bastards out there, because you know, unless you own one of those you’ll never get to enjoy it. There still is hope though, as I was saying the story and graphics are the main part of it all being good for something so let me break it to you, here’s all of it 2 hours of it all, enjoy (that’s the whole game with a less repetive pattern and skipping the boring parts, thus only showing what’s really worth it):
Ryse: Son of Rome (Full storyline and Fights)
There you have it, a great game that should have been or at least it could have been much greater if only anyone would have invested a bit more time in building those bloody combos in a much more unrealistic manner. But maybe that’s just me and the majority of the big game critics out there. Anyways for the few chaps who will actually get to play it I recon it’s worth it regardless of the downsides because you know … It’s a nice and unique perspective of ancinet Roman times that all history junkie will adore.
