Ryse: Son of Rome is a curious choice of showcase title for the brand new Xbox One. It was once under development at Crytek as a vehicle for Kinect, but has now resurfaced, reworked and sans motion controls, as one of the biggest launch games on Microsoft's new console. Beneath the undeniably stunning graphics, some of the seams still show through. This is a big, combat-driven hack-and-slash action epic, but one that seems dependent on carefully timed responses to heavily scripted events. You can't help feeling that it was designed around limitations that no longer affect it.
Watch the gory Ryse: Son of Rome trailer:
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You play a Roman general in the dying days of the Empire, and the eventual spearhead of that Empire's resurgence. Moving from battle to battle, you get to both command small units of troops and get stuck in in the melee itself, tackling the upstart barbarian scum with your trusty sword and shield.
Viewed from a Gears of War-style third-person view, Ryse has a very streamlined approach to combat, with none of the rapid evasive moves or killer combos you might find in, say, Sony's God of War. The X button swings your sword, while the Y batters enemies with your shield. Pressing A raises the shield to protect you from arrows or an incoming axe-blade. Hack away at your foe or make a timely block, and a prompt flashes to tap the B button. Do so, then tap the next button you're prompted to use, and our hero takes out that foe with a brutal finishing move. Fans of throat-stabbing, limb-lopping, stomach-slicing and general dismemberment will be delighted with the gore-splattered, slowmo results.
Our hands-on demo took the same sequence showcased in Microsoft's press conference, kicking off with a Roman assault on a Barbarian beach-head (think Saving Private Ryan in armour and sandals), and climaxing with the capture of a catapult and the demolition of Barbarian battlements and war machines. Ryse certainly looks every inch a next-gen game, with a Gladiator-beating sense of scale. Mighty galleys are reduced to splinters before your eyes, as troops in gleaming armour are cut down by catapulted rocks and flaming arrows. Lavish detail and superb, cinematic lighting give it plenty of that old Ben Hur appeal. It's just a slight shame that the same barbarians crop up time and time again; we hope there are more enemy models by the time the game ships.
Meanwhile, the action is more compelling than you might expect. It's not a game of frantic hack-and-slash action, but of watching your foes, timing your blocks and maintaining control of the crowd. It's bloodthirsty stuff but grimly satisfying, even if you suspect that it might grow old and repetitive after just a few hours of play.
When the time comes to command, that's fun as well. You urge your troops to march forwards, watch for the flaming arrows, then shout for them to adopt the classic tortoise position, all shields locked together, as those burning projectiles rain down. Get within range and you can throw back javelins, giving those barbarians a taste of their own medicine. Make it to the wall and you can order a charge, routing the enemy and taking your troops over the top.
Ryse looks great and plays better than you might expect, but we still can't see it being more than that classic early showcase game; the kind you buy to show off your new hardware, but abandon once something more compelling comes along. That said, we're ready and willing to be pleasantly surprised.
