So it finally happened; I got my shiny new Xbox One console. Not only that, but with it came the release day title Ryse: Son Of Rome.

Developed by Crytek and published by Microsoft Studios as an Xbox One exclusive, Ryse is an unabashed hack and slash adventure, in some ways filling the role that N3 (Ninety Nine Nights) did for the Xbox 360’s early line-up way back when.

Other than its action foundations, the main thing that Ryse shares with N3 is that it acts as a technical showpiece for its fledgling console. Let’s get right down to it; Ryse: Son Of Rome is probably the best looking of the release titles. The game really does showcase the step up in graphical power available in the new generation of systems and not by a small distance either. It’s frankly astonishing how slick the visuals are in the game, both in cut-scene and during gameplay. Indeed the game transitions between gameplay and cut-scheme in an integrated and seamless manner, which should tell you a lot about the equality of each’s visuals.  Of particular note are the cut scenes involving the stone fascia, which are so intricate and well-rendered they defy belief at times. And yes, that is indeed me marvelling at the graphical rendering of ancient carved stone. I like history, bite me.

In addition, environments are sumptuous, with there being several panoramic moments which left me marvelling at their realism. I guarantee, if you took a HD still of several of the screens in the game and showed them to members of the public, there would be a great number who assumed they were photos, they’re that good.

However, the focus on super-charging the visuals has come with some significant and obvious trade-offs. The loading screens, which masked by rotating high-quality environment slide-shows, are noticeably longer than any we have been used to in recent years. Perhaps exacerbated by Crytek failing to employ as effective smoke and mirrors as other developers to cover the loading sections, these loading screens regularly reach the point of becoming annoying and break up the flow of the admittedly frenetic action. Extended loading screens are not surprising for an early game on a new system of course; such has always been the way of things, but in the case of Ryse, they are particularly noticeable and are obviously as a consequence of the level of detail achieved in the visuals.

Another obvious result of the amount of development time and hardware power dedicated to the improved graphical detail is the lack of enemy variety. There are a few basic types of enemy, which is fine. They vary up the combat challenge as much as can be expected of the mechanic, but the real repetition, visually at least, is found in the character models. Every fight has you facing off against at least a couple of identical twins, who act and speak in the same way. Indeed, it’s not exactly a rarity for said twins to synchronise their moves to perfection. Great in synchronised swimming, not so much in an action game. While this is nothing new in a game of this type, it’s surprisingly noticeable here, being present even from the first fight. Hell, you don’t even get a pallet swap of enemy models, so not even the illusion of new character models is created. I mean, really? Streets of Rage felt like it had more enemy types than this and that’s, what, 2 decades old now?

Perhaps the only saving grace for the repetitive character modes is that the game’s brevity means it’s going to be over before you get too sick of it. Yes, that’s right, I’m suggesting the game’s shortness could be seen as a positive, in the context of some of its failings… it’s come to that.

And short it most certainly is. If I’m generous I’ll say the main campaign will run you 7-10 hours if you’re particularly prone to dying and re-trying. While this means the game doesn’t outstay its welcome, it does mean it’s barely got in the door and taken its shoes off before it leaves. Now, this is obviously another symptom of the time and effort put into the visuals but it’s particularly galling at the prices that are being charged for a new game right now. At £55 retail cost, Ryse: Son Of Rome cost me £5.50 an hour for its campaign mode and that’s if I’m being generous to its running time…

The gameplay itself is fairly shallow, if I’m being completely honest. Along with the main hack and slash gameplay there are ranged sections (bother fixed position and mobile) and squad ‘tortoise shell’ manoeuvre sections. Oh and there are parts where you choose where your archers or infantry stand for a given battle, but it basically boils down to an A or B selection of whether you want melee support or archery support, so it’s more or less aesthetic.

Now, the key part of the game: the combat. Those people that stressed that, after seeing the game pre-release, the gameplay was not based on quicktime events: LIES!!!

The game is around 75% quicktime events. I mean, it doesn’t really matter of you complete them, but still. How it works is a fairly standard action-combat game routine, with sword attacks mapped to X, shield bashes to Y and blocks to A. These are then used to combat groups of enemies. Indeed, the way the groups surround you and take turns telegraphing their attacks as they run forward is not a little reminiscent of the Assassins Creed combat mechanic. Basically, when someone attacks you block, then alternate sword and shield attacks until either they become ready for a finisher or another enemy begins his attack and you block it and start the combo again against them. Fairly standard stuff. The quicktime begins when you initiate a finisher (an execution as the game terms it). At this point the game slows down and Marius, your protagonist, proceeds to brutally dispatch the enemy, and you’re prompted to hit either Y or X at various points to earn more experience points. This is not done by a button appearing on the screen as with most quicktime, but by your enemy being surrounded by an appropriately coloured halo. Those clever buggers; quicktime in disguise.  Funnily enough, pressing the wrong buttons doesn’t affect the execution; you just get less experience for it. The whole last sequence of the game is made up of these sequences and it really makes it a glorified cutscene, which is a shame.

The combat is; however, oddly addictive, with you going back again and again to various fights, wanting to dispatch the enemies in the most stylish way possible. I will also admit, getting two enemies to the execution state at the same time and pulling off the dual executions is exceptionally satisfying and does make you feel embarrassingly badass.

The thing that hampers combat most is the camera, however. Often an issue in these types of games, in Ryse the developers have put the camera so close in that it can cause visibility problems, especially in the more enclosed areas. It’s frustrating to be blindsided mid-combo by an off-screen enemy, which happens a lot. What’s infuriating is having a flawless flow broken when a bit of scenery pops up across the whole screen in the foreground obscuring the camera. That happens a lot too. It’s clear the camera is placed close in to showcase the executions, but not even having an option to zoom it out is just criminal in game design.

All in all, Ryse: Son Of Rome is what we would have expected from a release title. It focusses on graphics and visual spectacle to the detriment of the game experience in many facets. As an actual gameplay experience, this is a decidedly old-school hack & slash, but visually it’s a treat. If you want a title that really highlights one of the reasons you bought the shiny new VCR under your TV, this is the best title out there right now to do it. I’d just wait until prices go down a bit unless you’re desperate to play it, as £55 is obscenely overpriced for how long it lasts.

Ryse: Son Of Rome isn’t an all-time classic. Once more games are released the game will most likely be forgotten, much like the early games of the PS3/360 generation were, but for what it was intended; as a graphical tech demo game, it does the job. A limb-choppy, stomach-stabby, shouty job.

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