Xbox One

Ryse: Son of Rome

Hack and slash/Beat 'em upAdventure

Time to beat: about 7 hours

Overview

Ryse: Son of Rome is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Crytek and published by Microsoft Studios. Set in an alternate version of Ancient Rome, Ryse follows the life of the Roman centurion Marius Titus as he becomes one of the leaders in the Roman Legion. Gameplay revolves around Marius using his sword to strike enemies and shield to deflect attacks. Execution sequences are featured in the game, which are quick-time events that serve as an extension to combat. The game features a cooperative multiplayer mode, which tasks players to fight against waves of enemies in maps that are changing dynamically.

The game's development began in 2006. Originally it was set to be a first-person Kinect-only title for the Xbox 360. However, the developer gradually redesigned the game to become a third-person hack and slash game, with Kinect serving a diminished role. The development of the game was originally handled by Crytek Budapest, but was later transferred to Crytek's headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. The game's combat emphasizes on "flow", a term referring to a player's ability to move on to fight against another enemy upon defeating an enemy with few limitations in between. The team partnered with The Imaginarium Studios to develop the cinematic and motion-capture technology for the game. Competitive multiplayer modes developed by Ruffian Games were cancelled.

Revealed as Codename: Kingdoms at E3 2010, the game was reintroduced as Ryse: Son of Rome three years later. It was released in November 2013 as a launch title for the Xbox One, and was released on October 10, 2014 for Windows. It received mixed reviews upon launch, being praised for its visuals, narrative, emotional depth, characterization, art direction, music and high production values, but criticized for its short length, repetitive and simple gameplay and linear-oriented design. Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, added that he was not satisfied with the sales of the game. Upon launch, the game was supported with several multiplayer-focused downloadable content, but the originally planned Challenge Editor was cancelled.