Ryse Son Of Rome Xbox One

Let’s be clear about something. Ryse: Son of Rome is a shallow, repetitive, ultimately meaningless and gratuitously violent piece of entertainment, where the lion’s share of the development time has gone into showcasing the visual capabilities of the Xbox One. It’s full of beautiful artwork and can be impressively cinematic, while the level of spectacle is off the scale, but looking for sophisticated gameplay or long-term depth here is a bit like looking for it in a callow summer blockbuster movie.

Within those limitations, however, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable game. Much as we’d like to go with the critical flow and dismiss Ryse as a stretched-out technical demo or a tedious quick-time-event extravaganza, we have to admit that it’s not just great to look at, but good fun while it lasts.

This is a sword and sandals epic in the vein of Gladiator, though the good folk at Crytek have spent even less time worrying about historical accuracy or dramatic sense, and just worked on making a ripping yarn. You play Marius, soldier son of a great Roman general, as he rises through the ranks in a campaign through Britain, and becomes unmeshed in the fall of Rome under the dissolute rule of Nero and his sons.

The combat system is simple, but focused heavily on timing. Marius’s key move is the block, which you pull off every time you see someone about to hit you. Pull off a block and you can counter with a quick or strong attack, the type set by how long you hold the button. You can also knock back your foes by kicking them or whacking them with a shield, and also roll out of range when they’re about to hit you with something really big.

It sounds simple, scripted and repetitive, and it is all those things, but it’s also oddly satisfying, particularly once you learn to time your moves carefully, chain them together, and anticipate the colour prompts. Experience points can be spent on upgrades to health and focus, and also allow you to carry more javelins, or pila, which can be cheerfully thrown at cowardly archers. What’s more, there’s a little strategy involved, even if it’s only working out when to use your focus powers, and how to keep yourself positioned so you’re not engulfed by enemies or unable to dodge attacks.

We’d like to have seen a little more of Ryse’s command sequences, where you lead your men forward, raise shields to block incoming arrow fire, then lob more pila once in range. Not only do these bits make a change from all the mutilating mayhem, they also give you a chance to shout orders at the screen in your best Russell Crowe voice – and that’s never a bad thing.

It’s not a game you’ll want to run through in one long burst, but play it level by level and there’s enough variety to keep you wanting more. The biggest problem is that once the credits roll after eight or so hours, all you’re left with is the co-op Gladiator missions, where you can play solo or with a friend or stranger, tackling wave after wave of enemies in the mighty Colosseum. There’s a bit of short-term fun to be had here, with different setups and objectives that might have you battling catapults or tackling archers, while gold earned through your bloody work can be spent on new armour and weapons to customise your fighter. All the same, it’s doubtful you’ll carry on playing it for more than a couple of weeks.