14 DAY TRIAL // The entire breadth of the combat system in Ryse: Son of Rome is revealed in the first 90 minutes of the game and an experienced player will understand how everything works much faster than that.
The moves that Crytek has created for main character Marius involve a combination of parries, dodges, shield bashes, sword slashes and heavy strikes that all lead to the moment when an enemy is vulnerable to launch an execution.
It involves pressing the X and the Y buttons on the Xbox One controller to match the colors on the screen and delivers a variety of gruesome moves that end the lives of enemies, but not before maiming them and filling the combat space with bucket loads of blood.
The rhythm of the combat is quite good because there's a clear need to balance the action of blocking incoming attacks with the tendency to stick to the offensive and try to get some of the more spectacular double execution moves.
Initially, I quite liked the way Ryse structured its battles and how the three or four enemy types I met forced me to adapt my approach, try to find space and then mix shield and sword strikes for the best effects.
In video games, simplicity can be a huge asset because it allows players to focus on a small number of mechanics, learn their secrets and then choose exactly how they want to use them in the title’s world.
Crytek manages to deliver a simple to understand combat system, but the developers fail to bring the varied arenas, interesting challenges and cool enemies that will encourage players to actually use it.
Instead of focusing on Marius and his fantasy story, Ryse: Son of Rome should have allowed the player to become a soldier in the various versions of the Roman army, allowing him to face enemies ranging from the Etruscans to the Carthaginians to the Parthians and the Goths with a wide array of equipment and in different locations.