There has been no game this year that has earned so much criticism before it was released than Ryse: Son of Rome. It is easy for us to enter a “hive” mentality and disregard this game based on the very possibility of it being generic and repetative, but Ryse: Son of Rome is nothing of the sort. This game is not a gilded trinket that is pretty to look at but one that lacks all substance and value. It is, in fact, a remarkable gem with only a few rough edges in the slew of launch games for the Xbox One.
The tale is of Marius Titus is an entertaining one at the very least. Playing this Roman soldier as he rises from a fresh recruit to hardened centurion of the 14thlegion is a fantastic time. Like the majority of Ryse: Son of Rome, the narrative could easily be mistaken for a simple revenge tale, but there is much more beneath the surface. Alluring twists await you at every turn, fascinating characters constantly enter the stage, and an interplay with the Roman Gods are only hinted at. When the tale had come to its mysterious conclusion, it left me with a feeling only few games have, one of satisfactory unease.
Reviewing this title post launch has given me a perspective different from my fellow reviewers. Because of the negative exposure this game received, I expected little to nothing from this game and was floored at how wrong I could be. This is not only an exceptional launch title, but a fantastic game in its own right. There is nothing wrong with a difference of opinion, everyone is entitled to one, and there can be no singular opinion, but when one is ill-informed, that is what irritated me. People who reviewed Ryse: Son of Rome prior to its release, made no attempt to understand the intricacies and timing of combat. They all but ignored gladiator mode, and the depth that it provided. Ryse may be no masterpiece, but it certainly deserves a fairer shake than it received from each and every one of us.