Ryse: Son of Rome didn’t exactly take the world by storm, but it did still provide a generous dose of fun and over a decade on, fans of the game agree that this underrated gem deserves another chance.
Developed by Crytek, Ryse: Son of Rome landed on Xbox One back in 2013. Set in an alternate version of Ancient Rome, players assumed the role of centurion Marius Titus amidst his journey to become a leader in the Roman Legion. The game secured a rather middling score of 60 over on aggregate site Metacritic. GamesRadar praised Ryse’s “impressive ideas” and “engaging story”, but struggled to gel with its “short campaign and repetitive battles”. IGN likewise enjoyed the “entertaining story and sky-high production values” yet also felt Ryse’s gameplay let it down.
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Over on YouTube, user MathChief totally overhauled the game to envision what a sequel might look like. The 60fps 4K remaster of the game looks absolutely incredible, and it’s left fans pondering the question of whether there’s a future for this IP. “This game was way ahead of its time. Just absolutely stunning,” wrote one user, while another added, “It’s crazy this came out in 2014. Just shows art design and building goes a long way.”
“One of my favourite games. Sadly, it was too short. I finished it in half a day or less. It was epic,” read another comment. “This game is more than a decade old and is better than most western games made nowadays,” declared one fan.
Crytek do retain ownership of the Ryse IP so a sequel isn’t totally out of the question, but the company does appear to be focusing on free-to-play / live service titles following a restructuring. With Ryse’s mixed reviews to take into consideration and the FTC’s investigation into related paid endorsement deals, Ryse: Son of Rome has a long uphill battle ahead if it does want to embark on a comeback.