Ryse: Son of Rome is one of the most polarizing games of both the Xbox One and PS4 launch games. Some people hate it, some people love it. I fall into the latter. Ryse is not perfect. It is not a game that you must drop everything and play, but what it does, it does very well.
The story of Ryse is the main selling point for me personally. Without such an engaging and interesting story to carry you through, I don't know if the game would have had as much of an impact as it did. The setting and levels are all varied and very well crafted, and you will see some stunning environments on display here. The same cannot be said for the enemies. The main, and almost only group of enemies you fight throughout the game are barbarians, and very quickly you will see the same character models over and over again. I understand that it helps the player to know which tactics to use against each enemy, as there are certain ways to take on tougher enemies, but it breaks the immersion a little bit.
Combat is repetitive, yes, but this is a third person hack and slash game. As long as the combat works well then it is par for the course in this style of game, and Ryse's combat works perfectly. The flow of your attacks, blocks, and executions make everything look great, and as you gain experience you can unlock even more executions and upgrades for Marius.
While the game is not long, it doesn't have to be. Any longer than the 5 or 6 hours it takes to complete the game, and it may have overstayed its welcome. If you have an Xbox One, this is a game you simply have to try out to know if you're going to like it. If you want an engaging story and can overlook a very well done, yet un-evolving combat system, then pick Ryse: Son of Rome up.