Post by Imonamilkcarton on Apr 26, 2014 1:41:06 GMT
The neck-stabbing and barbarian-eviscerating continues unabated with the release of "Duel of Fates," the third downloadable content package for "Ryse: Son of Rome."
The downloadable content features two new arena mode round-to-round maps in Invictus and Barbarous, and a survival map simply titled "Island." Players will also be able to access two new gladiator skins for their combatants, both taken from "Ryse: Son of Rome’s" single-player campaign: Glott the barbarian chief, and "Ryse" protagonist Marius Titus.
Justin Robey, Senior Producer at Microsoft, refers to the new maps as a sort of “Roman Holodeck.” They’re sprawling, multi-tiered affairs that expand well beyond the Roman Colosseum's ability to hold all the action. “We tell stories with our maps,” Robey says.
The maps are loosely based on historical events. The Servile Wars, a series of slave uprisings, inspired the creation of the “Invictus” map. “Barbarous” hearkens back to the numerous barbarian invasions that helped spur the fall of the Roman Empire. In these maps, gladiators are tasked with seizing and holding special landmarks such as the God Tree, lighting wicker men on fire, defending Emperor Nero from harm, and avoiding numerous firetraps and arrow jets. New underground areas link certain stages together, with plenty of thematic and environmental diversity within each map.
In “Barbarous,” players start off in a verdant open courtyard with a banner-decked God Tree, and then quickly move on to a vendor’s market and a claustrophobic, high-walled city center.
