Microsoft Studios and Crytek have debuted the new Gladiator mode for their upcoming hack and slash medieval title Ryse: Son of Rome. The new mode will be available as a multiplayer experience, offering a cooperative experience on the bloody sands with your friends as you do battle against ever-changing enemies. According to Crytek, key features of the multiplayer experience include:

Be Your Own Hero. “Ryse” offers a large variety of armor, weapons, shields, and consumables to customize your own unique gladiator. These items are earned through gold rewarded from victories in combat and impact your stats by improving your focus, XP, crowd reaction, and health. Consumables are elixirs that have a temporary effect, such as improving health or allowing instant kills.

Dynamic Tile Sets. Inspired by the movable floor pieces used to re-create historic battles in the ancient Colosseum, “Ryse” uses dynamic “tile sets” of scenery to provide a continuous stream of unpredictable challenges. Scenery hidden in the hypogeum literally erupts from the floor, providing players with settings ranging from strongholds, to ruins, to naval battles.

Numerous oher multiplayer features have also been detailed over at the official Xbox website, including customisable challenges and arenas, with Ryse featuring 11 multiplayer maps at launch.

New details on the combat system were also revealed at this year's Gamescom, ensuring that players understood all the intricate details for Ryse. Players will find that a mastery of "timing of attacks and blocks: the tighter the timing the better the player will perform." One of the examples given on the press release was a perfectly timed block, which will not only deflect the incoming attack but also throw the opponent wide open, making it easier for a counter-attack.

Executions are also plentiful with a tier system to unlock new styles of finishing your enemy, as are a number of perks, a combo counter and ranged weapons. Find it all over at the official Xbox website. Check out the multiplayer Gladiator trailer below for a glimpse at the gory action.