Risen

Let's be honest in one thing: Gothic 2 is the best game that Piranha Bytes produced. Everything else is just... not good, not at that level of quality. Why is that... I have no idea. I thought about this more than I would like to admit but now I believe that this is just due to people leaving company. With people also their experience and knowledge leaves. Because of that PB is the company that "never learns from their mistakes". Which is sad... When I think what they did with Gothic 2 after Gothic 1... That will never happen again in our lifetime.. not with Elex 2, not with anything... But let's review this game. Risen 1 is, after Gothic 2 maybe the best thing that PB produced. It's the most "gothic-ish" game that there is. I can't my finger on it but something is missing in this game that prevents it to be even better.. You know - on "gothic" level. It's fine game but.. maybe I'm just too big fan of Gothic 2.... This is an "ok game", it's 4/5. And no, PB didn't learn how to make good melee controls in this game... We can be almost certain that this lack of good melee controls is the trademark of PB.

Great game. It was very similar experience to Gothic 1 and 2, with similar/same elements (nameless hero with big mouth, three factions, three main locations, story divided into chapters, learning skills from teachers, etc). The island is rather small, but fun to explore. You will meet various creatures. If you wonder too far in the earlier stage of game, you will meet certain death (some creatures are too strong for lower levels, creating some sort of natural barrier - you will visit these places later, when you're stronger). I didn't like that there is no interaction between creatures. For example, you won't find wolves hunting animals, which is sad, because much older Gothics had this feature. Also I didn't like two last chapters of the game, when you don't get new side quests from characters, you met earlier. And you run in the undeground almost all the time what makes game very repetitive. In summary, very good game with minor flaws and for me weak last two chapters.

Although being much smaller in scale compared to the devs last game, while that one was quite enjoyable because of its big world, you will not notice that much is missing most of the time. The reason is not because more was bad, but more made for a different experience altogether. Risen feels much more atmospheric and tight. Every step you do, everything you explore and interact with - it is less, but feels more detailed in the way it was implemented. There is also a heavier focus on following the main story this time, but you still have a lot of freedom on how you approach it and when. You can build your character however you want (mostly), as well. The combat is very solid, actually. Some may not like it, but I thought each attack is valued and playing a tad more tactical and with invested points in abilities is more rewarding than, again, the "predecessor". The presentation is a step up as well, and while Gothic 3 may had a bit of clunkiness to it because of its age, Risen still feels quite comfortable to control, look and hear. While the typical dialogue of the series has been tamed a little bit, the charme is definitively here, as well. The only downside (and maybe a reason for some to take one star off) is the second half of the game, where you'll notice that you've actually already seen and done most of it and you're being sent to rather short acts of solving quests and ending the story. It is okay for what it is, but probably a lot of people expected more when going into it, especially after the solid first two chapters where you can go and see everything and explore. Technically, the game is solid out of the box. I had an issue with the Physics SDK, but it was resolved by a quick google search. The game has widescreen support and is played with Keyboard and Mouse with a solid control layout. So, what could I add? Oh, there are console commands you can activate and mess around with. A fun experience on its own... Solid rpg - even for todays standards!

30 minutes into the game, I was cursing under my breath and sorely tempted to delete it from my PC. I had been in about a dozen fights, and it seemed like the only thing the AI knew how to do was charging in for a couple cheap hits then dodging back like a rubberband freak. "Who the hell made this shit?" Fortunately, I figured out a reliable way to cheese all humanoid enemies about half way through Chapter 1. I made a post about it on the forums. That allowed me to beat the rest of the game without trouble. I was able to enjoy the good part of the game without much frustration. The good part is, as many fans would tell you, the freedom of the game. This freedom creeps up on you. As I was liberated from the frustrating combat and my character developed into a mage, I began to think: Hey! What if I just used my spell to nuke as many tough enemies as I can, slept to recharge mana, then repeated? There doesn't seem to be a time limit on anything. Instead, I opted for a paladin, I froze my foes and power attacked them to death with my sword. Summoning a skeleton to distract the AI also works well. In the beginning, when I had none of that, I managed to kill some ogres and ghouls by luring them to NPCs. You get companions who fight with you later in the game. It was all actually kinda fun. Risen is a contradiction. The main quest is bland in the worst possible way, but characters you meet act and interact surprisingly naturally, and even the occasional fetch or kill X quests feel organic. The combat can be excruciating. Yet once I figured out the cheese, I thought maybe this was done intentionally, like a puzzle. There is nothing realistic or immersive about paying a bit of random gold and skill points and suddenly you can forge a sword better than the blacksmith. I was still immensely satisfied after I forged said sword. Many initially bad aspects grow on you. Since the graphics and sound are pleasing, Risen is good to try. I know what I hate, and I don't hate this.

I really enjoyed this first entry in the Risen franchise. It was very easy for me to get into it after playing all of the Gothic series back to back. It is a very good game. The mechanics are a Piranha Bytes' trademark: very steep learning curve but also very satisfying. The story is good, the open world is rich and packed full of creatures, the weapons are varied and the factions are well developed. It is replayable as choosing one faction bars you from skills and quests. The gist is if you liked the Gothic series then you'll definitely enjoy Risen.