A mysterious volcanic island.
The heavy tremors on the island bode ill for its inhabitants. Ancient temples have risen from the ground recently, bizarre creatures are terrorizing the area. Fear and terror is spreading among the population.
The end of all hope?
A group of powerful men who call the...
A mysterious volcanic island.
The heavy tremors on the island bode ill for its inhabitants. Ancient temples have risen from the ground recently, bizarre creatures are terrorizing the area. Fear and terror is spreading among the population.
The end of all hope?
A group of powerful men who call themselves "The Inquisitors" have taken it upon them-selves to put an end to these events. They send an expedition to this remote island, but a storm takes hold of the ship and destroys it at sea.
A hero will come.
As if by a miracle, you survive the shipwreck and are stranded on the volcanic island alone. You find yourself amidst a chaos of rebellion, tyranny, and mystic rituals. It is up to you to decide to which side the pendulum of fate will swing.
Delve into a gritty, raw, and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence. In the epic world of Risen, filled with mysterious earthquakes, fearsome monsters, and unimaginable treasures, forge your path with the sword, learn the art of staff fighting, or become a powerful mage.
Alter the destiny of the island by the actions you take.
Please be advised that Windows 10 operating system will receive frequent hardware driver and software updates following its release; this may affect game compatibility
Recommended system requirements:
Please be advised that Windows 10 operating system will receive frequent hardware driver and software updates following its release; this may affect game compatibility
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This is one of my favorite games, probably rates just after Gothic 2. The artwork is beautiful, the combat is mostly interesting, and the plots and subplots make sense and keep you moving along. The one downside to this game is the ending, where no matter what kind of character you've spent many hours building, you have the same strategy regardless. A flaw in design, but up to that point a wonderful experience.
Risen is so like Gothic 2, it feels like an expansion pack. Problem is, enjoying it depends on you not having played Gothic 2.
The maps & quests are so similar, I felt like they just took Gothic 2 & reskinned it. And playing it a second time doesn't make it more fun.
In fact, as far as difficulty goes, Risen is more like Gothic 1 - stealing is easy (AI is mediocre), leveling up and improving stats is a breeze, collecting gold is as easy as breathing, & oftentimes I'd find myself biting more than I could chew, with no repercussions whatsoever.
Because just like Gothic 1 & 2, you can use the environment to take on foes much stronger than you. You simply lure a monster from its pack using a long range weapon, pin it to a wall & whack repeatedly, or simply attack from afar.
You can also climb some object you're not supposed to be able to climb, and use a bow or crossbow to mow down a dozen enemies at once.
Plus, herbs & weapons are scattered generously throughout the map, making it easy to roam it.
Oftentimes I'd finish quests before ever receiving them. I don't remember Gothic 2 being this easy.
Graphics are nice, despite everyone looking the same, and having hideous faces, but I much preferred Gothic 1 & 2's outdated graphics - again, maybe because I played them before playing Risen.
The monsters in this game are also rather uninspired, and it takes a while for the more interesting ones to appear.
As far as plot, there isn't any. Risen is pretty much a game without a cohesive plotline - rather a collection of sidequests. You're a no-name shipwreck survivor, whose entire goal in life is giving A to B for gold and experience points.
There isn't the large overarching story Gothic 2 had. Not only that, but somehow the map feels smaller, or at least as if less thought went into it. Nothing feels natural - you can sense the devs' influence throughout.
But despite it all I was willing to keep going, until I finally decided to enter the town, & the game came to a halt.
Risen is one of those RPGs where everything is created with attention to the detail. The lore and the quests are a positive example for other newer dull RPGs because of their realistic nature and creative structure.
I rarely review a game, but Risen caught my attention being distinctive from other games of the same genre apart from Gothic I and II that were made by the same developer, Piranha Bytes. It is basically a Gothic game, but with a better design and a bug-free experience. For me, this is the only Piranha Bytes game that managed to create a truly original and interesting setting along with Gothic I. It has an open-world right from the start and the protagonist is just a guy who wants to survive the dangers of the Sicily like island he wrecked where a really fascinating Inquisition is also present. The guild-based progression system from Gothic I and II returns. Also the NPCs with daily routines and the exceptional voice acting are some of the main aspects that help the atmosphere to be a unique and realistic one.
The graphics are simple and beautiful along with the atmospheric soundtrack. You can join one of the three guilds, each one with its own story, skills and outfits. You can train your character to fight with different types of weapons. Also the magic-skill system is very well designed and it is easy and enjoyable to use. You can also craft potions and weapons, but you need to be careful on which skills are you spending your learning points which are acquired by leveling up because almost every choice in this game is meaningful and permanent.
The first hours in Risen can be quite difficult, but the experience is rewarding and after the beginning everything becomes easier without the engaging quests to disappear.
If you haven't played Risen yet, you should give it a try because it will give you a sense of rewarding and accomplishment which will remain in your memory for a long time.
(Nvidia PhysX needs to be installed manually)
The title Risen is chosen very well, as with this game, Piranha Bytes has risen from the ashes that publisher JoWood made of the Gothic series.
Seriously though, this is a great game for fans of the old Gothic titles (1 & 2), It follows the same scheme: The unnamed hero is thrown into a rough and dirty fantasy world and rises from a wimp without skills to the saviour of the world. All the while he rises through the ranks of different factions and has blunt but often rather humorous dialogues with NPCs.
While this formula works yet again and while the smaller, more detailed world is very pretty and fun to explore, the game does not quite reach the heights of the Gothic series IMO. Why? Because of the later acts of the game. The beginning is absolutely fantastic. You get to know the factions and there is something new and exciting around every corner. However, later in the game you spend a lot of time in caves and dungeons as you collect things (be that some mystical shard or pieces of an armour). Going back to places you already know barely holds new quests or dialogue from NPCs. Gothic 2 handled that one better and got the maximum out of the fact that PB games are structured into chapters.
Nonetheless, Risen is an extremely fun RPG which will keep you entertained for hours. Just be prepared for a tough difficulty level (another trademark of PB games).
This game is a gem! The combat looks and feels better in game than it does in gameplay videos (if that makes sense) and the music is great, and the voice acting is surprisingly good. Animations are a bit dated but not bad. The game rewards you with loot, but does not overload you with weapons and gear, I am still running around in tattered clothes and the 1st real sword i found! The best part is the game doesn't "hold your hand" with a mini map and map markers ( i am not a fan of mini maps, too distracting). It makes the game more emmersive and you aren't staring at the upper right hand corner of the screen constantly, you actually have to explore! The landscapes look really good for this old of a game! Why didn't i buy this before? Angry console reviews turned me off from trying it, and now i am so glad i did!
All in all: totaly worth the price on sale. Pick it up if you are a fan of rpg's, you won't regret it.
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