Where Risen 1 was a wonderful return to form for Piranha Games, a game that was a bit like a remake of Gothic 1, and a bit like a new thing, Risen 2 is nothing like what Gothic 2 was, despite what you might expect. It is set in a bigger world, but the exploration is not very exciting and every separate island does feel separate. There's no stepping up in story or gameplay. Instead, the backstory implies something big is happening, but what you see in game is completely disconnected from it and final fight doesn't feel important, like it did in the original game. And gameplay is in many ways a step down instead. Fighting system is simplified, in-game menus are a mess of tabs and subtabs for every little thing, some of the skills are next to useless and the game is still (and I'm guessing it's the same version as the Steam release) quite buggy after many patches. And the piracy thing? The game tells you it's there, gives you pet monkeys and parrots, makes you duel pirates and drink rum instead of potions, but you can substitute piracy for anything else, and no one might notice. Right before playing it I've finished Two Worlds 2 and that game, out of anything, felt like a more exciting experience with a more engaging story. Which is disappointing, because Risen 1 was fantastic. And I'm hoping Piranha games will make things right with the third game.
