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).
