Risen seems to have slipped off the radar amidst the dust of the big name releases this Fall season, but this is a role-playing game you won’t want to pass up.
The story begins with the protagonist shipwrecked on the fictional tropical island of Farango. Prior to your arrival, large temples have sprouted from the ground, releasing monsters throughout the island along with the promise of rare artifacts. After you wake up on one of the sandy beaches of the island and run through a quick tutorial, you are free to choose your own path. You may choose to join the Inquisitors, a large religious cult of warriors and mages who have taken it upon themselves to deal with the monsters emerging from the ruins and the artifacts within, or the Don’s men, a group of rogues and fighters opposing the sudden and hostile rule of the Inquisitors. The world is completely open to you from the start of the game and it’s up to you to forge your character how you see fit.
The first thing you’ll notice when you play Risen is its technical superiority. The graphics look astounding with rustling trees and bushes, realistic textures and with great attention to detail such as day and night cycles, a dynamic weather system and the occasional rumble of the volcano located in the middle of the island. The character models of the creatures are imaginative and colourful, making the game always appealing and refreshing to the eyes. The graphics are well complemented by the sound quality and voice work. All the sound effects are executed perfectly and the music in-game is very enjoyable. One thing I absolutely loved is the voice work. The protagonist and all the important characters are very well done. When they communicate it seems like a very natural and believable conversation. The non-playable characters are rather intelligent, to an extent I haven’t seen in many games, making them far more believable and immersive. Overall, Risen is technologically impressive.
Risen is an action role-playing game through and through, with basic gameplay mechanics revolving around gathering loot, fighting monsters and completing quests for the various inhabitants. There is a main quest line for each faction along with a nice scrambling of side quests throughout the tropical countryside for you to complete for extra rewards. Sometimes this drags down the story elements as you run about completing quests for a number of minor characters before coming back to the main story. The pace does pick up once you get further into the game but the first ten to twenty hours are fairly slow. Some of these quests don’t seem very heroic or exciting either, such as tracking down a drug smuggler or delivering health potions for needy people living in slums. It’s a bit disappointing but can be overlooked. Another small crack in Risen’s overall outstanding presentation is the difficulty. This is not a casual role-playing game. After the opening tutorial you are left to fend for yourself in a very dangerous world. Saving often is definitely recommended, and be prepared for untimely deaths while you get the hang of the controls and the enemy’s combat strategies. Most quests are fairly straight forward but some of them can be confusing – and at some points frustrating – due to the amount of trial and error needed to figure out what to do.
Combat consists of blocking, sidestepping and counterattacking your opponent, and for the most part it works very well when facing a single opponent. But the enemy AI is devilishly good at reading your moves before you make them, dodging and sidestepping most of your attacks while quickly countering you before you can dodge or get your guard up. Again this is most frustrating near the beginning of the game when you are limited to a small arsenal of weapons, but once you expand into using magic, bows and other unique weapons, combat becomes much more fluid and easy.
Risen is a fantastic role-playing game that shouldn’t be overlooked. It performs wonderfully on all fronts. The game starts off at a slow pace but once you delve further into Risen, you can easily be immersed for hours on the tropical paradise of Farango. Your destiny awaits!
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With Risen, Piranha Bytes introduces a fresh, new setting. The game’s protagonist is shipwrecked after a storm and finds himself on a mysterious island. An active volcano dominates the scene. Ancient temple ruins have recently risen from the ground, and bizarre creatures infest the island. You can review at : http://www.techarena.in/review/14449-risen-pc-game-review.htm