Risen Critic Reviews

Piranha Bytes has created a new series. Risen is not only a good heir to Gothic, but also establishes solid bases which could mark the way for this studio in the future.

First of all Risen is an RPG made for RPGs lovers. Thus, it’s definitely not a casual game for it demands effort, patience and time before the player can master its wide structure and all of its various elements. A large and fully explorable island and the frequent decisions you’re asked to take make this game almost endless.

Risen is a successful RPG that looks really good and offers a lot of fun gameplay, which keeps you busy for hours and hours. However it's a pity that the game offers less innovation.

While Gothic sails away to other developers, Piranha Bytes turns the tide with this return to the origins of true RPG. Deep, polished, compelling, Risen is an RPG for RPG true lovers. Some small glitches and a general lack of accessibility make it step down a little bit on the score, but it's still THE game to have if you love RPGs.

Risen is a game that does nothing wrong, but at the same is not bringing something new either. The ambiance of the game is perfect and the story is very good and convincing. It’s too bad Risen is starting up slow and the graphics could have been better. This is a game made for RPG fans, people who don’t like RPG’s should probably focus on other games.

With over 250 quests, Risen is a comprehensive game, in which you can follow the story in the order you like. Sad that the developers haven’t drive the hardware up to the limit!

Risen manages to be, especially thanks to its gameplay and story, an involving and exciting RPG guaranteeing may hours of entertainment. Suggested to all the fans of classic RPGs, while all the others should prepare for some hours of difficulties and frustration before seeing it shine.

I could go on, but over the course of this review I've already described a litany of qualities that should win over players who appreciate mature RPG experiences with quality commensurate to the amount of time spent in them. However, there's no getting around the fact that first impressions will likely turn a lot of potential adventurers off.

Its combat system isn't the greatest and its pacing is inconsistent, but for those who put in the time to see all Risen has to offer, it's an experience that won't be forgotten.

And if this were just a pen-and-paper experience, it would be almost perfect. The problem is, this isn’t a pen-and-paper adventure—it’s a video game. That means the action doesn’t take place in your mind’s eye. It happens right in front of you on the screen.

Very few games are excused by players who are willing to look past the flaws in exchange for a throwback story-exploration experience. If you have an unconditional love for the Gothic series but, for some reason, stopped playing games on your PC, you might end up being able to appreciate this rough port.

Thankfully shipping without some kind of half-arsed multiplayer, Risen is the kind of game that will probably get played by fans of the genre but overlooked by everyone else, which is a bloody shame really, as there is a decent game behind the niggles - and one that impresses more often than it disappoints.

Struggle through the admittedly bad third-person action, and you'll find a role-playing experience well worth your time.

Risen loses a bit in the porting process to the Xbox 360, but aside from the technical shortcomings, this is still a pretty solid experience that brings some good things to the RPG table.

Developers like Bethesda and Bioware seem to have found something that works with console RPG fans the best, and if Risen was an experiment to see if they can be pushed further in the direction of discovering the game all by themselves, I think we can call this one a failure.

Risen is by no means a perfect port, or the best western style RPG on the Xbox 360. Despite its flaws I had fun with this game.

Risen is actually a real shame because of its promises. The world looks great and it’s funny to explore, but developers didn't pay enough attention to essential aspects like the combat and character progression.

Only the truly dedicated RPG player will persist through to the bitter end of Risen, as there's a great deal of perseverance required to even make it through the first section without tearing your hair out. The combat really lets the side down and the 360 visuals leave a lot to be desired, but stick with it and Risen will eventually suck you inexorably into its uniquely absorbing fantasy world.

Risen's sometimes engaging story and realistic characters aren't enough to save it from being benched as the stars take the field in this year's first quarter.

The issues are, to be perfectly fair, countless. One could nitpick problems forever and write a novel regarding them, but stepping into a game of this style you have to expect a little roughness – and unfortunately that is found in spades.