Risen 2: Dark Waters

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 847 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 338 out of 847
  2. Mixed: 219 out of 847
  3. Negative: 290 out of 847
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  1. Adanos
    May 9, 2012
    2
    Disgusting...this game should have stayed at least one more year in production...it's the only reasonable explanation why everything is either dumbed down or downright broken. The combat, the tiny worldspace, the limited character development, the boring fetch quests, the horrendous graphics and animations? Piranha Bytes was always a developer of unpolished games and gritty gameplay, butDisgusting...this game should have stayed at least one more year in production...it's the only reasonable explanation why everything is either dumbed down or downright broken. The combat, the tiny worldspace, the limited character development, the boring fetch quests, the horrendous graphics and animations? Piranha Bytes was always a developer of unpolished games and gritty gameplay, but they've never been so broken and uninteresting, they at least used to feature attractive story and character building. This game is too modest in scope, lacks creativity and the broken gameplay looks like it's made by a bunch of secondary school kids in their spare time not by a well established studio with years of experience in RPG development. Also, selling DLC cut from the very game since development? Yeah, you've earned the gamers' respect ... NOT… Expand
  2. SHELOB
    May 5, 2012
    3
    Compared to other recent RPGs, this one looks ugly and dated. That would not be a deal breaker for a player who is still enjoying his Morrowind, Gothic 1 and 2, Fallout 1 and 2, Deus Ex 1... graphics is not everything. BUT! Unfortunately this game is also lacking more aspects that define a quality RPG experience. The premise of the story is very promising but unfortunately it is underminedCompared to other recent RPGs, this one looks ugly and dated. That would not be a deal breaker for a player who is still enjoying his Morrowind, Gothic 1 and 2, Fallout 1 and 2, Deus Ex 1... graphics is not everything. BUT! Unfortunately this game is also lacking more aspects that define a quality RPG experience. The premise of the story is very promising but unfortunately it is undermined by the lazy writing and the repetitive scenery. The dialogue and the npcs personalities are simple, bad quality comic and nothing to write home about. The quests are not the brightest I have played, not on par with Risen 1 anyway. The combat is simplified to a point where I start resenting the slow response of my character and the idiotic animations that either make or break a fight: you stunlock the enemy or they will interrupt you becasue their animations are shorter. Very, very bad combat design and control. The stealth character development is subtracting your combat power to a degree where you wish you did not roleplay the thief. I find the mini-games annoying and unwelcome for the immersion. In a game with pirates, harbors, ships and so much water, it is common sense for everyone(except PB) that swimming should be a part of the gameplay; going into the water and being teleported back is so stupid that it cannot be described in decent words. The Speed Tree implementation is hillariously broken, it is distracting and worthy of a cheap indie title. PB are going backwards in so many ways that I wouldn not recommend this game to my enemies.… Expand
  3. gregor
    May 6, 2012
    1
    Dishonest business practice like cutting content from the game and selling it as day 1 DLC should be discouraged. This is the most disgusting way of treating your public.
  4. Teknotronic
    Apr 26, 2012
    2
    Undeveloped features, unfinished and unpolished, clunky movement and combat mechanics, 'light' rpg stats, zero roleplaying outside the main quest. Few pseudo-choices that lead to the same events. Bad voice acting. No purpose for exploration. Ugly character animations. Really, PB? I know this is not the same team that made G1 andG2, but still... you're a shadow and your new series isUndeveloped features, unfinished and unpolished, clunky movement and combat mechanics, 'light' rpg stats, zero roleplaying outside the main quest. Few pseudo-choices that lead to the same events. Bad voice acting. No purpose for exploration. Ugly character animations. Really, PB? I know this is not the same team that made G1 andG2, but still... you're a shadow and your new series is sinking in mediocrity.

    RPGFan has the best description for this 'AAA' wannabe title: I'm rarely disgusted after beating a game. Risen 2 left me aghast, and I'm not even a pirate fanatic. I can't imagine the disappointment of those expecting to finally lay their hands on a quality pirate RPG. What could have been a heavily nuanced action RPG is instead a waste of potential and a cheap product. Risen 2 doesn't just leave the niche as empty as it found it. RISEN 2: DARK WATERS GIVES PIRATES A BAD NAME.    … Expand
  5. Jerome89
    Apr 27, 2012
    3
    This is the new Arcania, now made by Piranha Bytes themselves. I'll never understand why they had to undermine once again their own series with an unworthy successor. This one has a forced story, weak character development, uninteresting world and dialogues and very poor control for a modern rpg. The pirate setting is underwhelming to say the least, I expected much more side quests,This is the new Arcania, now made by Piranha Bytes themselves. I'll never understand why they had to undermine once again their own series with an unworthy successor. This one has a forced story, weak character development, uninteresting world and dialogues and very poor control for a modern rpg. The pirate setting is underwhelming to say the least, I expected much more side quests, factions that you can join, rewards, choices&consequences...Witcher 2 is far from perfect but it's miles ahead.… Expand
  6. Fractalia
    Apr 29, 2012
    3
    Atrocious: (Webster) 'of very poor quality'. Atrocity: (Webster) 'enormous wickedness; extreme heinousness or cruelty'. Failure: (Webster) 'a state of inability to perform a normal function'. Risen 2: (Fractalia) atrocious atrocity, technical failure, artistic disappointment, writing mediocrity, dumbed down RPG.
  7. CptFlint
    Apr 29, 2012
    2
    A low quality RPG in disguise. The pirate setting and the open world are attractive enough to make me spend the money but the experience is very frustrating, everything seems awkward and poorly executed, from story to character development, especially the movement, the trees, the npc animations, the dialogue options. The only thing that I do appreciate is the music, it's a nice touch thatA low quality RPG in disguise. The pirate setting and the open world are attractive enough to make me spend the money but the experience is very frustrating, everything seems awkward and poorly executed, from story to character development, especially the movement, the trees, the npc animations, the dialogue options. The only thing that I do appreciate is the music, it's a nice touch that enriches the monkey islandish playful atmosphere. The quests are boring and repetitive as the usual nowadays RPG, the path is quite linear for an open world design, and last but not least the lack of interaction with the environment is a let down, it seems PB is making their worlds smaller AND removing content at the same time, I'm curious where they are heading. Maybe they want to "evolve" to 2d scrollers? I thought the free roaming and rewarding exploration in a huge world like Gothic 3 was their principled target, I guess I was wrong. Where for the love of God is the swimming ability? In a seafarer setting, for Christ sake! I don't know, this game is lacking character and content, let alone sense of adventure, innovation and a decent level of polish; and it's lacking bad. The previews were deceiving.… Expand
  8. azmodan
    May 5, 2012
    4
    Thank you Piranha for a true horror game. The horror genre needed this badly. Horror combat, horror trees and bushes, horror ships that don't even move a little with the wind, horror animations, horror lack of lore, horror boredom courtesy to the very diverse landscape and very interesting quests.
  9. HoodedSpy
    Apr 29, 2012
    4
    Another one bites the dust. An RPg with no RP value. An illusion of pirate career without actual sailing out on open seas. Simplified combat [Risen 1 was much better], micro-islands to explore [if you can ignore the outrageous pop-ins in the trees] and forgettable quests/dialogue. Can't these people just look at Fallout New Vegas and draw some inspiration? Now that's meaningful dialogueAnother one bites the dust. An RPg with no RP value. An illusion of pirate career without actual sailing out on open seas. Simplified combat [Risen 1 was much better], micro-islands to explore [if you can ignore the outrageous pop-ins in the trees] and forgettable quests/dialogue. Can't these people just look at Fallout New Vegas and draw some inspiration? Now that's meaningful dialogue and role playing!… Expand
  10. Dethstar
    May 4, 2012
    3
    Quote on this site from a German gaming magazine -Risen 2 is a great role-playing experience for any fan of open world games.- That is why people dont buy magazines anymore. This guy has obviously not really spent any time on the game or doesnt actually really know what open world really means. He has falled for some really shallow tricks and tools which have been used to try andQuote on this site from a German gaming magazine -Risen 2 is a great role-playing experience for any fan of open world games.- That is why people dont buy magazines anymore. This guy has obviously not really spent any time on the game or doesnt actually really know what open world really means. He has falled for some really shallow tricks and tools which have been used to try and inject at least an open world feel to the game. Still, perhaps his primary gaming rig is a console but surely even console owners are getting bored with playing games with very little to set them apart in "open world" games which are not open world at all but extremely linear. Sure, your not in a tunnel pointed in one direction but too often its not far off. If this was a console game this would absolutely fit right in with so many console based RPGs which you can play one after another without realising that you have actually played five games in the time you expect one to last and with so little to set them apart that you barely raised your head out of the boredom coma you found yourself in. The graphics are ok and the dialogue fits too. But the game is buggy as hell. If you try exploring early rather than following the quests in the proper order hen there is a good chance you will have to go back a long way to an earlier save. Over all the dialogue helps but the game is just so simplified it might as well just get on with playing itself. An ignominous end to a promising series. What a disappointing end to Risen. I wouldnt even bothered downloading this if they gave it to me free if I had realised it was a clone of so many other games I already played and didnt much like recently. When are we going to get another proper heavyweight RPG in a truly large open world. They can keep this dumbed down crap. Pirhana Bytes left me feeling cheated with this one. I gace it 3 simply because the dialogue and accents etc worked.… Expand
  11. Jlk874
    May 8, 2012
    0
    After putting another 15 hours into the game trying to find fun i can honestly say the game NEVER GETS GOOD. The combat is always bulls**t with enemies spamming stun attacks one after another forcing you to pound grog (hp pots) whenever ANYTHING gets within melee range, The absence of a dodge mechanic is inexcusable considering NPCs tell you to dodge attacks when explaining some fights.After putting another 15 hours into the game trying to find fun i can honestly say the game NEVER GETS GOOD. The combat is always bulls**t with enemies spamming stun attacks one after another forcing you to pound grog (hp pots) whenever ANYTHING gets within melee range, The absence of a dodge mechanic is inexcusable considering NPCs tell you to dodge attacks when explaining some fights. After putting 30+ hours into this game i can say its nothing more than walking from point A to point B trying to find the exploit that allows you to kill each and every mob and keep in mind if you do not cheat in this way the game is unplayable. For instance the low level mob "firebirds" attack SO fast, if they start attacking you, your only hope of surviving is to SPAM jump and run in the opposite direction since it attacks twice as fast as you and each hit stuns you and resets your attack meaning Melee is NOT an option unless you have hundreds of potions, your block is a joke and it seems only NPCs have real blocks that totally migrate damage. They reuse the same character models OVER and OVER and OVER, which gets extremely confusing at times. For instance you need to find "NPC a" but wait in the same town atleast 5 other characters will use the exact same model clothing and voice, forcing you to run to people only to find out its just the quest NPC's doppelganger. They Claim the game is very open ended but you would NEVER know that since the game takes you by the hand and forces you down a single path while making it seem like its the only path (for example i was forced into the native camp in act 2 and was never made aware that i had the option to FIND the inquisition camp, this would normally be an annoyance but it **** me out of ALL the guns in the game and im still using the first gun i found well into the end of the game). The magic system is complete garbage and seems like its only there to punish people who though that they could go through the game using magic....you know like any other RPG in existence. COUNTLESS bugs also plague this game, and not just the Horror trees/grass bug, ive died several times because the game decided that W was suddenly run left or run backwards off a cliff, Shotguns are NOT classified as shotguns (as in the talent CALLED "shotguns") they are dependent on the "Musket" skill which is ass backwards. I could go on for days about how this game is not even worth the space it takes up, i can only hope PB pulls their head out of their ass and learns how to make a playable game, or they completely dissolve so im never tricked into buying another one of this garbage games. How a developer can look at a game like this and think "Yeah, Perfect" is beyond me, they set out with the goal of fixing risen 1's combat system and this is all they could come up with? Sorry you should not be making video games, you should be flipping burgers. Leave the video games to people who actually play them, and you cannot tell me an actual gamer made this game.… Expand
  12. curry
    Apr 28, 2012
    1
    I'm so disappointed. Risen 2 is nothing you'd expect from a Piranha Bytes title. It's completely dumbed down, the character control is clumsy, you cannot freely explore the islands, you cannot swim or climb and even combat is worse (didn't think it could get much worse, right?) Honestly, I hope Piranha Bytes goes back to its roots. I sincerely cannot recommend Risen 2 to anyone.
  13. le_souriceau
    May 3, 2012
    4
    Graphics: very mediocore for 2012 game. Animation: just wierd
    Voice acting: terrible, sounds like school theatre.
    Music: not bad. Cutscenes: like in early 2000s, nothing to say more. Story: privitive and linear, big monster, mega weapon (in pieces) etc. NPC: faceless, and have very little appearence variation. Dialogues: unmemorable, always tempting to skip them. Quests: find/talk/lkill    Graphics: very mediocore for 2012 game. Animation: just wierd
    Voice acting: terrible, sounds like school theatre.
    Music: not bad.
    Cutscenes: like in early 2000s, nothing to say more.
    Story: privitive and linear, big monster, mega weapon (in pieces) etc.
    NPC: faceless, and have very little appearence variation.
    Dialogues: unmemorable, always tempting to skip them. Quests: find/talk/lkill in different order.
    Roleplaying: minimal most time.
    Combat system: primitive, just klick left mouse faster and eat healing things.
    World: tiny ilands/coasts (half of them - for 1 visit), all towns - 4-5 houses.
    Replayability: almost zero.

    General idea: Good.
    Realization: Bad.    … Expand
  14. shaaco
    May 2, 2012
    0
    I played the old PB Games and this just like a cheap copy of a bad shadow themself..
    But to the facts, the fighting system is catastrophal, just click on the mouse button to kill enemy blind..
    No tactic no fun there. The graphic is buged like hell, when u walk around the island, u have the feeling of livin alien plants horrible.. Quests are always the same, bring me x items, kill x    I played the old PB Games and this just like a cheap copy of a bad shadow themself..
    But to the facts, the fighting system is catastrophal, just click on the mouse button to kill enemy blind..
    No tactic no fun there.
    The graphic is buged like hell, when u walk around the island, u have the feeling of livin alien plants horrible..
    Quests are always the same, bring me x items, kill x monsters..
    I dont know whats the motivation behind the hero i play, i coud not understand why i shoud do this all.

    The end of the game the bossman, its just a joke dont wanna spoile but thats the point..

    This game maybe for 5 euro, but i dont know if i woud play it again...    … Expand
  15. Kelemvor
    May 3, 2012
    4
    It's hard to understand why PB failed so miserly again.
    Risen 2 is an example of the disease that the whole industry has contracted. They don't listen to their fans, they don't listen to common sense. There are so many bad design decisions made in Risen 2 it's appalling.
    The game is haunted by defective visuals. Morphing trees, flickering shadows and bugged lod-algorithms. In addition    It's hard to understand why PB failed so miserly again.
    Risen 2 is an example of the disease that the whole industry has contracted. They don't listen to their fans, they don't listen to common sense. There are so many bad design decisions made in Risen 2 it's appalling.
    The game is haunted by defective visuals. Morphing trees, flickering shadows and bugged lod-algorithms. In addition there are awkward character models, which are recycled very often, and look like aliens with huge hands and an extra joint between the hands and wrist. The combat system is totally broken. There is no defense against non-humanoid enemies. No dodge, no shields, nothing. Most of the time you are stuck in the "i have been hit"-animation. So early on you use your companion as enemy bait, and use your musket and pistol to get rid of all the aggressive fauna around you. Even the combat against humanoids is lackluster to put it mildly. You chain up attacks, you can't interrupt them, and even with a lot of dirty tricks the combat in R2 is just not fun. It's a frustrating chore, nothing more.
    Another flaw of the game are the repetitive and really uninspired quests. It's just fetch this, kill that. It's plain boring. Even the story is not very interesting. You have played similar stories before, so no surprises here. Even the pacing sucks.
    Normally i wouldn't waste another thought on this game, but there are a number of good ideas and gameplay expansions, that it's extremely sad, that the rest of the game is flawed beyond belief.

    The training skill with the monkeys stealing for you etc. are really nice. The dialogs are "ruffy" and the the world feels believable with a working stealing system and daily routines of the NPCs. There are a lot of thing that could redeem the game, but the combat system, the uninteresting story and the boring quests are responsible for letting this shooting star crashing down really hard.

    I'm not sure if they can fix enough of the flaws, to make it a worthwhile game, but at the moment i would not recommend it.    … Expand
  16. karlheinzi
    May 2, 2012
    0
    Grafic bugs and boring Fight System, thats Risen 2.

    The old grafic and the shadow bugs are cruel.
    You must first go in the ini config to do what the programmers has to do before release, thats nor normal.
    No more money from me PB, your Game is a Beta
  17. Hansomat
    Apr 29, 2012
    2
    I was really looking forward to playing this game. After reading some reviews i was thinking 'wow, that really sounds bad, but it might still convince me'.
    Well.. it didnt! The mele fights are so bad, i dont even know where to start. There is no possibility to evade throwing spears other than wildly jump around and try to run away (imagine this while getting focused by 2 other melee    I was really looking forward to playing this game. After reading some reviews i was thinking 'wow, that really sounds bad, but it might still convince me'.
    Well.. it didnt! The mele fights are so bad, i dont even know where to start. There is no possibility to evade throwing spears other than wildly jump around and try to run away (imagine this while getting focused by 2 other melee npcs).
    So i though well, maybe try to put some points to improve the pistol. Dont!. The ranged weapon (fired by pressing E) will not hit the enemy in 80% of your shots, either because you are getting hit by several enemies while you try to get out your gun, or just because you stand like 1 armlength in front of them and then get a 'you missed' pop up over the enemies head... really?
    Besides the combat system (or the lack of it) i have to say i am really pi**ed of by the animations and graphic bugs like flickering shadows, trees and vegetation popping up and chaning their shape depending on the angle you look at it (!!). Usually im not that concerned about stuff like that if the fights feel good and the story/environment fits in the concept. In this case it really influences the game in a very bad way.
    Maybe next time PB :/    … Expand
  18. Ashbourne
    May 2, 2012
    1
    I'll be honest, I made an account because I felt obligated to do something to try and steer people away from this game. In a word, it's terrible. I give them a 1 only because I liked the premise. The premise is why I bought it. Action rpg with pirates? Awesome, sign me up!

    What I got was a pile of steaming garbage. I played about 5 hours, but I had to force myself not to quit after about    I'll be honest, I made an account because I felt obligated to do something to try and steer people away from this game. In a word, it's terrible. I give them a 1 only because I liked the premise. The premise is why I bought it. Action rpg with pirates? Awesome, sign me up!

    What I got was a pile of steaming garbage. I played about 5 hours, but I had to force myself not to quit after about 15 minutes. There are no redeeming qualities for this game, and that's sad, because I really wanted to like it. I was excited about this game. Which is why this comes as such a kick in the teeth.

    The list starts right from the get go. The graphics are terrible. It's not even that they chose an aesthetic I don't like, that I could have lived with, but the graphics themselves are par for late last gen consoles. I'd expect these kinda blobby textures on the PS2, not my shiny new PC game. Even with everything cranked to the highest it would go, the game is just plain ugly. I'm trying to come up with a "but this part was nice" here, but there isn't one. The view distance is just ridiculously short. Things pop into existence just feet from you, like they over slept and are hoping you won't notice them sneaking in late for work. I remember a few times that whole trees would materialize as if by magic right beside me, and others were they'd vanish again at the edge of my screen, as though they figured they could sneak off for a coffee while I was busy taking 10 minutes to left click a wart hog to death.

    And my god was the combat terrible. Just absolutely god awful. Just face in the general direction of the enemy and left click spam until they hopefully fell over before you did. There was not a single bit of skill or strategy involved. Just keep up the clicking, cause that's all there is to the combat system.

    It wasn't helped by the terrible movement controls. Never have I described moving as "loose" and "heavy" at the same time before. You have no fine control of your character, he kinda flails around in the vague direction you're pointing him. But that's only once you get him moving. He feels like moving a large square boulder uphill. Getting him moving is clunky, and difficult and as graceful as drunk hippo. So many times did I walk or turn past an item I was aiming for, and had to circle around back at it, because turning around was even more clumsy.

    Only surpassed in clumsiness by the awful voice acting. From the first lines in the opening cutscene, I could tell something was wrong. The dialogue is stiff, stilted, and canned. I know how lines are recorded. They're done with actors reading lines down a list, alone in their own little room, without the other people involved in the conversation actually in the room with them; but never before has that been so utterly, glaringly obvious. It truly does sound like each individual line was recorded on a different day from each other. They flow about as well as chunky sewage, which is pretty much the best way I can describe the dialogue in this game.

    For those who couldn't be bothered to read all the above, I'll summarize. The graphics would have been bad years ago. Today, they're abysmal. The combat is an utter joke. It's the most boring and poorly executed click spam I've ever seen. Your character handles with all the nimbleness and precision of a rock, and has the personality to boot. The characters, story, and locations are utterly forgettable. And the dialogue makes it a good idea to turn off your sound and rely on subtitles, because the voice acting makes you wish you had no ears.

    I urge you, DO NOT buy this game! I can not stress this enough. I'm not even going to touch on the fact that the developers cut out 5 hours of game play they made before launch so that they could sell it to you later for more money. That fact, while an utterly sickening practice, is completely eclipsed by the fact that this game is horrible. They can keep their extra 5 hours of content. I don't want it. I would however like the 5 hours I did waste playing this game back.    … Expand
  19. defive
    Apr 30, 2012
    4
    Oh dear. Risen 2 is just not terribly good. Laughably bad animations/character models and voice acting really ruin the overall effect here. Also, the quest design is average to say the least, the open world feel is even less than Risen 1 was and, seriously, PB, after *how* many games and you *still* haven't figured out that stun-locking enemies are a bad idea ? All in all decidedly worseOh dear. Risen 2 is just not terribly good. Laughably bad animations/character models and voice acting really ruin the overall effect here. Also, the quest design is average to say the least, the open world feel is even less than Risen 1 was and, seriously, PB, after *how* many games and you *still* haven't figured out that stun-locking enemies are a bad idea ? All in all decidedly worse than it's predecessor and nowhere near as good as the original PB classics.… Expand
  20. jarakk
    May 2, 2012
    0
    guys better wait for a demo, iam sad that i payd so much money for this 20 hours beta **** quests borin battles versus the monsters is just click the mouse like an abe, bugs in gameplay and graphic..
    DLC 50 minutes, not 10 hours like PB sayd before release, thats criminal rly...

    Didnt learnd by disaster of gothic 3, never aagain get my money....
  21. Unrhymed
    Oct 9, 2012
    2
    I don't understand game developers sometimes, Risen 1 was a fun addicting game I replayed 3 times over a few years and hearing about Risen 2, well I was excited, I don't understand why they had to change everything if it wasn't broken don't fix it, was it even the same team of people? how can you make 1 title so good then the second one terrible, I couldn't even play more then 2 hoursI don't understand game developers sometimes, Risen 1 was a fun addicting game I replayed 3 times over a few years and hearing about Risen 2, well I was excited, I don't understand why they had to change everything if it wasn't broken don't fix it, was it even the same team of people? how can you make 1 title so good then the second one terrible, I couldn't even play more then 2 hours because of the growing pop in textures and consistent bugs. Seriously guys ? this is all you can do after Risen 1.… Expand
  22. Zaker
    Feb 27, 2014
    1
    With 20+ years in gaming starting on atari then amiga and ever since pc i consider gothic 1,2,3 and risen 1 an exceptional games with immersive worlds, great story and excellent gameplay, i was shocked how bad and far from the series this game is, i unstalled it immediately and giving this game score of 1, number 10 reviews are fraud as many score ratings on the internet these days, avoidWith 20+ years in gaming starting on atari then amiga and ever since pc i consider gothic 1,2,3 and risen 1 an exceptional games with immersive worlds, great story and excellent gameplay, i was shocked how bad and far from the series this game is, i unstalled it immediately and giving this game score of 1, number 10 reviews are fraud as many score ratings on the internet these days, avoid this game big time… Expand
  23. Rulez82
    Jun 13, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm sorry but I must say that I do not like Risen 2. I'm a fan of PB from the Gothic series but this time they failed.....the atmosphere is the same at times: the story is quite PB style but too many problems ruin the gaming experience, imo.
    The thing that disappointed me most is the game world:little detail, no more open world but more like Borderlands but with less freedom to move!! and the graphics are way worse than the Risen1 ............. and what about the combat mechanics? all titles of PB had better combat mechanics and this says it all! In conclusion it is better to play risen1, if you want to try something like the Gothic series ...unfortunately    … Expand
  24. 8an0z
    Jun 17, 2012
    3
    Having played many adventure-rpgs so far i have to express my dissapointment for the sequel of the very good Risen. And the worst part? I played it right after Skyrim... I tried hard not to lose complete interest but after 8 hours or so i did the right thing. Uninstall.
    +: tolerable graphics, satisfactory sound & music.
    -: frustrating combat, mediocre Story, modest animations, annoying    Having played many adventure-rpgs so far i have to express my dissapointment for the sequel of the very good Risen. And the worst part? I played it right after Skyrim... I tried hard not to lose complete interest but after 8 hours or so i did the right thing. Uninstall.
    +: tolerable graphics, satisfactory sound & music.
    -: frustrating combat, mediocre Story, modest animations, annoying combat, poor rewards, shamefull combat. And not to forget to mention about how bad the combat mechanics are.
    Avoid!    … Expand
  25. kartana
    May 8, 2012
    1
    Atrocious combat, stiff and downright ugly animations, clunky menus, weird camera angles during conversations, bugs like moving trees etc. Stay away if you value your money!
  26. andriy35
    May 14, 2012
    3
    I`m a big fan of Gothic series and I enjoyed first Risen very much. But Risen 2 didn`t bring that feeling and emotions when I played Gothic or first part of Risen. This Risen is very boring. Plot is a bad side of this game. Dialogs are very disgusting and unlikely. Graphics maybe is that developers could realise. But first of all I like plot and gameplay in games. So I wouldn`t recommendI`m a big fan of Gothic series and I enjoyed first Risen very much. But Risen 2 didn`t bring that feeling and emotions when I played Gothic or first part of Risen. This Risen is very boring. Plot is a bad side of this game. Dialogs are very disgusting and unlikely. Graphics maybe is that developers could realise. But first of all I like plot and gameplay in games. So I wouldn`t recommend Risen 2 to my friends.… Expand
  27. troxer
    May 27, 2012
    0
    Before you read this, please note that my "score" is not in reference to the quality of Risen 2 as a game; it is merely a vote against what I feel is blatant consumer abuse on the part of the game's publisher, Deep Silver. As many will have heard by now, a portion of Risen 2's content which was already functional and complete was withheld from customers who purchased the game so that saidBefore you read this, please note that my "score" is not in reference to the quality of Risen 2 as a game; it is merely a vote against what I feel is blatant consumer abuse on the part of the game's publisher, Deep Silver. As many will have heard by now, a portion of Risen 2's content which was already functional and complete was withheld from customers who purchased the game so that said content could be sold to them at a later date. As a long-time fan of the first two Gothic games, and a fan of the first Risen, I was anxious to play Risen 2 when time and finances allowed. I had my credit card in my hand tonight. However, upon learning that the total cost of the game including "DLC" was over $70, I did a little research and discovered the truth of what I said above. Mind you, I have absolutely no problems with publishers/developers incorporating a smart DLC model into the design of their games and continuing to work on them throughout the life cycles of those products to ensure sales into the future. However, to withhold content that is already complete and functional in order to milk a few extra dollars from paying customers is shady at best and downright unethical at worst. Regardless of how badly I'd like to support Piranha Bytes and the future of this franchise, I simply refuse to support such business practices. Deep Silver has not only lost a sale tonight, but more importantly, my continuing support as a consumer of their products.… Expand
  28. Xgashh
    Jul 26, 2012
    1
    ha - ha - ha..... this game.... SUCKS its worst game I ever played. I started playing it it felt like 5/10 game but... it was soo **** BORING that i even didnt play it for hour. 1 point for potato
  29. camoe
    Oct 19, 2012
    1
    give me a break this game this bloody game is one of the worst games i have played everything about is horrible why please tell me why do the npc wave their arms about like morons when your talking to them people don't act like that for gods sake what were they thinking this game made me fill sick ,sick that i spent £40 on the pile of doodoo.Ill give it one for the **** and gigglesgive me a break this game this bloody game is one of the worst games i have played everything about is horrible why please tell me why do the npc wave their arms about like morons when your talking to them people don't act like that for gods sake what were they thinking this game made me fill sick ,sick that i spent £40 on the pile of doodoo.Ill give it one for the **** and giggles of watching the npc frail around like idiots.… Expand
  30. CaptainThom
    Jun 26, 2013
    2
    As a fan of the original Risen i find it hard to believe just how poor Risen 2 is. One of the many flaws is that for you to increase your prowess at skills for example stealth,magic and combat you have to pay large amounts of money which just isn't available early in the game, This means you get relentlessly punished in combat especially early and taking any time to invest in any otherAs a fan of the original Risen i find it hard to believe just how poor Risen 2 is. One of the many flaws is that for you to increase your prowess at skills for example stealth,magic and combat you have to pay large amounts of money which just isn't available early in the game, This means you get relentlessly punished in combat especially early and taking any time to invest in any other skill for example lock picking means your painfully underpowered against enemies.

    The characters themselves are dull, boring and do nothing to make you care about them and the NPCs are often stereotypes which are clearly reused time after time, for example governors of towns are just the same character model with different voices.

    Possibly the greatest crime of Risen 2 is how it fails to utilise the setting which it attempts to sell itself on, the fact that you don't get to actually sail the pirate ship other than brief cut scenes is just wasted potential, you never actually feel immersed in the storyline.

    In short Risen 2 its just plain bad.    … Expand
  31. philthymcnasty
    Oct 25, 2013
    3
    The storyline is ok. the characters need more work. That's the only redeeming feature.

    Garbage optimization- sometimes your frame rate is good, sometimes its horrible, while newer, more graphic intensive games will run better on your machine. So good luck trying to enjoy the graphics. Garbage mechanics- the sword based combat is just horrid. you click on the mouse to hit, no    The storyline is ok. the characters need more work. That's the only redeeming feature.

    Garbage optimization- sometimes your frame rate is good, sometimes its horrible, while newer, more graphic intensive games will run better on your machine. So good luck trying to enjoy the graphics.

    Garbage mechanics- the sword based combat is just horrid. you click on the mouse to hit, no technique, not skill, not combos, just plain garbage.

    Until i see improvement from this developer, i will not buy another of their games. Its unacceptable the state that its in. I am alpha testing indie games that had only one guy work on them, that are more stable then this piece of trash. They are on probation as far as i am concerned, and i bought his game on a steam sale.    … Expand
  32. lolfactor100
    Jul 31, 2013
    1
    This game has to be one of the worst I have played. The animations, voice acting, and game play itself are all just awful. While it may look a nice there is nothing I really enjoy about this game. There are no RPG elements, combat is boring and lacking, the conversations with NPCs have no emotion and are poorly scripted, and the animations for almost everything seem like an intern didThis game has to be one of the worst I have played. The animations, voice acting, and game play itself are all just awful. While it may look a nice there is nothing I really enjoy about this game. There are no RPG elements, combat is boring and lacking, the conversations with NPCs have no emotion and are poorly scripted, and the animations for almost everything seem like an intern did them. The jump animation seems like you character raises his leg up and floats up and down. If you don't get this game for near free then you were ripped off. I will not make it through this whole game and would never recommend it to anyone, even people I hate don't deserve to play a game as bad as this. This only gets a one because the environments are somewhat visually appealing.… Expand
  33. Muuvinki
    Oct 10, 2012
    3
    This game is so cheap and has many downfalls to that. There are flickering backgrounds in video scenes, horrible game-playing and leveling system that just makes me want to cry. In order to level your skills you need reputation and it costs a lot. In early levels you're struggling to gain money and its not even worth it, because almost every skill you can level up suck balls.

    Enemies    This game is so cheap and has many downfalls to that. There are flickering backgrounds in video scenes, horrible game-playing and leveling system that just makes me want to cry. In order to level your skills you need reputation and it costs a lot. In early levels you're struggling to gain money and its not even worth it, because almost every skill you can level up suck balls.

    Enemies seem to have upper hand against you in almost every fight. They gang up on you and kill you in instant unless you somehow manage to run away. (Honestly I doubt that) I get better pirate experience by renting an rowboat and going to public lake and shoot around with a paintball gun.    … Expand
  34. Phix105
    Jul 1, 2012
    1
    Please do yourself a favor and pass this game up till its a bargain price. I really liked the first one. The controls are clunky and its just flat not fun. i wish they could have stuck with what was working so well in all their other games that I've played and loved so well.
  35. orctown-troll
    Oct 29, 2013
    1
    The problems with this game are DEEP and stem from a lack of programming skill on the part of the programmers: From the first moment impressions are TERRIBLE: Lack of graphics options, CHECK. Lack of character creation options. CHECK. Bad camera position, CHECK. Lack of first person perspective, CHECK. Unwieldy UI and gear menus, CHECK. Difficult movement CHECK. Moving and exploring inThe problems with this game are DEEP and stem from a lack of programming skill on the part of the programmers: From the first moment impressions are TERRIBLE: Lack of graphics options, CHECK. Lack of character creation options. CHECK. Bad camera position, CHECK. Lack of first person perspective, CHECK. Unwieldy UI and gear menus, CHECK. Difficult movement CHECK. Moving and exploring in this game are a CHORE from the start and it only gets worse when you are in combat, meaning that you will die continuously due to the terrible game controls. From such a dreadful foundation, nothing good can be built. There are any number of great MMOs available that allow players to make their character and move freely in exciting worlds. I would avoid this game and any others by this developer as they are simply obsolete and less-than-acceptable in terms of the basic ability to build a game in 2013. Suggest they hire some programmers who know their stuff, or use a function engine like the one used for Oblivion (back in the day) or even Never Winter Nights. Finally, who thought it would be a good idea to have storm sounds so LOUD they give you a migraine even when turned down to 10%. Also I have a new computer and the lack of adjustments for mouse sensitivity means that the damned game camera moves so fast it makes you dizzy. I uninstalled this POS within 20 minutes of trying it! You want to make video games? Learn How!

    Orctowngrot    … Expand
  36. Scritty
    Oct 9, 2012
    4
    The first half an hour this is a promising game, the graphics seem ok as you are introduced, but once you get really going and introduce combat - the game falls over dramatically. The graphics glitchm the textures clash, the combat is both clumsy and irksome (and boring). Voices are really terrible, plot is hokum. Not an awful game, but not a 2012 AAA release by a long way.
  37. Andante
    Mar 22, 2014
    0
    After the BRILLIANT Risen 1 I had huge expectations that went horribly ill. This is the biggest disappointment of my gaming career, PB took a 180 degrees turn and slaughtered everything that was genius about the original game (open world, mature feeling, exploration, uniqueness) and created this bad excuse of a game. Avoid it at all costs.
  38. Faith777
    Nov 23, 2012
    0
    This game is crap. Graphics are nice, like all Piranha Games. However, I give this game a zero because this is the worst Piranha Bytes game to date. They have hit an all time low and honestly I wont miss them if they go down the sh***r permanently. Goodbye PB, you had a good run but it is time do us all a favor and drown in your deep Dark Water...
  39. hwarming
    Jul 14, 2014
    3
    Bad, even though I like the idea, a pirate RPG, the execution is garbage. A pseudo open world, you can't sail your ship, you just quicktravel with it, the animations are unintentionally hilarious, as is the voice acting, the progression is poorly paced and a pain in the ass. Do yourself a favor and stick to good RPGs like Oblivion or Skyrim. Maybe wait for Risen 3 and see how the reviewsBad, even though I like the idea, a pirate RPG, the execution is garbage. A pseudo open world, you can't sail your ship, you just quicktravel with it, the animations are unintentionally hilarious, as is the voice acting, the progression is poorly paced and a pain in the ass. Do yourself a favor and stick to good RPGs like Oblivion or Skyrim. Maybe wait for Risen 3 and see how the reviews are, the developers have literally nowhere to go but up.… Expand
  40. notlaw
    Mar 21, 2015
    1
    I realize this game has a few years on it now but after playing it a few weeks ago i felt so moved i needed to write about it. I dont even know where to begin with how **** this game is the graphics look like they are from ps2 or xbox days the writing for the characters is dismal, it skips frames all together it some places one minute a dudes in front of me then magically hes faces aI realize this game has a few years on it now but after playing it a few weeks ago i felt so moved i needed to write about it. I dont even know where to begin with how **** this game is the graphics look like they are from ps2 or xbox days the writing for the characters is dismal, it skips frames all together it some places one minute a dudes in front of me then magically hes faces a different direction in a cut scene no less which i had never encounted before, and the ridiculous hand gestures and body movements that are on repeat for each character regardless of what they say is just laughable. In my history of gaming i"ve only ever put 2 games down without finishing them for there ****ness and this is one of them. The only reason i am given it a 1 is some body went to the effort of making this spew. Avoid like the plague… Expand
  41. reviewthis4u
    Jul 15, 2016
    1
    It's a pirate game with no pirating. No Ocean to sail or fight or on. The graphics are 10 years to late to the self-indulgent-fantasy-and-all-around-trite-dialogue party.
  42. markjohnson7861
    Aug 1, 2018
    4
    I died inside trying to play it. After awesome first risen I wanted more of this. And oh boy... My advice is if you love risen 1, please, just leave risen 2, because it will kill your love and you will never see risen as a great experience ever again.
  43. Torgall
    Jan 26, 2022
    4
    What happened after the first game? This is completely different game, nothing in common with Risen 1. If they wanted to make rather bland and akward Pirate game they should just made another series, not ruin this one. This game has one of the word combat system I have ever played, fighting is like swinging uncooked noodle at cardboard box.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
41
#41 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 51
  3. Negative: 1 out of 51
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Jun 13, 2012
    60
    The real trouble with Risen 2 is that it doesn't really do anything particularly right. [July 2012, p.72]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    May 30, 2012
    70
    Despite the puppeteer's strings getting caught, Risen 2 puts on a good show that you'll see through to the end. [June 2012, p.58]
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  3. Games Master UK
    May 27, 2012
    80
    A superior, super tough sequel that offers a persuasive alternative to the RPG big boys. [July 2012, p.80]
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