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. PenetratorGod
    Aug 20, 2023
    5
    It doesn't feel like the second game in a series. It feels like a downgrade in every way compared to the first game. If you liked the first game a lot, you can play this one with lowered expectations, but frankly, this pirate concept didn't interest me at all. It makes more sense to replay the first game instead of playing this one.
  2. kolarz3
    May 19, 2023
    7
    Pretty nice continuation of the first game. It had a more pirate climate. I liked more risen 1 climate
  3. IamNader
    May 17, 2023
    7
    As a huge fan of the GOTHIC series, I was very excited for RISEN 2: DARK WATERS and I was not disappointed, The game has many positive aspects that make it a fun and rewarding experience - 7/10
  4. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    5
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»
  5. Shnd3r
    Oct 9, 2022
    5
    Childhood game. But, unfortunately, the game was completed quite recently. Of course, by modern standards, the game is rather weak (weak game design due to constant saves, rather weak dialogue animation), but there are moments that will please RPG fans even in 2022 (for example, a well-thought-out plot and a well-built economy). In general, a good alternative to the old, long-favoriteChildhood game. But, unfortunately, the game was completed quite recently. Of course, by modern standards, the game is rather weak (weak game design due to constant saves, rather weak dialogue animation), but there are moments that will please RPG fans even in 2022 (for example, a well-thought-out plot and a well-built economy). In general, a good alternative to the old, long-favorite gothic, only on the theme of pirates, this series is exclusively for fans of this series. My rating is 5/10 if you do not look at the game through the prism of time.… Expand
  6. 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.
  7. Jernas
    Sep 8, 2021
    9
    The first Risen game was a pleasant surprise for me. It was a very well made, small, but focused, RPG. I was a little bit worried about Risen 2: Dark Waters, because it wasn't well received by the public when it was released in 2012. Now let's see what kind of a game it actually is.

    The game looks good, for the most part. Vegetation is plentiful, polygon count is a little higher than in    The first Risen game was a pleasant surprise for me. It was a very well made, small, but focused, RPG. I was a little bit worried about Risen 2: Dark Waters, because it wasn't well received by the public when it was released in 2012. Now let's see what kind of a game it actually is.

    The game looks good, for the most part. Vegetation is plentiful, polygon count is a little higher than in the first game, and some of the effects, like the sunrays, look impressive. Combat is very similar to the first game, although tailored to the pirate theme, focusing on sabers, epees and firearms, instead of axes, swords and shields, but it does the job quite well. The story is written well enough, and characters are interesting, though the pirate setting is quite a departure from the first game. Quest variety and relative shortness of the game ensures that the game never really becomes boring.

    For all of those who finished the first game, it's unfortunate that the story in the second Risen isn't sufficiently connected to the first. Sure, the protagonist is the same, but even that isn't obvious initially. In fact, the first few hours of the game are not very fun. For whatever reason, the first island is inhabited by some of the deadliest enemies, such as jaguars, and natives, and there are a few nasty invisible traps, hidden in the jungle. That makes the beginning of the game frustrating, and I'm sure many people gave up and quit at that point.

    That is a shame, because the rest of the game is a focused, and well made experience. Risen 2: Dark Waters did not disappoint me, though the beginning of the game should have really been better.    … Expand
  8. Deant_Magnetic
    Sep 5, 2021
    7
    Как по мне хуже первой части, потому что не создается необходимое атмосфера из-за чего куда сложнее втянуться в игру
  9. kruci
    Dec 12, 2020
    6
    Drewno straszne, ale na koniec dnia i tak do nie wracałem aż ukończyłem. Bez rewelacji ale też bez skandali
  10. GraysonUA
    Mar 31, 2020
    7
    Ну попробували освіжити сетинг, але схоже, що піранії занадто відстають від усього світу. Світ став не таким "готичним", але перейняв піратський антураж. Що обідно, так це що кораблі є, але вся їх функція це "телепорт".
  11. Gelaos
    Sep 20, 2018
    5
    Unforgivable disappointment.

    Story is dull and full of plot holes, combat is absolutetly horrifying (free camera + rigid animations + sometimes unresponsive controls, enemies stun you all the time), whole piracy theme is absurdly exaggerated, characters are incredibly shallow... Quests are stupidly unimaginative. Example: NPC: "Hello, I lost artifact. Will you help me find it?"    Unforgivable disappointment.

    Story is dull and full of plot holes, combat is absolutetly horrifying (free camera + rigid animations + sometimes unresponsive controls, enemies stun you all the time), whole piracy theme is absurdly exaggerated, characters are incredibly shallow...

    Quests are stupidly unimaginative. Example:
    NPC: "Hello, I lost artifact. Will you help me find it?"
    Hero: "OK."
    (you walk 5 steps ahead and pick up the artifact)
    Hero: "Here's your artifact."
    NPC: "Oh, thank you. Only big hero like you could find it. Here, take 2000 gold as a small reward."

    World is just bunch of linear corridors and everything looks cheap, like from some low-budget game.

    Only challenging thing about Risen 2 is being able to finish it without getting crazy about stupid this game is.    … Expand
  12. 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.
  13. Armitas
    May 21, 2018
    9
    Best Pirate Game I have ever played. While some parts of the game like crafting may be left completely raw the rest of it is pure pirate joy! I took the sword and guns path and the combat was excellent, it was difficult which is a staple for this brand. You actually had to plan out your attacks by watching each of your opponents. The voodoo path I hear is not so good but I havn't triedBest Pirate Game I have ever played. While some parts of the game like crafting may be left completely raw the rest of it is pure pirate joy! I took the sword and guns path and the combat was excellent, it was difficult which is a staple for this brand. You actually had to plan out your attacks by watching each of your opponents. The voodoo path I hear is not so good but I havn't tried that path yet. The story is great, the voice acting is great, the characters are great, music is great. You get to build your own crew, own your own pirate ship, find hordes of rare treasures that build your stats, and hunt down probably 30 treasure maps. Despite the unpolished areas the game I'm giving it a 9 because it's just so dang fun to play. Let me put it this way, even though Piranha bytes tends to put out games before they are ready I would buy any game they make but cause the core of what does get released is always enjoyable.… Expand
  14. shadorn
    Aug 13, 2017
    9
    A good sequel of the first Risen, although slightly inferior overall.
    Personally I liked the pirate setting, the graphic improvements and the improved UI (especially the instant travel feature). The game is a bit smaller (unless you spend money on DLC) and combat feels a bit less polished overall. Still a solid game for those who love the genre. I'd say 8.5.
  15. 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.
  16. Nuker
    Jun 29, 2015
    7
    - Good: Exploration, Character progression, Some locations
    - Mixed: Story, Setting, Combat, Writing
    - Bad: Pirates bleh

    Pretty average after superior Risen 1.
  17. PaladinNH
    Apr 28, 2015
    10
    If I can do anything to improve this game's score, I will, because the current average score of 5.5 isn't fair AT ALL. Perhaps the game was buggy upon release, I don't know, but it is somewhere between a 7 and 8.5 out of 10. Unlike the latest AAA titles, there's actually a game world, complete with story, decent characters, humor (Jaffar!), CHALLENGING combat, and what's that word again?If I can do anything to improve this game's score, I will, because the current average score of 5.5 isn't fair AT ALL. Perhaps the game was buggy upon release, I don't know, but it is somewhere between a 7 and 8.5 out of 10. Unlike the latest AAA titles, there's actually a game world, complete with story, decent characters, humor (Jaffar!), CHALLENGING combat, and what's that word again? Ah yes, immersion. Brought back lots of memories of Gothic 1 and 2, agree with the other reviewer who said this. Actually preferred this game to the first Risen, better characters and more cohesive, immersive story. I'd give it an 8 but feel obligated to counter others by posting a 10.… Expand
  18. nikolas0
    Apr 15, 2015
    10
    It is difficult to get to its mode but once you have got into it it's nearly perfect; a pirate song. A true successor to Gothic and Risen Series. After one hour of game playing you want leave it. As Jaffar says: **** yes!
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. tngmarlon
    Jul 12, 2014
    10
    -The game has good graphics
    -This game has a good atmosphere
    -The pirate story is very nice

    If you dont have this game buy it i cant understand this metascore
  22. MustisTheCat
    Jul 12, 2014
    6
    56 hours of painfully mediocre gameplay. DLCs completely worthless. If you enjoyed Gothic 3, you could like this game. But if not, stay away. Risen 2 is what is left of The Great Gothic series.
    Feels like this game was being made for graphics first, and there was not enough time to rework the gameplay. It feels incomplete at best. You explore a beautiful jungle and then suddenly you get    56 hours of painfully mediocre gameplay. DLCs completely worthless. If you enjoyed Gothic 3, you could like this game. But if not, stay away. Risen 2 is what is left of The Great Gothic series.
    Feels like this game was being made for graphics first, and there was not enough time to rework the gameplay. It feels incomplete at best. You explore a beautiful jungle and then suddenly you get killed by a monkey which takes at least 10 blows with a sword to kill. Very nice touches here, stupid and mediocre mechanics there.

    STORY
    A very interesting story, at a first glance. You have an inquisition guy who disquises himself and joins the ranks of pirates to save the world from Mar, the force behind the titans walking the earth. So we got pirates, we got titans, seems pretty good no?
    Well, not quite. The game looks like creators built a cheap knockoff of Mass Effect 2. Yeah, search for the titan artifacts, fix yourself a ship and crew and make it big. Not nearly so. The dialogues are poor. Most of the time you just skip them because nothing what is said is interesting or fun. You just go with it, to get the quest listed in the diary. The characters are weak – both the NPCs and other people feel lifeless. As if you were talking to an ATM for money and glory. The ending to this story is so weak that you question yourself why you played it for so many hours. The answer is that this game kind of hints to the gamer that there`s an epic quest around the corner. That you would gain some special skills and items that would enrich the gameplay tenfold. The truth is that none of that comes. The whole thing is just like a big sidequest. You go there, you do this, you get a cutscene. There is no challenge, there is no big prize. And YES, the end of game means you end playing it.

    GAMEPLAY
    The gameplay is even less of what the first Risen was. Less skills, less items, less character development. A lot of it was cut to suit the consoles and it ended like half of what even the worst of gothic series was. To Gothic fans, Risen 2 immediately feels familiar. Same walking, running, jumping. The openness of the world is still fun, that is if you can get through the VERY old Gothic mechanics. To be honest, years ago it looked ok. Nowadays it just looks silly. Risen 2 seems like a game in its own world. As if it did not notice that the world moved on forward since 2005.
    So as written above, you make less elixirs, you have less weapons to deal with, you have less combat moves to learn. None of the gameplay feels like extended. For some reason Piranha Bytes thought it was alright to still force you to sing with one of the fractions, so you can`t learn muskets unless you joined the inquisition. No reason at all to implement such a limitation, because the gameplay only loses.
    The sword fights are boring, the guns are silly. You often lose fights because the camera feels disconnected. You still have to learn a friggin kick. Still a single animal you come across in the first 10 minutes of the game is a life threat to you. Most humans are more dangerous than you and can kill you with one blow. This made sense 10 years ago, now it doesn`t make any sense at all.
    Gameplay wise, I can`t even compare this game to, say TES : Oblivion. This and Oblivion just seem like games from two different ages.

    MUSIC
    It blends nice with the environment. Gives the game a good, pirate like exploration flavor. Does not irritate. Quite a good job. Saves the game from a sad defeat.

    GRAPHICS
    This and music kept me going. I wanted to hear and see something more. Beatiful green islands, sandy beaches, dangerous caverns. beautiful towns. The lighting, shadows are awesome here. The scenery looks briliant when there`s a storm raging. The whole environment changes from day to night, from sun to rain. Wonderful. That said, the characters and animals look mediocre like dolls, not living people – very artificial.    … Expand
  23. wildstoo
    Jul 7, 2014
    8
    I didn't play the original Risen, but I really enjoyed Risen 2.

    Sure, it's not the most polished game in the history of RPGs, and the voice acting runs the gamut from "pretty good" to "lol wut?", but I just really enjoyed exploring the world and progressing through the quests. There aren't many pirate-themed games out there, and this one just managed to scratch that itch for me.    I didn't play the original Risen, but I really enjoyed Risen 2.

    Sure, it's not the most polished game in the history of RPGs, and the voice acting runs the gamut from "pretty good" to "lol wut?", but I just really enjoyed exploring the world and progressing through the quests. There aren't many pirate-themed games out there, and this one just managed to scratch that itch for me.

    There are problems, of course, both from a technical and a content perspective, but considering this game is now £2.99 on Steam, it's a steal.

    Believe me, if this was by a new studio - not PB - this game's user score would be closer to 8.0.

    Approach the game without preconceptions or unrealistic expectations and you might be pleasantly surprised.    … Expand
  24. Klewer
    Jun 17, 2014
    5
    A fairly average game in every aspect. Nothing grabs you and makes you want to keep playing, it becomes a chore. Many potentially great features, just poorly executed.
  25. LevArris
    May 22, 2014
    8
    I wonder about so much negative comments.
    I only can see that as a honor because people compare a piece of Art from a relatively small Dev-Team with AAA-Standards ;-)
    Honestly... this game has its issues. But to me the positive points are overwhelming. Are you fed up being from the beginning the "allmighty supre heroe" and just learning the next "cool move"? Do you want to have a rough    I wonder about so much negative comments.
    I only can see that as a honor because people compare a piece of Art from a relatively small Dev-Team with AAA-Standards ;-)
    Honestly... this game has its issues. But to me the positive points are overwhelming. Are you fed up being from the beginning the "allmighty supre heroe" and just learning the next "cool move"? Do you want to have a rough language? Do you want a beautiful mostly handcraftet world? Do you want a world where you truly have the feel to live in? Do you want a world that have Weather Effects so great you fit your gameplay on (e. g. I don't dare exploring while Thunderstorms are going on)? Do you want so beautiful Day/Night (Dawn, Sunset) that you will standing stil just to look into the beautiful starry sky or dawn?
    Do you like challenging Enemies requiring different tactics?
    Do you like to charm your girlfriend with a taken over enemie (voodoo magic)?
    Do you like to hire a Monkey stealing Things for you?

    There are plenty of reasons not to blame this game. And to me they are more worth than a weak combat system and some balancing issues.

    Give it a try. I nearly made the mistake not to play it because of a lot of negative comments. I really would get annoyed about myself for doing so...    … Expand
  26. Beldarak
    Apr 21, 2014
    9
    Really nice game.

    It's a lot of fun running around, picking up flowers and stuff like that. The game rewards exploration which is really nice. The gameplay is fine even if the combats aren't so great. It's easier than Risen 1 but still challenging, which is all good for me. Controls are fine, the interface too and character customisation is really satisfying. You see stuff you    Really nice game.

    It's a lot of fun running around, picking up flowers and stuff like that. The game rewards exploration which is really nice.

    The gameplay is fine even if the combats aren't so great. It's easier than Risen 1 but still challenging, which is all good for me.

    Controls are fine, the interface too and character customisation is really satisfying. You see stuff you equip on your character.

    I'm four hours into the game and I'm really enjoying it so far.

    I think the bad reviews come from the marketing of the game and not from the actual quality of the soft.    … Expand
  27. Apoda
    Mar 28, 2014
    8
    I can imagine that people who are not familiar with Piranha Bytes classics such as Gothic 1 and 2, find Risen Dark Waters to be an rather awkward game. Also, I understand that people who áre PB-fans, find Risen 2 to be a game full of harsh disappointment. A lot of what made the early Gothic games classics, is gone forever with the introduction of the Risen games.

    However, when you judge    I can imagine that people who are not familiar with Piranha Bytes classics such as Gothic 1 and 2, find Risen Dark Waters to be an rather awkward game. Also, I understand that people who áre PB-fans, find Risen 2 to be a game full of harsh disappointment. A lot of what made the early Gothic games classics, is gone forever with the introduction of the Risen games.

    However, when you judge this game for what it is, as if it where PB's first, one should have to acknowledge the terrific job that PB has done with the realization of Risen 2. The different surroundings are adorable, the characters are more than just some standard puppets, the fights and quests you will have to take on are more than just another challenge and the length of the game deserves respect. On top of that, the very personal style all the games by Piranha Bytes are blessed with, certainly is pleasantly noticeable while playing Risen 2.

    I really liked playing this game, and I, for one, am a huge fan of the Gothic series. As a game studio, you can't stick to the good old formula over and over again, without having to repeat yourself in an obsessive way. I most certainly believe PB has made the right choices by exploring new possibilities with the installments of Risen.    … Expand
  28. 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.
  29. SoftwareWulf
    Mar 6, 2014
    10
    Ok its a bit different to risen 1 but its a nice game with a good story and atmosphere and I like the open world. I cant understand the bad rating and I hope risen 3 ratings will be better cuz this game is just great o.O
  30. 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
  31. graywolf15236
    Feb 24, 2014
    10
    this is one of the most underrated RPG game ever!
    it might kind of annoying at first but once you get used to it everything will be great.
    the story is not the best, but I've seen worse in nowadays crappy games that people claim to be great. this game has fantastic music and the strongest point of the game is the atmosphere. player who don't know how to immerse themselves into the game    this is one of the most underrated RPG game ever!
    it might kind of annoying at first but once you get used to it everything will be great.
    the story is not the best, but I've seen worse in nowadays crappy games that people claim to be great. this game has fantastic music and the strongest point of the game is the atmosphere. player who don't know how to immerse themselves into the game will no doubt think this game suck, which is, sadly, plenty of them.    … Expand
  32. PavelPipovic
    Feb 12, 2014
    8
    I finally got around to finish this game. What can I say? I'll try not to compare this game with its predecessors, b/c its not about rating Piranha Byte's (PB) progress, but the game itself. Although let me state that this game is inferior to Gothic (G) 1, G2 and even R1.

    POSITIVE: + Exploration is fun - and doesn't stretch out for hundreds of hours in the game. + Dialog is whitty and    I finally got around to finish this game. What can I say? I'll try not to compare this game with its predecessors, b/c its not about rating Piranha Byte's (PB) progress, but the game itself. Although let me state that this game is inferior to Gothic (G) 1, G2 and even R1.

    POSITIVE:
    + Exploration is fun - and doesn't stretch out for hundreds of hours in the game.
    + Dialog is whitty and funny.
    + Atmosphere - the game managed to draw me into its world.
    + The plot is good, has plot twists you won't see coming and is overall solid. Not Shakespeare, but good for a video game!

    NEGATIVE:
    - The jumping/climbing animations - Piranha Bytes, you can't do jumping/climbing animations, get somebody who can do this! Or keep it out of the game. It's just ridiculous!
    - The anti-climactic end. Feels like they had NO idea what so ever how to wrap it up.
    - The general use of the crew - which is just a huge missed opportunity. Even Splinter Cell: Blacklist did a better job in utilizing its crew.
    - Only two factions to choose from, one turns you into a wizard / spear warrior, the other into a sharpshooter. Meh.

    Conclusion:
    I found this game to be good and would give it a 7.5 out of 10. Unfortunatly its not possible to give it half points, so I round it up. It kept me entertained, I loved the landscape, I liked the quests, I liked the way the game unfold. The dialog is solid. Some things that were weird, but I didn't find to be neither negative nor positive were the minigames, the monkey-stuff and the leveling system. Oh boy, this is a strange one. I still can't tell if I liked it or not. I guess it was okay. Although I hope I won't see this in a future installment of Risen or Gothic.
    It was interesting that the focus for this game was on looting and finding treasure. It was good for the pirate theme and it was fun! Although, I don't want to see it in Risen 3 or Gothic 5 either. Overall, this game was a positive experience, although (as already stated) inferior to its predecessors.    … Expand
  33. Neddy
    Jan 31, 2014
    7
    I really wanted to like this. Risen (1) was OK, even though I had issues with. I have so far played only ten hours, so my review is of my feelings so far. If my opinion improves I will alter my score above '*five out of ten*'. It's worth saying at this point I do not feel to have had ten hours worth of enjoyment from the game.

    Risen 2 starts well because it looks nice. However some    I really wanted to like this. Risen (1) was OK, even though I had issues with. I have so far played only ten hours, so my review is of my feelings so far. If my opinion improves I will alter my score above '*five out of ten*'. It's worth saying at this point I do not feel to have had ten hours worth of enjoyment from the game.

    Risen 2 starts well because it looks nice. However some distant trees change size and shrink as you get closer. Bizzare. The graphics are good though. It's a nice place to be.

    Appreciation moving on from there is difficult. It forces you to become a pirate, and you wonder if you will have to do immoral acts. Second they have left out map markers for quests. While you can argue map markers are lazy, I think of them as essential. Eg. you soon get a particular quest and are told go to the end of the valley. It's usual in games that the quest giver will mark a map, either then or later when you get a map. I went all over the island and I studied the map, and there is no obvious valley. I ran about for ages looking. Eventually I gave up and looked the quest up online in a walkthrough. Some quests do give clues in the narrative and mention a plantation. Overall though, quest destinations are hard work.

    I really think to continue from here, I am going to need to refer to online walkthrough quite often.

    (EDIT: After finishing I'd say it's a good game, but just not brilliant. It took me about fifty-five hours. One last warning, do all your quests before you go to Mara, or Storm Island. Once there if you do the tasks there, the game ends.)    … Expand
  34. kyosuke69
    Dec 11, 2013
    8
    Risen 2 is a beautiful, deeply ambitious game which requires more than an hour from the start to evaluate. It's a unique game which offers something enriching to the RPG genre.

    Plagued with some unfortunate game system, the game's charms outweigh its negatives.
  35. eleven13
    Nov 8, 2013
    5
    There were lot of improvement in graphic engine since its previous predecessor, Risen. The idea is quite refreshing & awkward. To be honest, Risen is far better in gameplay sort of way, because it stick to the principles of Gothic franchise (I & II). Even though the refining work is much better on this episode, it still most likely going to end up being Gothic III, and that is such a waste.
  36. Sabatasso
    Nov 2, 2013
    7
    Well... the game itself can be enjoyable if you're willing to swallow a few camels along the way. It's not a great game by any means but it isn't as bad as some people make it out to be either.

    Is it fun? yes
    Could it easily have been much funnier? yes
    Does that make you sad? yes...
  37. 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
  38. 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
  39. Darkin20
    Oct 20, 2013
    7
    Pros:
    -Graphics are amazing
    -Plot is interesting
    -Characters are well formed
    -Lots of hidden treasures

    Cons:
    -combat is confusing and hard to do well
    -take a long time to get into the grove
  40. Elcom
    Aug 27, 2013
    10
    I wanna be a pirate, but without this bugs. And who the hell did the motion capture 6 years old child. In this game do not find MAJOR problems and bugs, but you found many minors. Well this game and all these universe, you must LOVE IT OR HATE IT, i Love it with all good and all bad.
    This game has have excellent storyline, fine NPC, genial humor and Patty
  41. Juicymarmalade
    Aug 5, 2013
    5
    You can't sail your ship. If you're making a pirate game and you can't at least get that part right, then there isn't really anything more to say. Aside from the ship travel consisting of a loading screen, there isn't really anything else that's good either. The combat is sluggish, repetitive, and just as bad as Gothic 4's and the voice acting and story are awful as they usually are inYou can't sail your ship. If you're making a pirate game and you can't at least get that part right, then there isn't really anything more to say. Aside from the ship travel consisting of a loading screen, there isn't really anything else that's good either. The combat is sluggish, repetitive, and just as bad as Gothic 4's and the voice acting and story are awful as they usually are in Gothic/Risen games.

    The graphics and music are pretty nice and the game world has some genuinely interesting sights and areas to see and explore but the gameplay is just bleh.    … Expand
  42. 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
  43. Vladimirus
    Jul 24, 2013
    10
    Wonderful game!
  44. 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
  45. Dynasma
    May 25, 2013
    6
    Disappointing, feels like a shadow of its predecessor.
    + good graphics
    + plentiful enemies, some of which require special strategies + progression of the character felt ok - one of the worst combat systems i have seen in a game. That's not hardcore, it's just outright tedious. - muskets completely useless to upgrade - players needs to way gold in the start to do anything, feels    Disappointing, feels like a shadow of its predecessor.
    + good graphics
    + plentiful enemies, some of which require special strategies
    + progression of the character felt ok

    - one of the worst combat systems i have seen in a game. That's not hardcore, it's just outright tedious.
    - muskets completely useless to upgrade
    - players needs to way gold in the start to do anything, feels frustrating
    - plot is just generic
    - irrelevant main and side characters
    - mediocre boss battles
    - final boss fight took me less than a minute to end. Nuff said...    … Expand
  46. MatDerKater
    Feb 20, 2013
    10
    At the time of release, I was put off from playing this game by the hugely negative response not only from mainstream and largely US centric gaming critics, but also from the Gothic/Risen fanbase. It has been normal in the past for Piranha Byte games to get inexplicably poor ratings from English speaking gaming media, but Piranha Bytes have always had their band of loyal/hooked followersAt the time of release, I was put off from playing this game by the hugely negative response not only from mainstream and largely US centric gaming critics, but also from the Gothic/Risen fanbase. It has been normal in the past for Piranha Byte games to get inexplicably poor ratings from English speaking gaming media, but Piranha Bytes have always had their band of loyal/hooked followers who know differently. So why so much negativity this time around from the PB fan club? Risen 2 is a bit of a departure from the previous PB games in that; the world is split up into smaller areas/islands; that there is not as much freedom in the game world as previously; and also the fighting mechanics have been completely changed from what went before. Therefore, those of us who were chomping at the bit for another Gothic or Risen 1 re-run, were sorely disappointed that PB had for whatever reasons, opted to do things a little differently this time around. However, the fact that PB have made a slightly different RPG to what their fanbase was expecting, doesn't necessarily mean that Risen 2 is bad game. In fact, Risen 2 is an absolutely brilliant game, which is something I have only just found out after months of staying away from the game due to negative publicity.

    One of many the criticisms that is levelled at Risen 2 is that the overarching story is generic and cliched. It would be hard to disagree with this but I would like to suggest that it is not the quality of the story, but the quality of the story telling that really matters in an RPG video game. What Piranha Bytes do brilliantly well, is make the dialogue and interaction between the character's in the game interesting, easily digestible, and memorable to the gamer. The NPC's in Risen 2 are colourful, individual, and help to convey the personality and charm that the game has to offer. In this respect, Risen 2 stands in stark contrast to rave review generating American RPG's such as Amalur. Despite Amalur having it's story concocted by a professional fantasy author, the blase generic Disney-esque dialogue and instantly forgettable NPC's in the game resulted in at least this gamer, not giving two craps about anything in the game to find out whether there is a good story or not.

    Risen 2 succeeds in getting the gamer emotionally involved in the various plot and sub-plot intrigues in the game, resulting in the imagination of the gamer and his interest in the game world starting to bloom. To this end, Risen 2 also offers the gamer a myriad of neat character progression features, to give just one example amongst many, is the ability to train a monkey as a theif, or a parrot to annoy the f*ck out of other NPC's. In my play through, I made strong use of the trained monkey, vital for getting to some well tucked out the way stash at various points in the game. Another brilliant and fun feature that i have to mention is the Voodoo ability to take control of another NPC's mind. Aside from offering alternative ways to complete quests, stomping around the towns and settlements of the South Sea's as another character in the game, and watching how all the other NPC's react totally differently to this guy than they do to the Nameless Hero, can be great fun. Even better, in situations where the NPC under voodoo mind control is an unpallatable character, there are opportunites to land the NPC in a spot of bother by making hims do/say 'wrong things', or in one case during my playthrough, totally ruin his (virtual) life! There are similarly charming, innovative, and fun aspects to Risen 2 right throughout the game. Furthermore, much of these things are not spelt out for the gamer, but rather the gamer comes to discover them for himself through his own musings and thoughts on the game world. Through the interaction with the NPCs and the various tricks and skills in Risen 2, intrigue in the game world really starts to open up, thus the gamer starts to feel himself to be involved in the world and motivated towards overcoming the various hurdles and challenges that stand in the way of progression. For my money, this exercising of human imagination, supplemented by the lush beautiful graphics that contribute to the wonderfully ornate handcrafted environments is what RPG gaming is all about and is something that Risen 2 brilliantly achieves.

    Risen 2 however, does have many flaws. The combat can be a bit clunky and at times very clumsily implemented and the game definitely suffers from balancing issues. However, these and all its other flaws are meaningless to me because I judge a game by how much fun and entertainment that it offered me, and Risen 2 had me totally hooked for around 50 hours of game playing time in a way that no other game released in the last two years has.    … Expand
  47. OnlyOneWing
    Feb 6, 2013
    10
    Alright, i came back to this game after previously hating it... I must say, I don't know if the devs patched it or what, but I am seriously enjoying this game! Sure it could be improved on, but it really isn't horrible. In fact it is a lot of fun. I really regret judging this game previously without fully giving it a chance, because I have gotten hours upon hours of enjoyment out of it. IAlright, i came back to this game after previously hating it... I must say, I don't know if the devs patched it or what, but I am seriously enjoying this game! Sure it could be improved on, but it really isn't horrible. In fact it is a lot of fun. I really regret judging this game previously without fully giving it a chance, because I have gotten hours upon hours of enjoyment out of it. I must say, cliche as it is, the pirate theme is underused in video games. Every time I play this game it reminds me of vacation in the Caribbean, and rum. No complaints there. Approach it without expecting to be absolutely blown away and you just may be one of the people who loves this game.… Expand
  48. Killtank
    Jan 10, 2013
    9
    (It is translated from Russian by means of the translator. I am sorry if there are mistakes) Put 9/10. Game so tightened that I forgot even about some doubtful abilities (after game I learned for what the cult of dead is necessary) and unpolished animation. There is no difficult syntax and a large number of boring classification, everything simple, natural, adequately and not infantily,(It is translated from Russian by means of the translator. I am sorry if there are mistakes) Put 9/10. Game so tightened that I forgot even about some doubtful abilities (after game I learned for what the cult of dead is necessary) and unpolished animation. There is no difficult syntax and a large number of boring classification, everything simple, natural, adequately and not infantily, quests are fascinating and aren't tightened, characters charismatic, and game more dynamic and interesting in comparison with the first part.… Expand
  49. Starostin_Anton
    Dec 30, 2012
    9
    When I played this game the first time I didn't like it. But after playing a few hours I have change my point of view.
    So, it's awesome. I like all of Piranha Bytes' games, but Risen 2 is my favorite, I think. I like pirates at all and in Risen 2 they looks very cool and funny. There is a nice graphics in game, but it's not very important. First of all, I really interested in storyline in    When I played this game the first time I didn't like it. But after playing a few hours I have change my point of view.
    So, it's awesome. I like all of Piranha Bytes' games, but Risen 2 is my favorite, I think. I like pirates at all and in Risen 2 they looks very cool and funny. There is a nice graphics in game, but it's not very important. First of all, I really interested in storyline in Risen 2. And it is much more exciting than in Risen. There are some very thrilling moments, what made me feel nervous. Like scene with Steelbeard and Mara. I like RPG system, new features and atmosphere of Risen 2. Soundtrack is very nice. I have been played in Risen 2 43 hours in general and all of this time I was impressed.
    But this game is unpolished and it is the main disadvantage. Strange animation, some bugs and problems with graphics.
    Anyway, I have been spent my time with pleasure and I looking forward to Risen 3.    … Expand
  50. mrkartofel1
    Dec 10, 2012
    6
    I don't play many RPG games, but this game is not bad. I know Witcher 2 is better, but Risen come from Germany - country with many worst games. Risen have good graphic and effects, but movement of shadows are weird. I have played some hours and I haven't seen any bigger bugs (game don't make 'automatic' off). Animations of characters are very funny - You must see how playable characterI don't play many RPG games, but this game is not bad. I know Witcher 2 is better, but Risen come from Germany - country with many worst games. Risen have good graphic and effects, but movement of shadows are weird. I have played some hours and I haven't seen any bigger bugs (game don't make 'automatic' off). Animations of characters are very funny - You must see how playable character jump! If you haven't played yet, I recommend you to buy this game in a sale on Steam or elsewhere.… Expand
  51. 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...
  52. CoolDadTx
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    Compared to the other Piranha Byte games this is pretty good. The game suffer from the same issues that pretty much every other PB does when it comes to balancing and combat. The combat is flaky at best and generally just relies on chance more than skill. The early part of the game is overly difficult because even when you're being careful you are going to die a lot. Yet the end of theCompared to the other Piranha Byte games this is pretty good. The game suffer from the same issues that pretty much every other PB does when it comes to balancing and combat. The combat is flaky at best and generally just relies on chance more than skill. The early part of the game is overly difficult because even when you're being careful you are going to die a lot. Yet the end of the game is really easy. The end boss is a pushover compared to the early encounters. One day I hope PB will learn to craft combat systems that rely on skill more than luck and then balance it so it is even throughout the entire game. As with other PB games every combat involves you swinging wildly with no real tactic in order to do enough dmg to kill your opponent before they kill you. But if your opponent hits you then you stop attacking. When you are surrounded (which happens often) your enemies can effectively keep you off balance so you can never attack. Worse is the fact that defense is all but useless. It works ok against humans but everybody else complete ignore it. Hence trying to defend yourself just doesn't work. Pair this with the fact that taking a defensive posture locks you onto a single opponent allowing all the other enemies to pound on you and you quickly realize that "attack, step back, attack" is the only way to reliably win.

    Another big area of failure for this game are the new things that PB added - firearms and voodoo. Both are pretty much useless. If you really wanted to use something other than melee then you're out of luck. Voodoo is just too weak. Firearms are powerful but the odds of hitting anything outside melee range is slim. There was so much potential here and PB just wasted it.

    For the most part the graphics in the game were really good. Most of the areas you go to look similar but that is to be expected given the story. But the caves are identical. Walking through any cave in the game and you'll know exactly where to go because they all have the same layout. This is really just sad for a game of this era. The story was good and the various NPCs were mostly satisfactory. I heard a lot of reviews mention racism, sexism and possibly offending people. Honestly nothing in the game could have been read that way. The terms used fit the timeframe of the game and the region. Sexism didn't exist at all. There were only a few women in the game and they were doing things that you'd expect a woman of that era to do. The language is the only thing that some people might take offensive over.

    One frustrating area of the game are the traps. There are places in the game where a trap appears out of nowhere. A QTE appears for you to avoid the trap. If you fail, you die. The QTE lasts a second so unless you know the trap is there you're reloading. This could have been handled better by either taking dmg from the trap of making the QTE last longer. It is only a surprise the first time. The quests, overall, are varied and not too difficult. Unfortunately you can't set custom waypoints on the map nor can you see any quest indicators without bringing up the map. So you spend a lot of time toggling between the world and your map which is unfortunate. I also never managed to break a quest line even though I did things out of order. In an RPG this is a really good thing to get right.

    Another area PB got right was the stability and performance of the game. I ran it on max settings and I never noticed memory leaks nor did the CPU usage or temperatures get high. This is rare for a modern open-world RPG. Nor did I ever crash the game. Kudos to PB.

    If you like PBs other games (like Gothic) and you can overlook the crappy combat then this is a fun, med-size RPG. If you didn't like Gothic then you won't like this game.    … Expand
  53. 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
  54. CaptainChaos
    Oct 19, 2012
    9
    Ok, I'm now well in the middle of this game and this game is very much a successor to Risen, with all of its same characteristics. Very open environments; the islands are so lush and winding, that without a seachart (and sometimes even with it) I become hopelessly lost again and again - in a good way! The graphics in town are not so good, but on the islands are beautiful and the characterOk, I'm now well in the middle of this game and this game is very much a successor to Risen, with all of its same characteristics. Very open environments; the islands are so lush and winding, that without a seachart (and sometimes even with it) I become hopelessly lost again and again - in a good way! The graphics in town are not so good, but on the islands are beautiful and the character sheet is extremely pleasing to the eye. The Save system is surprisingly very PC friendly, the way all games SHOULD be but never are - holding several quick save positions and allowing you to name your own save files; it's also extremely stable permitting Alt-Tabbing galore to quickly check email without exiting game and hasn't crashed yet. I LOVE the slow xp system that also forces you to accumulate gold to level up skills - it makes the game very very challenging. Finally, the combat is love/hate. It is VERY complicated beyond belief. Once you get the hang of it, it gets a lot more fun; I think you have patience you will come to enjoy it immensely. And Skyrim could learn something from the good and varied voice acting here. So far, VERY fun.… Expand
  55. 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
  56. 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.
  57. 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
  58. Magnus
    Sep 1, 2012
    6
    It could have been so much more. What prompted PB to replace the very successful formula of Risen 1 with this , is beyond my understanding. Was it the users, the complaints of the console users about the port of the previous game, publisher pressure, blind following of trends? They aren't big enough to dumb something down and be successful with it, instead of staying with a loyal fan baseIt could have been so much more. What prompted PB to replace the very successful formula of Risen 1 with this , is beyond my understanding. Was it the users, the complaints of the console users about the port of the previous game, publisher pressure, blind following of trends? They aren't big enough to dumb something down and be successful with it, instead of staying with a loyal fan base that followed them ,they tried a very, well mainstream approach.

    What they accomplished is killing the sandbox, that's it. The most important part of a Pb game -exploration suffers in this game , a strange amount of corridor like interiors, and a setting that is very predictable and poorly executed . Compared to the previous game, the game is streamlined in every possible way , and it wasn't a removal of problems from the previews game but a addition of new ones.
    The combat at least sword is horrible, dialogues are reduced what instantly reduced choice and consequences, decisions the player gets to make are minor and irrelevant on the bigger picture, the skill system is simply ridicules , the addition of firearms doesn't work at all, the game is trying to be edgy and fails even at that, particularly in the VA department. I gave it a higher score because despite it's s problems maybe there is something that I'm, missing and maybe they will learn from this mistake. Since they are getting their Gothic license back, I hope they forget this approach and learn from this, and yes the design document would be named something like:"How not to make a exploration driven RPG".    … Expand
  59. Chaeote
    Aug 13, 2012
    8
    In all honesty, I think the problem a lot of people are having with this game is a simple of of "They changed it, now it sucks".

    If you're looking for it to be identical to the first Risen, stop, cause it won't be... and that's a good thing. It's better. What they have done is revamped the systems from Risen in such a way that a LOT of it is streamlined. Sure, some things have gotten    In all honesty, I think the problem a lot of people are having with this game is a simple of of "They changed it, now it sucks".

    If you're looking for it to be identical to the first Risen, stop, cause it won't be... and that's a good thing. It's better.

    What they have done is revamped the systems from Risen in such a way that a LOT of it is streamlined. Sure, some things have gotten removed (The useless animations of turning lizards on sticks, or sawing wood comes to mind.), but other stuff is a lot better. Looting is simplified, in that, you automatically get everything from a corpse. The skill system is a LOT simpler. "Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, etc." are GONE. Instead it's more like your base skills have taken their place, and instead of going to a trainer to increase these, you can upgrade them directly from the character menu. Instead, you only need to go to trainers to increase your SPECIFIC skills. (It's like being able to increase your Axe skill from Risen, but then you have to go to a trainer to learn "One handed Wield")

    I've seen two major complaints though reading other reviews here, the first being the controls. At first, i was going to agree with this somewhat, until i realize what was causing it.

    In Risen, the character was locked to the camera. Turn the camera, and you turn the character. In Risen 2 this only applies if you are currently moving forward. otherwise, the game has a free-floating character. This can create the illusion that the controls are a little laggy or "floaty", but once you get used to it, it's a non issue. Skyrim has a similar style camera, the only difference being the character response to turning is a bit sharper.

    The second is combat... which honestly I don't understand. Original Risen's combat was unforgivably punishing. Especially at the beginning, and then once again when the Saurians show up.

    Risen 2, while still challenging, is a least balanced. You can parry pretty much everything (which is nice, since shields have ceased to exist), and the dirty tricks are actually a LOT of fun. For me, they taken the place of the magic spells I used to use in Risen. So instead of using Frost bolt to freeze an enemy and then charging in and playing "block, attack, block, attack". Instead I rush in first, get an attack in, parry for a bit, and once an opening happens, kick them away, get a shot off with my pistol, switch my pistol for a handful of salt, wait for another opening, toss the salt to blind them, then use a power attack, and a couple quick attacks while they're stunned, and I'm only a few hours in, and only have the basic attacks! I still haven't gotten parries and counter attacks (let alone power-counters), and I haven't gotten the bigger guns (or magic if you so choose) yet, so that will just add to my arsenal.

    Also, during most of the early game at least (and from the looks of it later on as well, from the looks of it), you have a crew member with you. With basically fills the role of the Summon Skeleton scroll from the first game... except for one major difference... they don't suck. lol.

    and I haven't even touched on the NEW stuff.

    My second favorite new addition to this game over Risen? SNEAKING... holy crap SNEAKING. You actually crouch down and SNEAK into a building in order to "liberate" them of their stuff, and as long as you stay out of the NPC's line-of-sight, it actually WORKS. Unlike the original where if you walked into someones house the owner and every guard rushes in from 100 feet away. That now only occurs, if you actually go barging in and full speed... which is much more realistic.

    As for my favorite thing? Simple, PERSUASION MECHANICS!!! =D

    Yo have "Silver Tongue" which is basically "Persuade", and then you have "Intimidate", which is... well, "Intimidate". These are awesome, I love being able to talk NPC's into doing stuff they don't want to do. =)

    Now, in all fairness, I HAVE used a few mods, and aside from the "Unofficial Patch 0.5" that is a fan-fix of a few bugs, none of them affect the base functionality of the game. I steer clear of those, I only use the ones that add eye-candy (improved textures, dynamic torch lighting, a couple minor tweaks to fix texture/tree pop-in). So while my version of the game is prettier than others, it plays the same, and I just cannot see while they're is so much hate for this game, and the only thing I can fathom causing it, is that fact that it's not exactly like Risen or the old Gothic games.

    It's been modernized, streamlined, and updated, and while some of the extra fluff things have been slashed in order to accomplish that. The core mechanics have been enhanced.

    So, while not perfect (what game is?), I definitely feel it's a step up, and I'm really interested to see where they take this style of RPG in this new direction.    … Expand
  60. specialguest
    Jul 26, 2012
    7
    Average or less in all aspects but one: It is a Piranha Bytes game, and it does have the Gothic feel. What Piranha Bytes is great at is environment design, crafting a unique setting, and setting a great mood for an RPG. All of that is here. So is the lack of polish, bugs, poor AI, and everything else that has been wrong with RPG's in the last decade. Nothing really feels totallyAverage or less in all aspects but one: It is a Piranha Bytes game, and it does have the Gothic feel. What Piranha Bytes is great at is environment design, crafting a unique setting, and setting a great mood for an RPG. All of that is here. So is the lack of polish, bugs, poor AI, and everything else that has been wrong with RPG's in the last decade. Nothing really feels totally completed, from the menus to the combat, to the animations. The environments are however pretty good despite the common graphical shortcomings of a less than AAA game.

    If you are a big PB or Gothic fan, this will be a fun, familiar, and recommended experience. The story and pirate twist is actually well done. It is possible to have a fantasy RPG without cliche grey bearded wizards and dragons. Risen 2 accomplishes this well.

    If you are not a Gothic or PB fan, you should probably overlook this one in favor of something better.    … Expand
  61. 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
  62. 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.
  63. dylanland234
    Jun 26, 2012
    6
    At times i wanted to love this. At times i wanted to quit and never come back. But i did finish. The story was decent, but it was the beauty of the environments that kept me coming. It was sort of like a poor pirate version of Witcher 2. It tried in so many ways to be unique, but overall was just a time waster waiting for other titles.
  64. hillshtify
    Jun 26, 2012
    9
    A beautiful game with minor technical issues. I challenge anyone to find a game that is this deep without any flaws. A recent patch improved performance as well. I'm getting really nice frame rates on all High settings. This game doesn't deserve a 0 rating. Character development has plenty of options, but not TOO many. Voice acting is actually pretty good most of theA beautiful game with minor technical issues. I challenge anyone to find a game that is this deep without any flaws. A recent patch improved performance as well. I'm getting really nice frame rates on all High settings. This game doesn't deserve a 0 rating. Character development has plenty of options, but not TOO many. Voice acting is actually pretty good most of the time...character animations are hilariously over the top in some cases during dialogue. Also note: many people who gave it crappy reviews or called it "linear" didn't take the time to find all the side quests or stick with the game past the first few islands...it picks up dramatically towards the second half in terms of freedom and options. If you like RPGs then buy this game....Skyrim it is not, but I actually like that since I'm not trying to play another Skyrim clone. This game has charm. I have to LOL at the 0 ratings ... get a life.

    I'm giving it an 8.5    … Expand
  65. 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
  66. 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
  67. Smeldor
    Jun 10, 2012
    9
    Ignore the critic's reviews. They are obsessed with the next clone of duty game. This game is absolutely fine, and if you like rpg's it deserves a much higher score. If the critics have their way they will try and turn Skyrim into just another fps. Ignore the fools, judge for yourself. Shame there isn't a demo so customers can try before they buy.
  68. azefir1
    Jun 5, 2012
    10
    As a big fan of RPG games, especially Gothic series, i must say that this game is.... GREAT! I wasn't expecting that this game would be soo good, but i was positively surprised. I only wish that piranha bytes would have bigger budget....
  69. frast
    Jun 3, 2012
    7
    It's fun that we can return to the game, similar to the old "Gothics" for which many people have already forgotten. It's fun to play a pirate, an interesting atmosphere, nice graphics and interesting game generally done in style. It is a pity that after a while begins to play old-style upset "Gothic", boring and a struggle (depending on weapon), poor optimization, and other factors. TheIt's fun that we can return to the game, similar to the old "Gothics" for which many people have already forgotten. It's fun to play a pirate, an interesting atmosphere, nice graphics and interesting game generally done in style. It is a pity that after a while begins to play old-style upset "Gothic", boring and a struggle (depending on weapon), poor optimization, and other factors. The game, however, for fans of Gothic / older RPGs might be nice. My rating -7/10… Expand
  70. Vatolicious
    May 28, 2012
    5
    Its a cool game and I wish it was more playable. I love the aesthetic and the story and dialogue are pretty cool. But the game play is just way to bad to be enjoyable.
  71. 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
  72. direktors
    May 26, 2012
    5
    enjoyable game, but ending is a big letdown. somehow feels unfinished. a bit sloppy graphics, very little choices, no ship fights, but nice voice acting.
  73. ArminW
    May 22, 2012
    6
    A pretty OK game that could have been great, with a little more attention to detail, a LOT more polish and a less appaling business model.

    The pirate setting was the thing that sold it to me, and some of it is actually executed pretty well. The Piranha-typical gritty and sarcastic dialogue fits really well here. But like a lot about the game, it's a ton of wasted potential. I have a    A pretty OK game that could have been great, with a little more attention to detail, a LOT more polish and a less appaling business model.

    The pirate setting was the thing that sold it to me, and some of it is actually executed pretty well. The Piranha-typical gritty and sarcastic dialogue fits really well here. But like a lot about the game, it's a ton of wasted potential. I have a measly 4 crewmen on my ship? Not a single ship-to-ship battle? *shrug* The combat system, out of the box, is AGAIN a major failure with no way to dodge the attacks of animals and simple, stupid left-clicking till they drop the way to go. How they could botch this up in their 5th attempt yet another time really beats the hell out of me.

    Many quests have a very unfinished feel and a completely unsatisfying and underdeveloped way to resolve them. Immersion suffers a lot from the hilariously silly way conflict, crime and combat is handled with villagers. Get caught stealing, simply beat the stuffing out of them (you can't actually kill them, even if you try) and 5 minutes later all is forgotten and back to normal. Folks, people who are shot in the face with a flintlock pistol in a dark and gritty setting should have the good manners to stay down.

    Replay value is VERY low, you only make one significant choice in the game and the results are, apart from the choice between using muskets or voodoo from that moment on, mostly cosmetic.

    Graphics, usually a thing I hardly care about, are actually so much below standards that is DOES disturb me, and the fact that after playing it through ONCE I fond more than 600 unwanted save games on my HD is just such a double facepalm... really, don't know what to say...

    Well, and trying to sell me DLC that is in fact - apart from the voiceovers - *completely* on the disc should actually bring down the rating another notch or two...

    Ii has it's fun moments, and with the first patch, can certainly be played and enjoyed once, but it could have been so much more.    … Expand
  74. dryerlaw
    May 20, 2012
    8
    After the first patch, combat is considerably better and less clunky. The game itself is much more focused than the previous Risen and Gothic series. It's open for newcomers but at the same time still reward extensive exploration for hardcore fans of the series. Quests are simple but not too monotonic. Skill and leveling system is improved from the previous game, but crafting is lessAfter the first patch, combat is considerably better and less clunky. The game itself is much more focused than the previous Risen and Gothic series. It's open for newcomers but at the same time still reward extensive exploration for hardcore fans of the series. Quests are simple but not too monotonic. Skill and leveling system is improved from the previous game, but crafting is less useful now as buying the merchandise seem to be cheaper. Graphics is slightly above average; island atmosphere is deeply felt with lush foliage and superb lighting, but texture is not sharp at all. The game could use better voice acting and story presentation in order to increase immersion, but the pirate-natives-authority intricacies are well delivered. Overall a slight improvement above the previous games, albeit not a masterpiece.… Expand
  75. lama93
    May 20, 2012
    9
    If you always wanted to play a pirate RPG game, Risen 2: Dark Waters is definitely worth it. Risen2 is not based on the previous Risen, even though you still play a nameless dude. The game now takes place on several islands and you play as a pirate. There are new weapons as well, like musks and voodoo spells. You don't have to worry about a good reputation in this game. You are alreadyIf you always wanted to play a pirate RPG game, Risen 2: Dark Waters is definitely worth it. Risen2 is not based on the previous Risen, even though you still play a nameless dude. The game now takes place on several islands and you play as a pirate. There are new weapons as well, like musks and voodoo spells. You don't have to worry about a good reputation in this game. You are already thought about bad. Most quests are fun and not too hard to solve. But also not to easy.
    Even though the game is very enjoyable overall I wont give it a 10/10. That's because the combat system is really hard to get used to and the character animations and the character looks are sometimes a bit weird. The graphics a very good. The characters have (mostly) been narrated well. Risen 2 is not as open-world as the first Risen but the islands are still fun to explore. In quests there are many pirate themes like finding treasure.
    Risen 2 is more realistic than many other RPG's - if you want a lot of fantasy and magic this is not quite a game for you, even you do get voodoo spells. But don't expect the sort of magic from rpg's like the first Risen or Two Worlds II.
    For those who always wanted to play as a pirate, I can definitely recommend Risen 2. For fans of "classic" RPG's, like myself Risen 2 will take some time to get used to but will eventually get fun. But overall the game is really fun and I can definitely recommend it to those who always wanted to play as a pirate and those who want to play a RPG really different from the ones we are used to.    … Expand
  76. Zero99i
    May 16, 2012
    10
    I do not understand why the reviews in the beginning are so bad. Most of the bad reviews were written shortly before or after the game released. I played Risen 2 for about 20 hours. It was very entertaining and even a bit dramatic. This game provides anything I can imagine. The combatsystem is much better after the Patch and I cannot complain about the graphics. Of course it is not as hugeI do not understand why the reviews in the beginning are so bad. Most of the bad reviews were written shortly before or after the game released. I played Risen 2 for about 20 hours. It was very entertaining and even a bit dramatic. This game provides anything I can imagine. The combatsystem is much better after the Patch and I cannot complain about the graphics. Of course it is not as huge as skyrim. But I think Risen 2 is the best RPG since the release of the first Risen in october 2009. There is nothing bad in the at all. All of you who gave the game a zero don't seem to know how badly this could damage Piranha Bytes… Expand
  77. poupy1979
    May 15, 2012
    6
    I am not a fan of the Risen or Gothic franchise; but this game sounded good so i decided to give it a go. After nearly 45-60 min playing; i said Screw this, i am better off playing something else.

    Too much frustration to adjust camera and gampad. Fighting mechanics is weird. I wanted to give a new franchise a try but this failed to attract any fun for me. I hope the company reads our    I am not a fan of the Risen or Gothic franchise; but this game sounded good so i decided to give it a go. After nearly 45-60 min playing; i said Screw this, i am better off playing something else.

    Too much frustration to adjust camera and gampad. Fighting mechanics is weird. I wanted to give a new franchise a try but this failed to attract any fun for me.

    I hope the company reads our reviews coz there are amazing user reviews whom actually love the game and want it to be better. (i feel sorry for them as they deserve better)    … Expand
  78. 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
  79. sh1488
    May 14, 2012
    10
    This game deserves more credit. It seems as though everything is about graphics and combat these days. What Risen 2 manages to achieve is a much greater good: immersion and proper character development.
  80. Gamesiarz
    May 13, 2012
    10
    "Must have" for every fan of Piranha Bytes games. You want to know why critic score is so low? Simple, this is not another one big tutorial game for kids, but deep rpg game. If u like gothic 1,2,3 and risen1 you need to buy this.
  81. Pepcadvorak
    May 13, 2012
    10
    Great game, this game keep you always hungry for next quest. This is not boring like Skyrim when you have tons of non saying quest. Fight system is easiest then in part one, but still good
  82. agotmanov
    May 9, 2012
    8
    I had a chance to try Risen 2 for about 2hrs, and I think there is a lot of potential there. Low user scores of 4 and below don't do it justice. Most importantly the atmosphere reminds me strongly of Gothic. Nice music and voice acting. Interesting and rich environment. There are some issues with graphics at the moment (somewhat annoying on occasion), but nothing that can't be fixed by aI had a chance to try Risen 2 for about 2hrs, and I think there is a lot of potential there. Low user scores of 4 and below don't do it justice. Most importantly the atmosphere reminds me strongly of Gothic. Nice music and voice acting. Interesting and rich environment. There are some issues with graphics at the moment (somewhat annoying on occasion), but nothing that can't be fixed by a patch. Animations are a bit clunky, but I really don't care. I was playing on hard difficulty mode and didn't quite master the swordplay (human opponents were beating my character all the time). However, at a glance the combat system seems more interesting and challenging than in Risen 1. In short, definitely not Arcania. PB should fix the graphics and release a demo. Really looking forward to spending more time with it.… Expand
  83. Kirii
    May 9, 2012
    10
    Great sequel to the very enjoyable Risen! I am 22 hours in and have loved every minute. Fun and interesting story, great characters, classic nameless hero, multiple islands to explore, and beautiful graphics. The atmosphere is perfect and feels exactly like a PB game should. If you like Risen 1 you will highly enjoy Risen 2!
  84. 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
  85. 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
  86. equinox_dude
    May 8, 2012
    9
    If you like Gothic, you like Risen 2, too! It's exactly the same Gothic-Spirit like the both first part's of the Gothic Universe. Don't let affect to the PB hater, they just Kid's.
  87. alxvy
    May 8, 2012
    9
    It's a great game, of some depth. True it has some flaws but you can get around them. One thing I thought was it was lacking facilities on most islands like voodoo cauldrons. Still I'm enjoying playing it. The islands are not exactly titchy there are plenty of full islands. Definitely one to recommend for rpg fans. Don't know why it has such a low score to be honest.
  88. 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!
  89. ThisMalkavian
    May 7, 2012
    9
    It is a good legacy of Gothic... Realistic fight with elegant weapon, powerful muskets, dirty tricks, monkey... I think it is Game not cut-scenes movie. Not ideal, but very atmospheric and "live".
  90. Elrik_Melni
    May 7, 2012
    9
    (PB= Piranha Bytes, Developer of Gothic 1-3, Risen 1, a small lovely developer)

    RPG: Mechanics: +(=pro) Best of both worlds, easy leveling up, different than Risen 1 but not that bad. The skills learned at trainers just like Risen 1/Gothic. Combat: --(=con) A lot simpler than Risen1. Should be made more dynamic , just like Witcher 2. But have more played like Gun User rather than    (PB= Piranha Bytes, Developer of Gothic 1-3, Risen 1, a small lovely developer)

    RPG: Mechanics: +(=pro) Best of both worlds, easy leveling up, different than Risen 1 but not that bad. The skills learned at trainers just like Risen 1/Gothic.

    Combat: --(=con) A lot simpler than Risen1. Should be made more dynamic , just like Witcher 2. But have more played like Gun User rather than Swordsman.
    + Guns in a Piranha Bytes game. The sound good. Animated well. Just feels nice (Musketes). +Mixture of Aiming and RPG stats

    World Design:
    +The game has a pirate/Jungle/Colonialism/Voodoo setting. It is executed very well. PB always creates beautiful and memorable Worlds. Not as big as Skyrim but a lot more memorable and with more soul. ( I do also like Skryim/oblivion very much though)

    Story: -- slow beginnig, not that action like and not that motivating
    + later on the story really sucks you in and motivates, there are some very good twists and turns

    Quest Design:
    +mixture of standard fetch/kill quests but with typical PB like story and good chained quest series

    Graphics:
    + nice lighting and shadows
    + good vegetation/jungle
    - some minor quirks/errors
    - blurry Textures/missing Detail Textures: PB please add Detail Textures!

    Characters:
    + the hero, patty and the friends/crewmates of the hero are well designed: humoristic, sarcastic and still lovely


    Wishes to the Users: Critize PB directly, talk to them in Forums, the World of Risen site etc. Reviews under 6/10 just because its not Risen1/Gothic are not fair. The Game is worth more. Yes the game has causual aspects, but it still has the PB/risen/gothic soul no other game has. Check it out. Give it a try. And lets make the coming PB-

    Games better, together with PB.

    Wishes to the Developers:
    I would like to have a more Gothic 1/2 like game, medieval setting etc. with early guns if you like.
    The pirate setting is good, but not perfect. If it has to be pirates, take these things as examples:
    Risen1 Captain Stahlbarts treasure story (was better in some aspects)
    Gothic 2 night of the raven
    Monkey Island
    Curse of the Caribbean

    Detail Textures! Implement them please! Textures are sometimes a curse as they are!

    All in all a nice game with the PB/Gothic Charm/Atmo no other game has. With some shortcomings but still good. Hopefully Risen 3/Gothic 5 will be perfect!    … Expand
  91. euu
    May 7, 2012
    8
    With all it's flaws, Risen 2 is still the best Pyrahna Bytes game since Gothic 2. It's so refreshing to play a fantasy RPG that doesn't involve orcs, dragons and armors with shoulder plates the size of truck tires. The main flaw of the game is the combat system, but it's nowhere near as bad as Gothic 3. Once you put some glory points and gold in your abilities the game gets a lot better.With all it's flaws, Risen 2 is still the best Pyrahna Bytes game since Gothic 2. It's so refreshing to play a fantasy RPG that doesn't involve orcs, dragons and armors with shoulder plates the size of truck tires. The main flaw of the game is the combat system, but it's nowhere near as bad as Gothic 3. Once you put some glory points and gold in your abilities the game gets a lot better. This is a PB game afterall, anyone who expects to kill 5 enemies with one flashy attack is better off playing Kingdoms of Amalur. The graphics are okay; character models look pretty bad and the animations are terrible, but the enviorments are beautiful and it's a great pleasure to explore, unlike Skyrim where everything is gray and brown. People are really unfair to this game, it may not be great( even compared to newer titles like The Witcher 2), but so far it's the best game I played this year..… Expand
  92. NoName0815
    May 7, 2012
    8
    At first i want to say, that Risen 2 makes fun. I'm happy with this game and it was a good investment.
    On the other hand i know about the negative aspects of it.
    The most important points: * Battles in this game are not user-friendly. Fights against normal monsters are a bit "strange". It can be -as it was in gothic 3- that a monster hits you a few times and you can't do anything. I don't    At first i want to say, that Risen 2 makes fun. I'm happy with this game and it was a good investment.
    On the other hand i know about the negative aspects of it.

    The most important points:
    * Battles in this game are not user-friendly. Fights against normal monsters are a bit "strange". It can be -as it was in gothic 3- that a monster hits you a few times and you can't do anything. I don't know why PB wanted this, but it is frustrating. On the other hand the fights against human enemys are tactical, funny and well to play. So the fighting system has two sides of the medal.
    But (!) after a few frustrating moments i learned and analysed the movement and the art of attacks of some enemys and there are some weak points to hit. Some are slow in rotation, other are blocking and you can go back to wait for them.. with a good timing and a good movement it is possible to "kick their asses" :-)
    Maybe this is because i like the game. It is a normale piranha bytes game. It hat charme - but also there are shadows in the gameplay and small problems you have to solute..
    * The graphics: I didn't got any technical problems. The game was running nice and never crashed. But there are a few graphic bugs, e.g. morphing and scaling vegetation. Also there are a few script problems; possible combinations from quests are in the game, so that solutions are not more available. I only had one problem of this kind. But a simple console command fixed it. I guess, that the developers will fix it soon..
    * Now a really positive aspect: The world is really wonderful. It is a good builded world with secrets at every corner. It feels "real". The story is not something new, but nicely enought that i want to finish it.
    I played about 35 h and didn't finished all quests and i know from a fan forum, that i missed a few things. So i will start a new round with risen next weekend :-)
    * The new character system is good. You get Exp for quests and killing monsters or punshing people and you can access skill-points in 5 main attributes. For money and with the needed attributes you can learn skills at teachers. But everything is very expensive so that the beginning is hard and you need to proof if you really need a special skill.

    Combining these all facts Risen 2 was -for me- funnier als Risen 1. It is a new setting, a new character skilling setting, a wonderful world with a few really cool characters and a /good/ story. In no point this game is perfect - really it isn't - BUT it's the combination which makes this game alive.    … Expand
  93. 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.
  94. admad
    May 6, 2012
    10
    I'm giving 10, only because it's highly underrated. It may not be the best, but it doesn't deserve such a low score. I would give it around 7-8. I finished this game in almost 30 hours, it's a time I really enjoyed. It has some flaws, like worse combat system than Risen 1. I was surprised how bad it is at the beginning, but with time, when You get "glory" and go for melee weapons, it'sI'm giving 10, only because it's highly underrated. It may not be the best, but it doesn't deserve such a low score. I would give it around 7-8. I finished this game in almost 30 hours, it's a time I really enjoyed. It has some flaws, like worse combat system than Risen 1. I was surprised how bad it is at the beginning, but with time, when You get "glory" and go for melee weapons, it's pretty good, only thing missing is dodge. The story ain't bad, and dialogues are mostly fun and pleasant. Great voice acting (Polish version). Also graphics are beautiful, I don't understand the hate towards it. I would recommend this game, it might be a bit discouraging at first, but it's getting better with time. Risen II really dragged me in, I couldn't stop playing, which is rare for me. Might be because I love PB games, Gothic, Gothic 2 Night Raven, Risen 1 and now Risen 2 joined the club.

    What I really didn't liked are boss fights(way too easy) especially final fight, that was a real disappointment, I imagined it to be longer and harder. Anyway I'm now waiting for Risen 3 ;)    … Expand
  95. rov
    May 6, 2012
    10
    This game deserves more credit. It seems as though everything is about graphics and combat these days. What Risen 2 manages to achieve is a much greater good: immersion and proper character development.
  96. schiller
    May 6, 2012
    5
    This is a game that I really wanted to love because there aren't many pirate RPGs out there and I love RPGs, I love pirates, and I love most of PB's previous work. All the premises were there, damn it!
    PROS: The story blends nicely into the theme , so does the humour and insulting part of the dialogue lines. The exploration/wealth/reward balance is very good, I'm always looking forward to    This is a game that I really wanted to love because there aren't many pirate RPGs out there and I love RPGs, I love pirates, and I love most of PB's previous work. All the premises were there, damn it!
    PROS: The story blends nicely into the theme , so does the humour and insulting part of the dialogue lines. The exploration/wealth/reward balance is very good, I'm always looking forward to the next cave to see what great challenge may guard an epic item. The music is not very piratey at its core but it does sound quite PB'ish, so the new composer has done well. The character development is a free model and you have to work hard for those points and money, so you will feel well the progression and the reward later. Not all the important characters are memorable like in the old Gothics, but I like a select few and did care about them. Last but not least the collector's edition package and content is a good bang for the buck.
    CONS: While I am aware that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, in this case I think the islands should have been larger. The sense of exploration and being lost in a huge lush jungle is very limited by the corridor topography. The distances between the points of interest are way too small. Compared to Gothic 3 this is quite frustrating, when you come from the world of Skyrim it's really annoying. The sword combat is quite a disappointment. The animations take your control away and make things harder in an unnatural way. The creatures stun you again (like Gothic3) which makes guns a must and I don't like that. I can't believe they still can't make a proper combat mechanic after all these years and so many games that share a lot of mechanics, one would think they have found a balance. Gothic 2 felt much better in this regard. Magic can't be fun with so small variation. The character models and animations are so bad that they sometimes prevent me from taking the game seriously in the most inappropriate moments. The insular and pirate theme is not developed enough. The atmosphere is there if youâ    … Expand
  97. 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.
  98. Bregevgen2
    May 5, 2012
    9
    Don't understand why gamers can't accept Risen 2. You can complain on curve animation, bad direction and low face models. But I ask you: does it stir you to play and enjoy the game? Do you consider fightings too incovenient ? Buy gamepad and calm down! You have giant intresting world to discover, unique role system, bright humour and intresting characters. It was enough to me. IDon't understand why gamers can't accept Risen 2. You can complain on curve animation, bad direction and low face models. But I ask you: does it stir you to play and enjoy the game? Do you consider fightings too incovenient ? Buy gamepad and calm down! You have giant intresting world to discover, unique role system, bright humour and intresting characters. It was enough to me. I pre-purchased game, ended it for 45 hours and didn't ever regret. All recomendations. Expect for Risen 3.… Expand
  99. 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
  100. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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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