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. EmperorZorn
    May 1, 2012
    10
    I don't understand who wrote the low scores and why.

    This game is an excellent RPG and it's even bringing a fresh setting to the genre.
    I strongly recommend any fan of RPGs to ignore the scores and to try it out, otherwise you might miss out on one of the better RPGs we get this year.
  2. 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.
  3. ErdnussEnte
    Apr 28, 2012
    10
    Not as good as the first one or Gothic 1+2 but still an amazing game with a big world to be discovered. This game deserves a way higher score to be honest.
  4. Nemeczek
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    If you are a big fan of Piranha Bytes work, rate as 10. If you are not - rate 4-5. Why? This is Gothic successor. Old fashioned action RPG which generates a lot of fun and stress equally. Animations are crude, fighting system difficult and not so modern.... But that is not a game for "casual gamers" - You have to be hard and patient. If You will go to the wrong place, like na forest - theIf you are a big fan of Piranha Bytes work, rate as 10. If you are not - rate 4-5. Why? This is Gothic successor. Old fashioned action RPG which generates a lot of fun and stress equally. Animations are crude, fighting system difficult and not so modern.... But that is not a game for "casual gamers" - You have to be hard and patient. If You will go to the wrong place, like na forest - the wolves will kill You without mercy.
    This is Gothic style - NO MERCY.    … Expand
  5. 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.
  6. kozzy420
    May 1, 2012
    10
    Fantastic rpg with a great gameworld, fantastic characters, fun exploration and epic music.

    There are some issues like the graphics bugs and the animations are pretty average but everything else is good imo! This is more PB magic, if you liked Gothic2 or Risen1 I think youll enjoy Risen2! The combat seems boring at first but as you train more moves by trainers it really gets to be good    Fantastic rpg with a great gameworld, fantastic characters, fun exploration and epic music.

    There are some issues like the graphics bugs and the animations are pretty average but everything else is good imo!

    This is more PB magic, if you liked Gothic2 or Risen1 I think youll enjoy Risen2! The combat seems boring at first but as you train more moves by trainers it really gets to be good fun! The game also has great atmosphere, nice graphics and is a ton of fun to play.

    In a day and age when rpg devs are dumbing everything down, Risen2 is a breath of fresh air! This is the best PB game since Gothic2 imo! If you enjoy PB games give this one a try! Its a true rolepalying game and better then the last few rpgs I bought such as Reckoning, ME3 and Skyrim.

    This game does NOT hold your hand and the first few hours are very tough, but if you can keep at it you will be treated to one of the best rpgs in recent years (To me its best rpg since Witcher2).

    Not perfect, but whats here is a flawed Gem that every rpg fan that has an open mind should try!!! PB Has done it again! Another classic!    … Expand
  7. jl78
    May 3, 2012
    10
    Ok, who keeps spamming 0 score to games they hate ?
    Grow up, if you don't like it 1 vote is enough.
    Someone with dozens of accounts is spamming the 0 score here; 120 negative 15min ago, now 130? right...
    This is one of the reasons that metascores don't work and can't be trusted.
  8. VitaminK
    Apr 27, 2012
    10
    Loved the first one, the second in the series take away the steep learning curve that the first had but is still just as fun. People are giving it a bad score because of animation or fps problems? Are you serious?! Huge environment to explore and good storyline along with a fun combat system that mixes things up.
  9. and93hil
    Apr 24, 2012
    10
    I have not yet played very much of it. But its fantastic so far. Controls are great and so are the graphics. So far the gameplay was great. I would definitely recommend it.
  10. rpg_fan
    Apr 24, 2012
    10
    A great rpg. so far the games seems quite fun. Character animations are sometimes a bit weird, but overall its a game i enjoy. Graphics are good as well. The world is large and fun to explore.
  11. lester1990
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    This is a great rpg, a worthy successor of series. The combact system is in the style of the pirahna bytes. Graphics are good as well. The story is interesting and very charming
  12. Milb3
    Apr 27, 2012
    10
    Great atmosphere, good charakters, brilliant dialogues and quests. Better than Risen and a wonderfull RPG with some weak points like animations, KI, graphics.
  13. afIks
    Apr 28, 2012
    10
    I now will flow **** but I think that Bethesda went on a bad way to simplify everything. A Risen 2 - Dark Water, and vice versa did not think made â
  14. 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
  15. ninnisinni
    Apr 30, 2012
    10
    The 4.6 average score for this game is way exaggerated! I have to say, this is a great game, and except for the whole pirate theme, it's not even that big a difference from Risen 1 (and I mean that in a good way). Sorta better graphics than the first one, with lush jungle islands. I really think they have nailed the exploration part once again, and it follows Risen 1:s system prettyThe 4.6 average score for this game is way exaggerated! I have to say, this is a great game, and except for the whole pirate theme, it's not even that big a difference from Risen 1 (and I mean that in a good way). Sorta better graphics than the first one, with lush jungle islands. I really think they have nailed the exploration part once again, and it follows Risen 1:s system pretty closely. That means a smaller piece of land which is wide open for you to explore... that is, if you are up to whatever kind of monsters are inhabiting that particular area. Some graphics issues exist (wouldn't be a Piranha Bytes game otherwise), such as some foliage popping in in the distance from time to time, and the conversational animations are a bit on the stiff side.
    All that aside, in my opinion, Risen 2 is a great middle-budget, smaller scale alternative for anyone who's tired of Skyrim. So don't let the bombed user scores fool you!    … Expand
  16. dr0pi
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Yesterday I finished Risen 2 after 32 hours.

    In contrast to many review I enjoyed Risen 2 much more than Risen. IMO the pirate setting had a refreshing effect. The story in Risen was good until chapter 3 (IIRC), where it just got to "fast". In Risen 2 the storyline is consistently interesting and the different islands keep this up. The fighting system is weak at the beginning due to    Yesterday I finished Risen 2 after 32 hours.

    In contrast to many review I enjoyed Risen 2 much more than Risen. IMO the pirate setting had a refreshing effect. The story in Risen was good until chapter 3 (IIRC), where it just got to "fast". In Risen 2 the storyline is consistently interesting and the different islands keep this up. The fighting system is weak at the beginning due to the lack of skills. I played w/o the use of muskets and found myself struggling with enemies around hour 18, when not using skills like "kick" or "counter attack". So for me this is not a button masher, even against monsters you need to keep moving or kicking them away to be able to beat them.

    The story might be forced, but which PB game did not have several story-lines, that merged (more or less) together at the end?

    What I DISLIKED was the difficulty / balancing. The boss battles where no challenge at all, but one Island was damn hard in contrast to that.
    What I miss in Risen 2 is the possibility to keep on solving Quest / looting Treasures after beating the
    storyline. This was possible in Skyrim (but also necessary because the mainquest there only longs for mere 8-10 Hours...).

    My conclusion is simple: If you want a pirate game, play Risen 2. If you want a game you are able to beat in rational time play Risen 2.
    If you want a game not a non-sterile RPG play Risen 2.
    If you want the best graphics, don't want a "new" setting, need an very large open world RPG w/o a interesting story to pursue, ..., go play Skyrim.    … Expand
  17. olehastr
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Great game.Great story; great gameplay; exceptional graphics...I don't understand who wrote the low scores and why.....Awesome game.Its more hardcore than some RPG's.
  18. Schlepphoden
    May 2, 2012
    10
    For me the best Action RPG since Gothic 2 Night of the Raven and I played all of them.

    Quiet some Bugs that will get patched for sure, but the game has an amazing atmosphere, world design and dialogues.
  19. fedeplay3
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Un ennesimo capolavoro dei phirana bytes. la grafica è ottima, i dialoghi sono sempre molto divertenti (come in stile pb), l'ambientazione piratesca è veramente ben riuscita! vi dico una cosa sola... giocatelo!
  20. Gadarol
    May 2, 2012
    10
    This game is an outstanding example of why content is always more important thant technical details. Risen 2 ist the best Piranha Bytes Game since Gothic 2. If you are into good role playing games with just awesome designed worlds, Islands in this case, this is the game for you. Hundreds of hand crafted Quests, not generic or automated as with the so called "blockbusters".
    Of course there    This game is an outstanding example of why content is always more important thant technical details. Risen 2 ist the best Piranha Bytes Game since Gothic 2. If you are into good role playing games with just awesome designed worlds, Islands in this case, this is the game for you. Hundreds of hand crafted Quests, not generic or automated as with the so called "blockbusters".
    Of course there are some downsindes, for example the fighting system, which does not appeal to the gamer today. This however is not the core element of the game. Lots of detailed story elements, side storoes, lots of hidden places, beautiful landscapes and errrrr pirates with humor in the right places: This game is a worthy new game keeping up Piranha Bytes outstanding knowladge of creating "good old roleplaying games". The are some issues with the graphics / engine, those can be resolved by editing the config file. The game made me enjoy every 40 hours I spent in it up to know, and I am still realy sure I have not seen all the places and details hidden somewhere. Going to play it a second time now, and I certainly do not regret the purchase. So if you are OK with a somewhat dumbed down fighting and skill system to appeal todays audience but are also into good old roleplaying games, where all the love and details is more important to you than stupid fighting this for sure is the game for you!    … Expand
  21. 30cmOfLuck
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Risen 2 is a nice game, with catching storyline, nice atmosphere, a big world to explore.
    Well done cutscenes, as usualy lot's of interresting "pirnaha style" quests: beat the crap out of a guy, who doesn't let you through, distract a guardian with a whore, explore dangerous dungeons and temples for treasures. Good looking graphics, very well done human and monsters, sexy looking black    Risen 2 is a nice game, with catching storyline, nice atmosphere, a big world to explore.
    Well done cutscenes, as usualy lot's of interresting "pirnaha style" quests: beat the crap out of a guy, who doesn't let you through, distract a guardian with a whore, explore dangerous dungeons and temples for treasures. Good looking graphics, very well done human and monsters, sexy looking black woman :p All together is a really enjoyable game, which deserves a good note

    Guys who rate this game with 1-5, seems to have some private problems.    … Expand
  22. FaMy
    May 2, 2012
    10
    In my opinion Risen 2 is a great game. Sure there are weak points like the combat system: You have just to left-click against animals, because there is no option to block or evade their attacks (against human enemies you can block and even counterattack). Moreover the story is not the most exciting. However, on the other hand, there is a lot of good stuff that makes you enjoying the game.In my opinion Risen 2 is a great game. Sure there are weak points like the combat system: You have just to left-click against animals, because there is no option to block or evade their attacks (against human enemies you can block and even counterattack). Moreover the story is not the most exciting. However, on the other hand, there is a lot of good stuff that makes you enjoying the game. The atmosphere of the world is awesome, it´s so much fun to explore the area (even it´s all "jungle isle"-setting). For example there is lots of different monsters to fight and many chests to open. In addition i think the characters (everyone is unique) and dialogues are brilliant, i really love the humour (Jaffar is such a funny figure!).
    It took me about 35 hours to complete the game and i can assure you every second was well spent. :)    … Expand
  23. Halba
    May 2, 2012
    10
    This game is awesome, not perfect but awesome. I cant understand all of this Hater-votes. 4.5 is a silly joke for a game like this. Since G1+2 the best game from PB.
  24. Fuligin
    May 3, 2012
    10
    World:
    Risen 2 has a beautiful world, epecially the twisted landscape and the jungle feeling is 100%. Awesome waterfalls, dark crystal caves, carribean ocean feeling, rivers everywhere. More hidden stuff to find whilst wandering about would be nice, but it's still there. You can still climb! I like exploring but I never noticed that climbing only works at certain points, because of the    World:
    Risen 2 has a beautiful world, epecially the twisted landscape and the jungle feeling is 100%. Awesome waterfalls, dark crystal caves, carribean ocean feeling, rivers everywhere. More hidden stuff to find whilst wandering about would be nice, but it's still there. You can still climb! I like exploring but I never noticed that climbing only works at certain points, because of the world design. To Swim isn't possible but thats ok with me as long as I can walk through rivers etc.
    Characters and Mobs:
    Funny dialogues, animation is sometimes over the top but you get used to it and its still better than Skyrim's imho. You start to like most Characters pretty fast. There are easy, medium and hard to get kill mobs. They're placed intelligently and so motivate to check out the next corner or cave ot whatever.
    Story:
    Not as good as The Witcher, but better than most RPGs. You meet old companions from Risen 1 and some other surprises but its not like MassEffect which practically knocks you out with cutscene after cutscene(I like ME).
    Combat:
    Easy to learn, hard to master. If you dont want to loose health, you need strategy. Muskets and pistols are really fun. Especially when they fly all over the place after you shoot em. Haven't tried vodoo yet. Quests:
    Often similar get me this and that Quests. But still always other Quests to do, so combinig both sorts works really well.

    8/10 Points, but because so many ppl voted BEFORE THE GAME WAS OUT, I give 10. Only the buggy 1-2 hour beta was out at that time.    … Expand
  25. barmaley73
    May 4, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A great rpg. so far the games seems quite fun. Character animations are sometimes a bit weird, but overall its a game i enjoy. Graphics are good as well. The world is large and fun to explore.… Expand
  26. Jack_Staynes
    May 4, 2012
    10
    I can't believe these rubbish review. I loved Risen and was excited about Risen 2. Didn't want to pay the £40 from steam for it though so I bought it from coolshop for £24, found it a F***ING bargain. Myabe it doesn't deserve a 10, but it sure as hell doesn't deserve a 4.5. The game might not be as open as Skyrim, but what games are these days. And to be honestI can't believe these rubbish review. I loved Risen and was excited about Risen 2. Didn't want to pay the £40 from steam for it though so I bought it from coolshop for £24, found it a F***ING bargain. Myabe it doesn't deserve a 10, but it sure as hell doesn't deserve a 4.5. The game might not be as open as Skyrim, but what games are these days. And to be honest while I loved Skyrim... there wasn't much to look at was there? RISEN 2 is fun to play and has tons to offer for an explorer. Shooting someone in the face with a pistol never gets old for me. 40 hours into it and still having fun. I had to make an account to leave a review, because this game is getting a raw deal for no good reason at all. Find it anywhere for £25 and it's more than worth it.… Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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!
  29. 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
  30. 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.
  31. 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
  32. 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....
  33. 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
  34. Vladimirus
    Jul 24, 2013
    10
    Wonderful game!
  35. 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
  36. 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
  37. 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
  38. 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
  39. 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!
  40. 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
  41. 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
  42. nirvycn
    Apr 24, 2012
    9
    It's Risen 1 minus the bugs and hitches. Graphics look suprisingly excellent, the game is very long, a good 50 hours here to play though at least. Its more hardcore than some RPG's. Pleasently suprised. worth a buy!
  43. 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.
  44. Dawn
    Apr 29, 2012
    9
    Yes the game is not perfect but Sorry guys ... some metacritic users are very strange... I play the game and I see some comments here that are abosotely not true. Sometimes I have the feeling that metacritic users are only happy if they can bash a game. Nice hobby, I have better things to do in my life! Risen 2 is good as Risen 1 with some cool character development, better cutscenes,Yes the game is not perfect but Sorry guys ... some metacritic users are very strange... I play the game and I see some comments here that are abosotely not true. Sometimes I have the feeling that metacritic users are only happy if they can bash a game. Nice hobby, I have better things to do in my life! Risen 2 is good as Risen 1 with some cool character development, better cutscenes, nice quests with cool dialogues and a very nice environment. The battle system is fun. I dont even understand the comments here. Someone said he cant avoid a spear attack...man, that is so easy if you hold the right mouse button and go left / right. That is only one example about those evil red reviews here. ;)
    So if you are a fan of PB games, buy it. I have more fun than in Risen 1.    … Expand
  45. XenonLightz
    May 2, 2012
    9
    I don't understand why so many people rate this game negative. I like everything at it. Ok, to be honest, the new combat system is not as good as the one from risen 1, but risen 2 is an excellent game for which the developers get recognition by myself. The RPG aspects are all fully in this game, the graphics are really good again, a small performance leak, but that is okay, the charactersI don't understand why so many people rate this game negative. I like everything at it. Ok, to be honest, the new combat system is not as good as the one from risen 1, but risen 2 is an excellent game for which the developers get recognition by myself. The RPG aspects are all fully in this game, the graphics are really good again, a small performance leak, but that is okay, the characters have great animations, the sound is good, some great lip-synced speeches and much more... Good work, piranha bytes!… Expand
  46. amdfreak
    Apr 29, 2012
    9
    Risen is certainly not a perfect game. It isn't anywhere near perfect. But one thing is sure : it is a great RPG with a great setting. Let me explain. The story is very linear at the beginning, but never boring, and still lets you explore islands as you would have done it in Risen. Then, it becomes more and more interesting as you have to choose your faction, command your own ship etc.Risen is certainly not a perfect game. It isn't anywhere near perfect. But one thing is sure : it is a great RPG with a great setting. Let me explain. The story is very linear at the beginning, but never boring, and still lets you explore islands as you would have done it in Risen. Then, it becomes more and more interesting as you have to choose your faction, command your own ship etc. After a few hours, you discover a deep story and complex character interactions, with lots of interesting side quests and important decisions to take.
    The graphics are so-so : while what one would actually call "graphics quality", which means lighting, texture quality, character design is great, the animations are a whole load of crap, and vegetation textures plop in next to you and change size very strangely. Gameplay isn't Risen 2's best side, as the combat system has been simplified since the first Risen, and Auto-Lock during combats isn't helpful at all. However, the skill system has been improved in a significant way, since there are no levels any more, but you get skill points every time you complete a quest or kill an enemy. This lets you level up your skills when you want, given the fact you have enough points. Moreover, you can learn a lot of interesting abilities like dirty tricks or voodoo magic.
    So why would I give this game a 9/10 ? Because the setting is great, the character interactions/dialogues are funny and authentic, and the overall atmosphere is just awesome. As I already said, the lighting/weather system is amazing, and perfectly recreates the pirate setting Piranha Bytes chose for this game. When I look back at what I just played, I think of a brilliant RPG I will certainly play again, even if it has some flaws.    … Expand
  47. renejr902
    Apr 30, 2012
    9
    i still dont understand the 4.5 user score. i played 15 hours until now. and i played Risen 1 to the end in 40h last year.

    Risen 2 is not as good at Risen 1. But its still a excellent game. I managed to convert my Beta savegame to continue it with the full game. until now a 8.5 out of 10. No less. The last 4 hours that played on the second island showed me a lot of depth. Although    i still dont understand the 4.5 user score. i played 15 hours until now. and i played Risen 1 to the end in 40h last year.

    Risen 2 is not as good at Risen 1. But its still a excellent game.

    I managed to convert my Beta savegame to continue it with the full game. until now a 8.5 out of 10. No less. The last 4 hours that played on the second island showed me a lot of depth. Although Risen 2 is a game a lot worse than the first Risen (because He was a masterpiece like 9.5 for me)
    still Risen 2 in my opinion is one of the best rpg that i played so far. and i played liek 200 rpg. there a few web sites that gave between 8 and 8.5 on 10. below 8 i disagree. There a lot of quests to do, really a lot. A lot of side-quests has to be mandatory, but it can be done in oany order. Some side quests will unlock the main quest. so you have to do them. There are several way to complete a mission, several ways. The story is quite complex on the second island. and thats full of suspense. There many things we want to know. who are really the Crow gang? Is that Crow a good guy. how to do to talk to him. are the primitive people really free. or the Crow gang force them to work for their own goal.

    The concept looks like Risen. This is the depth of the caves, the magic system, Item, the general structure which is worse than Risen1. Although the story, characters and suspense are beginning to be interesting on the second island, it remains that its superior in Risen 1. BUT NOTHING CANT CHANGE THAT RISEN 2 is a excellent game. graphics, especially on the second island, ARE amazing and I play graphic at medium. Probably the most beautiful tropical style graphics that i have never seen. they are working very hard to make the second island graphically great. The battles are less interesting than Risen1. and its unfortunately less tactical and a lot easier.

    if you like Risen 1 or want to play a great complex rpg game, Risen 2 is a excellent choice

    SORRY I KNOW MY ENGLISH IS NOT GREAT AT ALL ! sorry !    … Expand
  48. apoc_reg
    May 1, 2012
    9
    This is a fantastic game.

    PB are a great developer and in Risen 2 they have captured the feel of their Gothics and Risen 1. Risen 1 was great but had too few populated areas and was unbalanced in terms of how the content was spread. Risen 2 addresses both of these flaws and adds pirates!!! The only step backwards is the melee combat has been dumbed down, I hope they patch that!    This is a fantastic game.

    PB are a great developer and in Risen 2 they have captured the feel of their Gothics and Risen 1.

    Risen 1 was great but had too few populated areas and was unbalanced in terms of how the content was spread. Risen 2 addresses both of these flaws and adds pirates!!!

    The only step backwards is the melee combat has been dumbed down, I hope they patch that!

    highly recommended for amazing atmosphere, enviroments, good fun story and general adventure!    … Expand
  49. Kulinkwatz
    May 2, 2012
    9
    Risen 2 is a really good game which is in the style of the previous products of Piranha Bytes. It has some flaws like a mediocre combat systems(at least at the beginning) and some graphical glitches you can solve with some ini tweaks. However: the story, exploration, dialogues and and atmosphere is as good as every piranha-game. Since this part is much more important for me i just love it.Risen 2 is a really good game which is in the style of the previous products of Piranha Bytes. It has some flaws like a mediocre combat systems(at least at the beginning) and some graphical glitches you can solve with some ini tweaks. However: the story, exploration, dialogues and and atmosphere is as good as every piranha-game. Since this part is much more important for me i just love it. Don't believe all the hatred in this zero-score reviews. Most of them are pre-release reviews of disappointed core-gamers who didn't get a exact copy of the old Piranha Bytes games. It seems like many of them haven't even played the game. PB tried something new with their fresh interface and new combat system. Its not that perfect, but the game is not only about a good combat system and not having drinking animations for potions(some of this guys are really refusing to play the game in cause of this). Its about things like story, exploration, interesting characters and good and often funny dialogues.… Expand
  50. grinder
    May 1, 2012
    9
    This game does not deserve the negative reviews it currently gets, The unreviewed votes, I understand because DLC and Steam do bother people greatly, and I can relate to this.
    But comparing this game to Arcania (and this is the only time I will ever mention this... thing) is beyond ridiculous.
    Accusations like "freedom of movement and open world rewards. This game feels CRAMPED and    This game does not deserve the negative reviews it currently gets, The unreviewed votes, I understand because DLC and Steam do bother people greatly, and I can relate to this.
    But comparing this game to Arcania (and this is the only time I will ever mention this... thing) is beyond ridiculous.
    Accusations like "freedom of movement and open world rewards. This game feels CRAMPED and linear!" are simply lies.
    Each island gives you complete freedom of movement, and as soon as you get your ship, you can decide which island (part of the story) to go to next.
    Because of the latter, It is LESS linear than Gothic 1 or 2 hands down.
    I am a die hard Gothic fan. I love Gothic 1 and 2 and the glorious addon that was Night of the Raven, and let me tell you, after Gothic 3, which was far more than PB could chew, and Risen 1, which was albeit solid (on PC) was somewhat lacking that "little extra", Risen 2 feels like finally coming home to me.
    Perhaps there is no bigger compliment I could hand out to this game, but it is truth. I LOVE it.

    The little changes they made to gameplay (looting in a seperate window, instant drinking of potions and a few others of this calibre) are very minor when compared to the perfect balance of freedom and linearity, exploring and adventuring, atmosphere and challenge, that I missed for so long.
    The dialogue, the exploration, the atmosphere, all of this is just like back in the day, when I first played Gothic 2 (Gothic 1 was slightly different, more claustrophobic, a little more action adventury).

    Technically there are some issues. Shadows and object visibility (view distance settings) can get reaally whacky, but both issues are easily fixable with ingame settings and a few changes to the config.
    The combat system against creatures (against humans it's great) is source of much criticism as well, because you can't dodge or block and I partly agree.
    In the beginning you will die often, in pure melee against animals as all you can do is hope you kill them faster than they kill you.
    However the game allows for a great variety of options to avoid direct melee against creatures. Be it companions that tank for you, dirty tricks that stagger and blind opponents, Voodoo magic or simply a good, solid musket.
    Then there is the slightly outdated engine (still capable of breathtaking scenery), and other little things you just know you'll get with a PB game.

    Conclusion:
    If you liked Gothic 1 and 2 and want more of that stuff, Risen 2 is the next best thing. Do not let the different setting confuse you.
    If not, give it a pass. The rough edges and the little flaws that inherit every PB game are still there, so I doubt Risen 2 will change your mind, when you never liked their games.    … Expand
  51. Vazoth
    May 2, 2012
    9
    I really enjoyed playing this game, although I was worried about many of the simplifications, which were added since Risen 1. However, having played the whole game, the quite simple fighting system (although it's still better than I expected), the little variety of armors and the disappointing content of some chests is everything, which remains a bit unpleasant. In contrast to it you haveI really enjoyed playing this game, although I was worried about many of the simplifications, which were added since Risen 1. However, having played the whole game, the quite simple fighting system (although it's still better than I expected), the little variety of armors and the disappointing content of some chests is everything, which remains a bit unpleasant. In contrast to it you have the wonderful setting, interesting and funny dialogues and a unique atmosphere, which you enjoy throughout the whole game.… Expand
  52. Valefor69
    May 4, 2012
    9
    This is a bold move away from the first game which some will love and some with hate, I'll get the negatives out the way first - the combat system is stripped back in favour of a fairly one dimension system which at times is easy yet other times unforgiving and the universe feels a lot more restricted than risen 1. However the pirate's life aspect of the story breaths new life into theThis is a bold move away from the first game which some will love and some with hate, I'll get the negatives out the way first - the combat system is stripped back in favour of a fairly one dimension system which at times is easy yet other times unforgiving and the universe feels a lot more restricted than risen 1. However the pirate's life aspect of the story breaths new life into the series which ran the risk of being compared to other games such as a stale version of Gothic series and Elder Scrolls. The character traits of those you meet have you laughing out loud at times and the skill advancement system is quite robust and comprehensive and graphically it's fairly good compared ot others out there. All in all I had a blast playing it and would recommend it to anyone,… Expand
  53. 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
  54. 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
  55. 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".
  56. 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.
  57. 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
  58. 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.
  59. 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
  60. 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
  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. 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
  64. 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.
  65. 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
  66. 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
  67. giskard
    May 4, 2012
    8
    Risen 1 had that cheesy feel about it but turned out to be a very good game, Risen 2 is an improvement over Risen 1 in most ways. The best way to describe it "Pirates of the Caribbean" in RPG format. Combat is the worst part of the game, it has that Assassins creed/Batman/Witcher 2 close your eyes and left click issue, not very good but that is the worst part of the game. The rest getsRisen 1 had that cheesy feel about it but turned out to be a very good game, Risen 2 is an improvement over Risen 1 in most ways. The best way to describe it "Pirates of the Caribbean" in RPG format. Combat is the worst part of the game, it has that Assassins creed/Batman/Witcher 2 close your eyes and left click issue, not very good but that is the worst part of the game. The rest gets better and better with each new island you sail to (which is a kind of cut scene based fast travel affair). At many points you have to make a choice that affects the rest of the game, the first choice is to help the natives or the Inquisition, which opens or closes various options in the game. Adding reply value to the game in the process. Spears thrown at you can be dodged by simply moving out of the way despite what somebody said in their review. But the secondary weapon, a pistol which you can shoot whilst fencing can also be used against you when fighting pirates which makes some fights more interesting than others thanks to this second attack. The NPCs are all unique, there are many laughs to be had in this game. Jaffar the Gnome has to be my favorite followed by the Native Chani and then Patty. I played the game for about 35 hours in the first play through but missed some quests, so it is over the 30 hour mark easily. The Story is interesting with many good settings for quest locations. There is an issue with distant items popping in to existence at close range making it hard to ignore, but I suspect this is to allow the game to work right on the consoles which might otherwise struggle to run this game if full detail was visible at greater distance. The islands and towns look great and the native villages feel authentic. Very nicely done actually. You can run this game in 2048x1152 with max detail on a 5 year old PC without issues. But it might be better if we had an option to increase the level of detail at a distance on the PC version in order to reduce the pop in effect. Much of what i have read from the low scores on Metacritics seems to come from people who have not actually finished the game yet or gotten past the first 2 islands. The only real issues in this rock solid stable game that I could see is the combat which is horrible and the pop in effect. Other than that, the game is great, hard to put down once you get going. I hope to see Jaffar again in Risen 3, he was so funny. As was patty :) Most peoples biggest gripe is the game costs £40. I have a value for money test which I apply to games that is a games value can be measured by the hours spent playing it. My test is £1 per how. This game lasted me 34 hours so its true value is £34 not £40. But since I enjoyed it and am likely to play it again, it may go to 70 hours next time making £40 look pretty good value for money. A great game, heartily recommend it.… Expand
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. RoninX
    May 1, 2012
    8
    I have read through a couple of reviews here at metacritic and I have a hard time agreeing. I can accept if folks have technical issues with the game and are mad about it, it's understandable. But giving a bad score because of that I believe is not a fair review of the game itself. I have given Risen 2 an 8 out of 10 and I have played the game almost to the end and hopefully can give thoseI have read through a couple of reviews here at metacritic and I have a hard time agreeing. I can accept if folks have technical issues with the game and are mad about it, it's understandable. But giving a bad score because of that I believe is not a fair review of the game itself. I have given Risen 2 an 8 out of 10 and I have played the game almost to the end and hopefully can give those undecided a better review than just ranting over several paragraphs on how they suffer with the display or graphics. I for one have no such issues and the game looks wonderful. Although the start is somewhat bumpy and the player is thrown into the game without much explanation, Risen 2 turns out to be one of my current favorite RPG. The game does not have the well rounded professionalism and polish of Skyrim and I would not expect it with a much lover budget. The character movements are somewhat choppy; however, Risen 2 makes it up with witty conversations and a unique gameplay. The game really starts to shine once the world opens to the player, as the beginning is fairly linear. And I can see that a lot of reviewers haven't even played long enough to appricate the mid to late game openess. Once you have your crew and ship the fun really starts. What I really like about Risen 2 is the unique combat. It's tough, especially in the beginning and I prefer it over Skyrim, as it is much more rewarding. You really have to make a fight and it's often a tactical blade dance. NPC and monsters are not leveled with the character, wich means you will run across critters that you won't be able to beat right from the start and for many of them you have to make a serious effort to beat. Winning a battle in Risen 2 can be very satisfactory or if you do not want to leave the tough once for later, it can be frustrating. I also like how the 'Thief' talents are developed. Having a pet monkey and steering it yourself to get through windows, roof openings or small wall wholes in order to sneak into houses, ruins or temples to get to treasures you otherwise would not be able to, is a fun addition. Same counts for the parrot, (which should not be missed in a good pirate game) which is responsible for distracting your prey. I also like that you seriously have to develop the 'cunning' path before you can open the hard treasure chests. It is much more rewarding than in Skyrim, where one, with a bit of patience, can already open a 'Expert' or 'Master' chest right at start of game.

    Although Risen 2 environment is not as stuning as Skyrim's and it has some restriction on displaying further away objects (for me however it is not as bad as some of the descriptions here), it still has it's unique and breathtaking moments. My favorite so far was taking a walk though the jungle of Antigua just before sun set, when the sun rays are breaking the tree canopies. The light and shadow effects are amazing and is something I have not yet seen in any other game.

    So far I only tried the sword, pistol and musket playstyles and as far as I can see, the most fun and tactical play is the combined sword with pistol style. Musket gets a bit repetitive and too easy in the end game, while sword and pistol is a much more tactical and diverse style. The Vooodoo path I have not yet taken, but I read it is not as greatly developed, though I will not pass judgement here before I have not played it myself.

    All in all, Risen 2 is in my opinion a worthy successor of the original Risen and by far batter as the last attempt of the Gothic series. It is a good alternative to Skyrim for those who like a bit more challenge and of course a Pirate theme!    … Expand
  71. 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
  72. 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
  73. Gracek
    Apr 28, 2012
    8
    In my opinion it is good & beautiful mature RPG. If you played Risen and you liked it I hope You will like Risen 2. Spirit of Gothic and more than 40h of gameplay.
  74. AntoxaBes
    Apr 29, 2012
    8
    Risen 2 regular game for Piranha Bytes, in the best tradition of Gothic.I am encouraged by the progress in terms of firearms, albeit in small steps. The play of light and shadow is great! Those who love the series will not be disappointed, others pass by.
  75. 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
  76. 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
  77. 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
  78. 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.
  79. 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
  80. 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
  81. Allions
    May 4, 2012
    7
    Average game. No more, no less! Nice graphics when looking in distance and in some situations... but absolutely no "polish" work by the devlopers (when the character "climbs" something, half the time it "disappear" in the texture). Bad voice acting and an average story (not very original plot). Really, really annoying fighting system! In the game beginning at normal difficulty it was veryAverage game. No more, no less! Nice graphics when looking in distance and in some situations... but absolutely no "polish" work by the devlopers (when the character "climbs" something, half the time it "disappear" in the texture). Bad voice acting and an average story (not very original plot). Really, really annoying fighting system! In the game beginning at normal difficulty it was very difficult to kill an opponent... to the end, everyone, also the bosses are too easy (due to the skill learned by the character)! Nice places and islands... but without things to do (just search treasures in 90% of the cases).
    The game could be a great game if the developers just spent 6 months more on it.... they released a average game for 25 hours of average game play (with launch "DLC"). Buy it when it drops down to 15-20â    … Expand
  82. 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
  83. moloh
    Apr 29, 2012
    7
    Very nice RPG. I did enjoy Risen and its second installment is also very good in my opinion. Pirate theme is very nice so far, and it is refreshing touch to the combat style. I do suffer from targeting issues, doing many pistol shots into nowhere, but this is not a major issue. I can definitely say that majority of Risen players should buy it and play. I must say that i am very surprisedVery nice RPG. I did enjoy Risen and its second installment is also very good in my opinion. Pirate theme is very nice so far, and it is refreshing touch to the combat style. I do suffer from targeting issues, doing many pistol shots into nowhere, but this is not a major issue. I can definitely say that majority of Risen players should buy it and play. I must say that i am very surprised about the amount of negative feedback from the player base.… Expand
  84. Novacius
    May 2, 2012
    7
    I used round about 31 hours to play this game and I can recommend it. It's neither a RPG-monster like Skyrim nor does it have all of the qualities the first Gothic games have, but it's still an unique and special experience. First it plays in a very well done pirate setting and secondly is has the same, special piranha bytes-atmosphere like their other games have got. Of course this gameI used round about 31 hours to play this game and I can recommend it. It's neither a RPG-monster like Skyrim nor does it have all of the qualities the first Gothic games have, but it's still an unique and special experience. First it plays in a very well done pirate setting and secondly is has the same, special piranha bytes-atmosphere like their other games have got. Of course this game isn't perfect. The graphics are good (environments, weather, vegetation, art design!), while characters, animations and so on are just solid, mimics and gestics rudimentary. Also there are some small graphic bugs, but nothing serious. Overall it looks very organic, stylish and atmospheric. The sounds are good, the music ist very good, although it was made by a new composer. The interface is very comfortable and game balance is good. The character system is good, but not as deep as in other games, the quest structures are very classic, but there aren't many special quests. The main plot has got some interesting twists and once it surprised me. Compared with Risen 1, the main plot is much better. The combat system against monsters isn't so good at all, because you're not able to block or dodge. Against humans you got the option to parry. But overall you're able to use some funny and useful dirty tricks. The items are well-distributed throughout the game and often very useful. Well, until now this review doesn't look so good, also by my bad english (sorry!) but I've to admit that Risen 2 has most of the good things of Piranha Bytes games like an handcrafted and living environment, the well structures game with quests, fighting and exploration, the unique atmosphere. If you liked Gothic 1-3 and/or Risen, then you'll also like Risen 2. It has weaknesses, but above all the known strengths and is definitely worth a try. So I think, the games doesn't deserves these low votes. Overall it's neither an uber-game, nor it's bad. It's a solid pirate-rpg, a wort-a-try for a cheaper price, but for fans of the piranha-bytes-games it's a must-buy.… Expand
  85. YelowDragon4
    May 2, 2012
    7
    PH probably interest at working on that new intro of her more than a game.Giving this game7 only because i like the RPG style of Piranha Bites
  86. 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
  87. 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
  88. 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
  89. 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...
  90. 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.
  91. 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".
  92. kolarz3
    May 19, 2023
    7
    Pretty nice continuation of the first game. It had a more pirate climate. I liked more risen 1 climate
  93. 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
  94. 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
  95. 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
  96. 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
  97. Fortysixter_UK
    Apr 27, 2012
    6
    SO, Risen 2 first impressions, having downloaded it from STEAM overnight.

    The engine, in my opinion, has some major issues ( Faults ). Objects "pop in" at very close range. Trees and bushes change shape dramatically as you approach them, and textures flicker constantly in the middle distance. This is very distracting. Character animation is very stiff, and when they speak, they seem    SO, Risen 2 first impressions, having downloaded it from STEAM overnight.

    The engine, in my opinion, has some major issues ( Faults ). Objects "pop in" at very close range.
    Trees and bushes change shape dramatically as you approach them, and textures flicker constantly in the middle distance.
    This is very distracting.
    Character animation is very stiff, and when they speak, they seem to flail their arms around to get what they are saying over to you, which is probably because there is virtually no lip syncing or indeed, lip movement. All the characters seem a little short and squat.
    I'm running the game at 2560 x 1440, I haven't tried any other resolutions. Maybe a lower res would stretch the characters out.

    The shadows cast by buildings and trees seem "twitchy", moving back and forth in an unrealistic manner on the floor.
    The running animation is very odd. When you run, your characters torso becomes a fixed point in 3d space and does not move
    and the arms and legs flap up and down in a very limited animation style. Overall, the engine is not great. The engine would not have been great 10 years ago. I assume the company made their own instead of buying a licence for the Unreal engine or some such.
    It shows.

    The animation style is very cartoon like on the game NPCs which clashed a little bit with what is otherwise, a very nice engine visually.
    Textures are clear and sharp, buildings well defined & designed.

    The voice acting steps things up considerably. The game has been localised , very well as far as I'm concerned, by an entirely UK English speaking cast.
    All accents are either London or Cornwall based. UK slang words have been worked into the game well and used in the correct contect.
    Most of the time.
    Swearing is present and prevalent and is quite funny to hear.

    The music is simply excellent, atmospheric and fitting to the environment, helping to set the mood well. It reminds me a little of the excellent music from Age of Conan, mainly the
    Tortage city themes.

    The mission structire so far appears to be the usual "fetch & bring back" type, or the "chicken & egg" conundrum, in that you have a final objective but simply can't get to it without meeting certain criteria in the first place, and those criteria, also have criteria to meet.
    Standard RPG fare there then, and this will likely make the game a solid single player RPG experience.

    Combat starts out with a basic parry / slash combo , and as you level up, your earn skill points and gold to spend with trainers to improve your skills or increase your arsenal of moves.
    Exactly the same as both Risen and Gothic 3.

    So for now, is it worth 40 quid of STEAM? ...well for a start don't buy it off STEAM unless you really have to, prior to purchase I looked to find a retail copy and could find none.
    SO I bought it on STEAM.
    The next day, a retail version is on AMAZON for £15.00 less !!!!

    ....Not to the casual RPG-er, but to anyone who has enjoyed the Gothic series, Two Worlds 1 or 2, Venetica, the original Risen, Dinity or Might & Magic 6 thru 9 this will be more of the same
    involving and fun gameplay.

    If you think western RPGs stop with Oblivion and Skyrim, don't bother. This game will require a fair about of forgiveness ( the engine is seriously lacking), but in the long run I think it will offer a lot of rewarding gameplay to the patient player. If you can , that is ,tolerate the heavy, HEAVY graphical issues, which I hope will not plague the console versions as it has the PC version .

    The game plays with mouse and keyboard OR the Xbox controller without issue.

    I'll be playing Risen 2 to the end.

    I think a score of 6/10 is fair.

    Now give us a patch to fix the graphics.    … Expand
  98. CityBuilder
    Apr 29, 2012
    6
    Not great, but not horrible either. However many technical issues stand in the way of fully immersing yourself into the game.

    For example... 1. Standing talking to an NPC character and your view is from the inside of your characters head and you see your characters lips, nose, eyes from the inside of your head. 2. Character cut scenes are absolutely horrible, character and NPC are stiff    Not great, but not horrible either. However many technical issues stand in the way of fully immersing yourself into the game.

    For example...
    1. Standing talking to an NPC character and your view is from the inside of your characters head and you see your characters lips, nose, eyes from the inside of your head.
    2. Character cut scenes are absolutely horrible, character and NPC are stiff as can be and talk about ugly! The character and NPC graphics didn't just get hit with the ugly stick, it took a walk through the entire Ugly Forest, and was beat on by every single Ugly tree.
    3. Clunky fight mechanics and extremely outdated. Might have barely passed for okay 10 or more years back but by today's standards, it's just awful.
    4. Quests are extremely boring and lack any real challenge.
    5. Graphic problems such as walking up to a tree or bush and the entire thing blows up to 5 times it's original size as when you first were able to see it. And it does it right before your very eyes.
    6. RPG-Lite? No! It's not even a lite RPG, there is no RP value in Risen 2 what-so-ever!
    7. Replay value: Absolutely none to speak of. Heck, you'll be lucky to simply make it through the game one time.
    8. Value: I really suggest avoiding it while it's at a ridiculous $50.00. If you can pick it up for under $20.00 then go for it, however you may still be disappointed by the many issues that plague the game.

    Now, on to the plus side...
    1. Barney! Which ever developer came up with the NPC gunsmith Barney should be commended, I haven't laughed that hard at NPC dialogue in years. It's only unfortunate that there wasn't more like it in the game.

    2. Environmentally pretty even though you are in an "island corridor" or on rails most of the time. Sure you can wander off but ultimately you are on a linear path, but other than graphic clipping, and trees that blow up 5x their size right in front of you, the environmental graphics are very pretty. Some NPC' visuals are also very good looking, although almost all cut scenes are just atrocious to look at.

    3. Combat and general game mechanics were easy to pick up and easy to master. However you were not mastering much to begin with.

    Overall... I have to suggest avoiding Risen 2 unless you can get it for under $20.00 or PB has put out a BIG HUGE UPDATE to not only fix the problems in the game, but add more content as it does feel a bit lite on content. However, this being PB I won't hold my breath for that update. Really short of a rewrite of the entire game I can't imagine PB being able to do anything to make this a better game at this time, it's just that poor.

    It's nothing more than a middle of the road game that desperately wants to be a "AAA" game but can't, but is still willing to charge it's customers the full "AAA" game price. I think this could quite honestly do in PB, two stinker games in a row I believe shows that they are not only behind the times, but don't have what it takes anymore to compete with real AAA titles anymore.    … Expand
  99. 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.
  100. 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
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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]
    Read full review
  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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