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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  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. le_souriceau
    May 3, 2012
    4
    Graphics: very mediocore for 2012 game. Animation: just wierd
    Voice acting: terrible, sounds like school theatre.
    Music: not bad. Cutscenes: like in early 2000s, nothing to say more. Story: privitive and linear, big monster, mega weapon (in pieces) etc. NPC: faceless, and have very little appearence variation. Dialogues: unmemorable, always tempting to skip them. Quests: find/talk/lkill    Graphics: very mediocore for 2012 game. Animation: just wierd
    Voice acting: terrible, sounds like school theatre.
    Music: not bad.
    Cutscenes: like in early 2000s, nothing to say more.
    Story: privitive and linear, big monster, mega weapon (in pieces) etc.
    NPC: faceless, and have very little appearence variation.
    Dialogues: unmemorable, always tempting to skip them. Quests: find/talk/lkill in different order.
    Roleplaying: minimal most time.
    Combat system: primitive, just klick left mouse faster and eat healing things.
    World: tiny ilands/coasts (half of them - for 1 visit), all towns - 4-5 houses.
    Replayability: almost zero.

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

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

    I'm not sure if they can fix enough of the flaws, to make it a worthwhile game, but at the moment i would not recommend it.    … Expand
  10. 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.
  11. Ashbourne
    May 2, 2012
    1
    I'll be honest, I made an account because I felt obligated to do something to try and steer people away from this game. In a word, it's terrible. I give them a 1 only because I liked the premise. The premise is why I bought it. Action rpg with pirates? Awesome, sign me up!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    I urge you, DO NOT buy this game! I can not stress this enough. I'm not even going to touch on the fact that the developers cut out 5 hours of game play they made before launch so that they could sell it to you later for more money. That fact, while an utterly sickening practice, is completely eclipsed by the fact that this game is horrible. They can keep their extra 5 hours of content. I don't want it. I would however like the 5 hours I did waste playing this game back.    … Expand
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. jarakk
    May 2, 2012
    0
    guys better wait for a demo, iam sad that i payd so much money for this 20 hours beta **** quests borin battles versus the monsters is just click the mouse like an abe, bugs in gameplay and graphic..
    DLC 50 minutes, not 10 hours like PB sayd before release, thats criminal rly...

    Didnt learnd by disaster of gothic 3, never aagain get my money....
  15. karlheinzi
    May 2, 2012
    0
    Grafic bugs and boring Fight System, thats Risen 2.

    The old grafic and the shadow bugs are cruel.
    You must first go in the ini config to do what the programmers has to do before release, thats nor normal.
    No more money from me PB, your Game is a Beta
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  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. 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
  21. 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.
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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.
  25. 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
  26. shaaco
    May 2, 2012
    0
    I played the old PB Games and this just like a cheap copy of a bad shadow themself..
    But to the facts, the fighting system is catastrophal, just click on the mouse button to kill enemy blind..
    No tactic no fun there. The graphic is buged like hell, when u walk around the island, u have the feeling of livin alien plants horrible.. Quests are always the same, bring me x items, kill x    I played the old PB Games and this just like a cheap copy of a bad shadow themself..
    But to the facts, the fighting system is catastrophal, just click on the mouse button to kill enemy blind..
    No tactic no fun there.
    The graphic is buged like hell, when u walk around the island, u have the feeling of livin alien plants horrible..
    Quests are always the same, bring me x items, kill x monsters..
    I dont know whats the motivation behind the hero i play, i coud not understand why i shoud do this all.

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

    This game maybe for 5 euro, but i dont know if i woud play it again...    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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.
  29. 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
  30. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

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