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. schiller
    May 6, 2012
    5
    This is a game that I really wanted to love because there aren't many pirate RPGs out there and I love RPGs, I love pirates, and I love most of PB's previous work. All the premises were there, damn it!
    PROS: The story blends nicely into the theme , so does the humour and insulting part of the dialogue lines. The exploration/wealth/reward balance is very good, I'm always looking forward to    This is a game that I really wanted to love because there aren't many pirate RPGs out there and I love RPGs, I love pirates, and I love most of PB's previous work. All the premises were there, damn it!
    PROS: The story blends nicely into the theme , so does the humour and insulting part of the dialogue lines. The exploration/wealth/reward balance is very good, I'm always looking forward to the next cave to see what great challenge may guard an epic item. The music is not very piratey at its core but it does sound quite PB'ish, so the new composer has done well. The character development is a free model and you have to work hard for those points and money, so you will feel well the progression and the reward later. Not all the important characters are memorable like in the old Gothics, but I like a select few and did care about them. Last but not least the collector's edition package and content is a good bang for the buck.
    CONS: While I am aware that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, in this case I think the islands should have been larger. The sense of exploration and being lost in a huge lush jungle is very limited by the corridor topography. The distances between the points of interest are way too small. Compared to Gothic 3 this is quite frustrating, when you come from the world of Skyrim it's really annoying. The sword combat is quite a disappointment. The animations take your control away and make things harder in an unnatural way. The creatures stun you again (like Gothic3) which makes guns a must and I don't like that. I can't believe they still can't make a proper combat mechanic after all these years and so many games that share a lot of mechanics, one would think they have found a balance. Gothic 2 felt much better in this regard. Magic can't be fun with so small variation. The character models and animations are so bad that they sometimes prevent me from taking the game seriously in the most inappropriate moments. The insular and pirate theme is not developed enough. The atmosphere is there if youâ    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. Adanos
    May 9, 2012
    2
    Disgusting...this game should have stayed at least one more year in production...it's the only reasonable explanation why everything is either dumbed down or downright broken. The combat, the tiny worldspace, the limited character development, the boring fetch quests, the horrendous graphics and animations? Piranha Bytes was always a developer of unpolished games and gritty gameplay, butDisgusting...this game should have stayed at least one more year in production...it's the only reasonable explanation why everything is either dumbed down or downright broken. The combat, the tiny worldspace, the limited character development, the boring fetch quests, the horrendous graphics and animations? Piranha Bytes was always a developer of unpolished games and gritty gameplay, but they've never been so broken and uninteresting, they at least used to feature attractive story and character building. This game is too modest in scope, lacks creativity and the broken gameplay looks like it's made by a bunch of secondary school kids in their spare time not by a well established studio with years of experience in RPG development. Also, selling DLC cut from the very game since development? Yeah, you've earned the gamers' respect ... NOT… Expand
  4. TheBeagle
    Apr 24, 2012
    5
    This is how a once great developer should NOT make games: this is a shadow of what Gothic 1 and 2 offered in exploration, compelling stories, freedom of movement and open world rewards. This game feels CRAMPED and linear! I expected a really big piratey open world with many viable playstyles and a lot of things to do. It's more of an action-adventure with poor roleplaying diversity,This is how a once great developer should NOT make games: this is a shadow of what Gothic 1 and 2 offered in exploration, compelling stories, freedom of movement and open world rewards. This game feels CRAMPED and linear! I expected a really big piratey open world with many viable playstyles and a lot of things to do. It's more of an action-adventure with poor roleplaying diversity, watered down stats, ugly interface, simplified factions and faction interaction... and the combat is horrible. This is not an open world RPG, this is an adventure (and not the best one at that) that ruined once more the illusion that we could have a big, living world of pirates RPG.… Expand
  5. SHELOB
    May 5, 2012
    3
    Compared to other recent RPGs, this one looks ugly and dated. That would not be a deal breaker for a player who is still enjoying his Morrowind, Gothic 1 and 2, Fallout 1 and 2, Deus Ex 1... graphics is not everything. BUT! Unfortunately this game is also lacking more aspects that define a quality RPG experience. The premise of the story is very promising but unfortunately it is underminedCompared to other recent RPGs, this one looks ugly and dated. That would not be a deal breaker for a player who is still enjoying his Morrowind, Gothic 1 and 2, Fallout 1 and 2, Deus Ex 1... graphics is not everything. BUT! Unfortunately this game is also lacking more aspects that define a quality RPG experience. The premise of the story is very promising but unfortunately it is undermined by the lazy writing and the repetitive scenery. The dialogue and the npcs personalities are simple, bad quality comic and nothing to write home about. The quests are not the brightest I have played, not on par with Risen 1 anyway. The combat is simplified to a point where I start resenting the slow response of my character and the idiotic animations that either make or break a fight: you stunlock the enemy or they will interrupt you becasue their animations are shorter. Very, very bad combat design and control. The stealth character development is subtracting your combat power to a degree where you wish you did not roleplay the thief. I find the mini-games annoying and unwelcome for the immersion. In a game with pirates, harbors, ships and so much water, it is common sense for everyone(except PB) that swimming should be a part of the gameplay; going into the water and being teleported back is so stupid that it cannot be described in decent words. The Speed Tree implementation is hillariously broken, it is distracting and worthy of a cheap indie title. PB are going backwards in so many ways that I wouldn not recommend this game to my enemies.… Expand
  6. Arkaynne
    Apr 28, 2012
    5
    Linear, terrible combat, poor attention to detail. This feels more like a hastily assembled mass market clone than the deep detailed games that the Gothic series was. My recommendation would be to wait for this game to go on sale at a deep discount before risking your dollars on a fairly "meh" game.
  7. 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
  8. gregor
    May 6, 2012
    1
    Dishonest business practice like cutting content from the game and selling it as day 1 DLC should be discouraged. This is the most disgusting way of treating your public.
  9. Teknotronic
    Apr 26, 2012
    2
    Undeveloped features, unfinished and unpolished, clunky movement and combat mechanics, 'light' rpg stats, zero roleplaying outside the main quest. Few pseudo-choices that lead to the same events. Bad voice acting. No purpose for exploration. Ugly character animations. Really, PB? I know this is not the same team that made G1 andG2, but still... you're a shadow and your new series isUndeveloped features, unfinished and unpolished, clunky movement and combat mechanics, 'light' rpg stats, zero roleplaying outside the main quest. Few pseudo-choices that lead to the same events. Bad voice acting. No purpose for exploration. Ugly character animations. Really, PB? I know this is not the same team that made G1 andG2, but still... you're a shadow and your new series is sinking in mediocrity.

    RPGFan has the best description for this 'AAA' wannabe title: I'm rarely disgusted after beating a game. Risen 2 left me aghast, and I'm not even a pirate fanatic. I can't imagine the disappointment of those expecting to finally lay their hands on a quality pirate RPG. What could have been a heavily nuanced action RPG is instead a waste of potential and a cheap product. Risen 2 doesn't just leave the niche as empty as it found it. RISEN 2: DARK WATERS GIVES PIRATES A BAD NAME.    … Expand
  10. Jerome89
    Apr 27, 2012
    3
    This is the new Arcania, now made by Piranha Bytes themselves. I'll never understand why they had to undermine once again their own series with an unworthy successor. This one has a forced story, weak character development, uninteresting world and dialogues and very poor control for a modern rpg. The pirate setting is underwhelming to say the least, I expected much more side quests,This is the new Arcania, now made by Piranha Bytes themselves. I'll never understand why they had to undermine once again their own series with an unworthy successor. This one has a forced story, weak character development, uninteresting world and dialogues and very poor control for a modern rpg. The pirate setting is underwhelming to say the least, I expected much more side quests, factions that you can join, rewards, choices&consequences...Witcher 2 is far from perfect but it's miles ahead.… Expand
  11. Fractalia
    Apr 29, 2012
    3
    Atrocious: (Webster) 'of very poor quality'. Atrocity: (Webster) 'enormous wickedness; extreme heinousness or cruelty'. Failure: (Webster) 'a state of inability to perform a normal function'. Risen 2: (Fractalia) atrocious atrocity, technical failure, artistic disappointment, writing mediocrity, dumbed down RPG.
  12. CptFlint
    Apr 29, 2012
    2
    A low quality RPG in disguise. The pirate setting and the open world are attractive enough to make me spend the money but the experience is very frustrating, everything seems awkward and poorly executed, from story to character development, especially the movement, the trees, the npc animations, the dialogue options. The only thing that I do appreciate is the music, it's a nice touch thatA low quality RPG in disguise. The pirate setting and the open world are attractive enough to make me spend the money but the experience is very frustrating, everything seems awkward and poorly executed, from story to character development, especially the movement, the trees, the npc animations, the dialogue options. The only thing that I do appreciate is the music, it's a nice touch that enriches the monkey islandish playful atmosphere. The quests are boring and repetitive as the usual nowadays RPG, the path is quite linear for an open world design, and last but not least the lack of interaction with the environment is a let down, it seems PB is making their worlds smaller AND removing content at the same time, I'm curious where they are heading. Maybe they want to "evolve" to 2d scrollers? I thought the free roaming and rewarding exploration in a huge world like Gothic 3 was their principled target, I guess I was wrong. Where for the love of God is the swimming ability? In a seafarer setting, for Christ sake! I don't know, this game is lacking character and content, let alone sense of adventure, innovation and a decent level of polish; and it's lacking bad. The previews were deceiving.… Expand
  13. azmodan
    May 5, 2012
    4
    Thank you Piranha for a true horror game. The horror genre needed this badly. Horror combat, horror trees and bushes, horror ships that don't even move a little with the wind, horror animations, horror lack of lore, horror boredom courtesy to the very diverse landscape and very interesting quests.
  14. HoodedSpy
    Apr 29, 2012
    4
    Another one bites the dust. An RPg with no RP value. An illusion of pirate career without actual sailing out on open seas. Simplified combat [Risen 1 was much better], micro-islands to explore [if you can ignore the outrageous pop-ins in the trees] and forgettable quests/dialogue. Can't these people just look at Fallout New Vegas and draw some inspiration? Now that's meaningful dialogueAnother one bites the dust. An RPg with no RP value. An illusion of pirate career without actual sailing out on open seas. Simplified combat [Risen 1 was much better], micro-islands to explore [if you can ignore the outrageous pop-ins in the trees] and forgettable quests/dialogue. Can't these people just look at Fallout New Vegas and draw some inspiration? Now that's meaningful dialogue and role playing!… Expand
  15. Dethstar
    May 4, 2012
    3
    Quote on this site from a German gaming magazine -Risen 2 is a great role-playing experience for any fan of open world games.- That is why people dont buy magazines anymore. This guy has obviously not really spent any time on the game or doesnt actually really know what open world really means. He has falled for some really shallow tricks and tools which have been used to try andQuote on this site from a German gaming magazine -Risen 2 is a great role-playing experience for any fan of open world games.- That is why people dont buy magazines anymore. This guy has obviously not really spent any time on the game or doesnt actually really know what open world really means. He has falled for some really shallow tricks and tools which have been used to try and inject at least an open world feel to the game. Still, perhaps his primary gaming rig is a console but surely even console owners are getting bored with playing games with very little to set them apart in "open world" games which are not open world at all but extremely linear. Sure, your not in a tunnel pointed in one direction but too often its not far off. If this was a console game this would absolutely fit right in with so many console based RPGs which you can play one after another without realising that you have actually played five games in the time you expect one to last and with so little to set them apart that you barely raised your head out of the boredom coma you found yourself in. The graphics are ok and the dialogue fits too. But the game is buggy as hell. If you try exploring early rather than following the quests in the proper order hen there is a good chance you will have to go back a long way to an earlier save. Over all the dialogue helps but the game is just so simplified it might as well just get on with playing itself. An ignominous end to a promising series. What a disappointing end to Risen. I wouldnt even bothered downloading this if they gave it to me free if I had realised it was a clone of so many other games I already played and didnt much like recently. When are we going to get another proper heavyweight RPG in a truly large open world. They can keep this dumbed down crap. Pirhana Bytes left me feeling cheated with this one. I gace it 3 simply because the dialogue and accents etc worked.… Expand
  16. Jlk874
    May 8, 2012
    0
    After putting another 15 hours into the game trying to find fun i can honestly say the game NEVER GETS GOOD. The combat is always bulls**t with enemies spamming stun attacks one after another forcing you to pound grog (hp pots) whenever ANYTHING gets within melee range, The absence of a dodge mechanic is inexcusable considering NPCs tell you to dodge attacks when explaining some fights.After putting another 15 hours into the game trying to find fun i can honestly say the game NEVER GETS GOOD. The combat is always bulls**t with enemies spamming stun attacks one after another forcing you to pound grog (hp pots) whenever ANYTHING gets within melee range, The absence of a dodge mechanic is inexcusable considering NPCs tell you to dodge attacks when explaining some fights. After putting 30+ hours into this game i can say its nothing more than walking from point A to point B trying to find the exploit that allows you to kill each and every mob and keep in mind if you do not cheat in this way the game is unplayable. For instance the low level mob "firebirds" attack SO fast, if they start attacking you, your only hope of surviving is to SPAM jump and run in the opposite direction since it attacks twice as fast as you and each hit stuns you and resets your attack meaning Melee is NOT an option unless you have hundreds of potions, your block is a joke and it seems only NPCs have real blocks that totally migrate damage. They reuse the same character models OVER and OVER and OVER, which gets extremely confusing at times. For instance you need to find "NPC a" but wait in the same town atleast 5 other characters will use the exact same model clothing and voice, forcing you to run to people only to find out its just the quest NPC's doppelganger. They Claim the game is very open ended but you would NEVER know that since the game takes you by the hand and forces you down a single path while making it seem like its the only path (for example i was forced into the native camp in act 2 and was never made aware that i had the option to FIND the inquisition camp, this would normally be an annoyance but it **** me out of ALL the guns in the game and im still using the first gun i found well into the end of the game). The magic system is complete garbage and seems like its only there to punish people who though that they could go through the game using magic....you know like any other RPG in existence. COUNTLESS bugs also plague this game, and not just the Horror trees/grass bug, ive died several times because the game decided that W was suddenly run left or run backwards off a cliff, Shotguns are NOT classified as shotguns (as in the talent CALLED "shotguns") they are dependent on the "Musket" skill which is ass backwards. I could go on for days about how this game is not even worth the space it takes up, i can only hope PB pulls their head out of their ass and learns how to make a playable game, or they completely dissolve so im never tricked into buying another one of this garbage games. How a developer can look at a game like this and think "Yeah, Perfect" is beyond me, they set out with the goal of fixing risen 1's combat system and this is all they could come up with? Sorry you should not be making video games, you should be flipping burgers. Leave the video games to people who actually play them, and you cannot tell me an actual gamer made this game.… Expand
  17. Nichtswisser
    Apr 24, 2012
    5
    "How to destroy a promising series by dumbing it down, an easy guide to boredom". Chapter 1: Make it simple! Gone is the dynamic skill based combat system from Risen 1 which required the player to use different tactics dependent on the enemy he was fighting. Risen 2 offers a Fable style one button based no-skill no-system-combat. It's simple, and it won't be to challenging for some people"How to destroy a promising series by dumbing it down, an easy guide to boredom". Chapter 1: Make it simple! Gone is the dynamic skill based combat system from Risen 1 which required the player to use different tactics dependent on the enemy he was fighting. Risen 2 offers a Fable style one button based no-skill no-system-combat. It's simple, and it won't be to challenging for some people like the combat in Risen 1 was. It's also boring and repetitive beyond believe. Chapter 2: Freedom is bad and overtaxing for small brains! Gone is the medium sized realistic open world which offered the player the freedom to explore. Risen 2 offers console RAM friendly mini islands which are so small that even navigation challenged people who experience regular difficulties with getting around in their one room apartments won't get lost anymore. Exploration, always a strong point in Piranha Bytes Games, just doesn't feel right when the areas are so small. Chapter 3: Repeating things over and over again makes them more easy to comprehend! Yes, don't expect rich quest design, Risen 2 offers the same boring fetch quests over and over again. Boring repetitive combat and castrated exploration wasn't enough, for true boredom the quest design apparently had to mirror the no-skill combat when it comes to repetition. Get used to the idea of feeling more like a Fed Ex courier than a pirate. Conclusion: By fallowing our easy guide to boredom you'll create a truly boring game. And how they accomplished that!… Expand
  18. curry
    Apr 28, 2012
    1
    I'm so disappointed. Risen 2 is nothing you'd expect from a Piranha Bytes title. It's completely dumbed down, the character control is clumsy, you cannot freely explore the islands, you cannot swim or climb and even combat is worse (didn't think it could get much worse, right?) Honestly, I hope Piranha Bytes goes back to its roots. I sincerely cannot recommend Risen 2 to anyone.
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. Hansomat
    Apr 29, 2012
    2
    I was really looking forward to playing this game. After reading some reviews i was thinking 'wow, that really sounds bad, but it might still convince me'.
    Well.. it didnt! The mele fights are so bad, i dont even know where to start. There is no possibility to evade throwing spears other than wildly jump around and try to run away (imagine this while getting focused by 2 other melee    I was really looking forward to playing this game. After reading some reviews i was thinking 'wow, that really sounds bad, but it might still convince me'.
    Well.. it didnt! The mele fights are so bad, i dont even know where to start. There is no possibility to evade throwing spears other than wildly jump around and try to run away (imagine this while getting focused by 2 other melee npcs).
    So i though well, maybe try to put some points to improve the pistol. Dont!. The ranged weapon (fired by pressing E) will not hit the enemy in 80% of your shots, either because you are getting hit by several enemies while you try to get out your gun, or just because you stand like 1 armlength in front of them and then get a 'you missed' pop up over the enemies head... really?
    Besides the combat system (or the lack of it) i have to say i am really pi**ed of by the animations and graphic bugs like flickering shadows, trees and vegetation popping up and chaning their shape depending on the angle you look at it (!!). Usually im not that concerned about stuff like that if the fights feel good and the story/environment fits in the concept. In this case it really influences the game in a very bad way.
    Maybe next time PB :/    … Expand
  24. 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
  25. defive
    Apr 30, 2012
    4
    Oh dear. Risen 2 is just not terribly good. Laughably bad animations/character models and voice acting really ruin the overall effect here. Also, the quest design is average to say the least, the open world feel is even less than Risen 1 was and, seriously, PB, after *how* many games and you *still* haven't figured out that stun-locking enemies are a bad idea ? All in all decidedly worseOh dear. Risen 2 is just not terribly good. Laughably bad animations/character models and voice acting really ruin the overall effect here. Also, the quest design is average to say the least, the open world feel is even less than Risen 1 was and, seriously, PB, after *how* many games and you *still* haven't figured out that stun-locking enemies are a bad idea ? All in all decidedly worse than it's predecessor and nowhere near as good as the original PB classics.… Expand
  26. 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....
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

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