Risen 3: Titan Lords

The overarching story itself is fairly generic - the world is in peril and only you can fix it - but the bits and pieces that it is made up of are all colourful and entertaining.

Even with the problems it has, I still think it’s worth any RPG fan’s time.

Risen 3 is a game tailor-made for a fan of Piranha Bytes' games. The first Risen was too eager in copying Gothiks, and Dark Waters was a bit too weird at times. Titan Lords is a great middle ground. It's a game in a well known universe with better combat system, an improved character development mechanic and a big, rewarding world to explore.

Risen 3 could be outstanding, for the world, the fights, the character system are almost made ​​for a first-class role play. But the story does not build tension. It serves its purpose, but remains arbitrary and acts in many places too contrived.

Combat quibbles and muddy graphics do little to spoil the fun of this enjoyable RPG.

Piranha Bytes is going back to its roots – including new cool factions like the Demonhunters and Guardians, both using powerful fantasy-spells. The game also offers a rich and detailed open world, mixing pirate- with medieval-setting where you can explore tons of rpg-content. Unfortunately the cinematic and technical presentation isn’t state of the art, including camera- and clipping-problems. Though the combat-system has improved since Risen 2, it still isn’t well balanced and polished.

In a normal year, this game would still be an easy one to recommend, but with 2014 being the strongest year for RPGs in at least a decade, there is a lot of competition. It might not be one to set aside time for immediately, but it might be one worth revisiting later once you have a lot of time available to put into it.

Despite still having a few issues Risen 3: Titan Lords is a vast improvement on Risen 2. The combat could be better but doesn't cripple the game this time, the world is more interesting and easier to get around, and there's tons of stuff to do.

This new episode in the Risen saga is targeted at the long-time fans of the series and it's packed with a lot of quests and accomplishments. Sadly a frustrating combat system and old-gen graphics relegate to the hardcore gamers this fascinating RPG.

Risen 3 is enjoyable most of the time, and I was only truly frustrated once or twice, but after twenty hours I felt I had seen all the game has to offer.

Better than Risen 2. Fun characters, interesting setting, and nice character progression but combat is still somewhat problematic. A fun adventure full of possibilities. However, Piranha needs to go back to what made Gothic such a timeless classic.

The Germans took a step back and reintroduced more of the distinctive atmosphere of the Gothic series and the first Risen, which is a huge advantage for me. The world is so vivid and lively that it really makes you want to be there and see as much of the vast content as possible. It’s a shame that the game’s engine is visibly aging and the story lacks the punch. [10/2014, p.48]

Risen 3: Titan Lords is a traditional Piranha Bytes game with everything that the definition entails. Fans of the company know all too well that it is more than capable of creating engaging, engrossing RPGs and Risen 3 is no exception. However, the series' trademark idiosyncrasies are still there and that means that Risen 3: Titan Lords is, as is often the case with Piranha Bytes games, a "love it or hate it" affair.

Risen 3: Titan Lords is a great game, but it is a bit short on story and depth. If you are into RPG’s, please take the plunge for a few hours and see if this is your cup of tea. Combat has been improved so Risen-fans will be happy.

It's a mediocre game for all intents and purposes, but if Gothic and the former installments in the series floated your boat, then you're in for a pretty good time.

A good spiritual successor of Gothic mixed with the previous Risen. It still have business to do with combat, narrative and quests, but clearly, if every RPG dominates an aspect of it, Risen is the master of exploration.

Risen 3 is not just a game for the RPG fans, but for the inexperienced ones. You can enjoy a long and happy run over the mountains and forest trails, killing monsters by hundreds, solving the unpretentious quests. But if you look closer at all of these actions the guileless magic will suddenly dissipate and you’ll discover rather primitive gameplay. [Oct 2014, p.72]

The game is goo, but there are too many similarities with the previous installment of the series, and almost all in a negative sense, as neither the combat system, nor the AI ​​have seen some improvements.

Risen 3 is like your favourite chow in a restaurant, where its cook makes the same old magic for fifteen years already. You know very well what to expect, it is becoming somewhat tiresome, even for the cook apparently. But habit is a second nature, you keep on finding it tasty, and the fact is that such role-playing gastronomy is not served anywhere else. In other words, you will not relive such ecstasy as with the Gothic II instalment, however, yes – you will find a solid piece of work here.

For such a large RPG, it’s the small moments where Risen 3 works best. The game just needs more of them; times when you get swept up in a random quest, stumble upon hidden treasure, or chuckle at a random quip from Bones. It's a game with its heart in the right place and when everything clicks, you won’t want to leave.

15 years ago its systems were a step forward for the genre. Since then, games have come a long way, though. Still, there's some consolation to be had in the fact that, for all its faults, in its own way Risen 3 still ended up an endearing game.

After a slow beginning, Risen 3: Titan Lords shows a deep and an enjoyable RPG experience despite its old technological infrastructure.

Risen 3: Titan Lords is not the studio's grandest gesture, but the tendrils of this fantasy saga still grab you. The glitches and irritations poke at your patience, but the promise of buried treasure on a distant beach still compels you. Risen 3 has the potential to sweep you away, provided all that driftwood doesn't keep you at shore.

Despite its oddball shortcomings, Risen 3 is a solid open-world RPG packed with entertaining characters and challenging combat scenarios.

A lot of quests, characters, dialogues and huge world to explore: those who loved the previous chapters of the series will find everything they was expecting. Still, there are no improvements to the formula: Risen 3 maintains a faulty combat system and a not-so-shiny engine.

While Risen 3 doesn’t have great combat or an enthralling story, there’s a lot of content to delve into for those hungry for an open-world action/RPG, and that might be enough to entice fans to give it a try.

On consoles this is almost unbearable. But also on PC it falls short, even though the open world looks beautiful in most places. You have lots to do, the fighting system is solid, albeit hampered by a bad camera. But in the end it is rather a superficial experience on almost every level.

Risen 3: Titan Lords sets out to cater to a niche of the RPG market and does so, for the most part, successfully. The pirate setting differentiates it from other, similar, games on the market and the open and explorable world is vast and potentially very dangerous. The game is crippled somewhat by a lack of graphical shine, and the storytelling leans heavily on lazy cliches and trades mystery for clarity and motivation. Despite those problems, players looking to plunk a parrot on their shoulder and slap a patch over their eye then head off in search of buried treasure will find a lot to enjoy.

If this addition to the series was as much an improvement as part 2 was to the first, then the Risen-series would’ve been well on it’s way to being a serious contender in the RPG-plane. But instead Titan Lords has become more of an ‘instant cult-PRG’, which would’ve been a compliment in the world of movies, but in ours most certainly isn’t… [Sep 2014, p.58]

The main strength of Risen 3: Titan Lords is the big amount of things to do. Missions of any kind, treasure maps, crafting, factions, exploration of the islands, some naval engagement and more. But for those who have already played Risen 2: Dark Waters the impression of "copy-paste" is really strong and unfortunately its main flaws are still here.

Risen 3: Titan Lords is lucky that it has been released just before the big storm of RPG’s. If the game would’ve been around a little later, it wouldn’t have stood a chance. But aside from all that, Risen 3 isn’t a bad game. There’s lots to do and Piranha Bytes has tried to keep away as much as possible from the word ‘boredom’. Even though the game succeeds in that respect, there are still a lot of shortcomings that are unforgivable these days.

Clunky and unwieldy, ultimately its redeeming feature is a different subject matter to the majority of titles. [Oct 2014, p.64]

However, in the end, I felt that much of what made Risen 2 such a charming adventure was missing from Risen 3—it has fewer flaws overall, but the ambition has diminished as well. As a result, it's simply less interesting, and the return trip isn't as enjoyable as the previous journey.

After the step-up Piranha Bytes had with Risen 2, this one feels like going backwards to a time where bugs, glitches and many other issues were a norm for the developer.

It's just a shame that such a fundamental feature as combat takes the shine off what could have been the sequel to make Risen popular beyond its small audience of devotees.

It’s almost a good game. For some of you that will be enough. It’s a neat little diversion and it’s fun in spurts, and maybe that’s all you are looking for. However, there are many other better RPGs to play out there with better stories, and better systems.

The plot never ramps up, the characters barely change, and the choice to make most NPCs a shopkeep and/or teacher makes equipping and learning new skills a mess, all of which keep Risen 3 from - ahem - rising to modern RPG expectations.

With basically no surprises at all and a mediocre feeling over everything in the game, a mediocre grade is unfortunately the best we can award it with.

It looks, runs, and plays fine with the main downsides being the story and script and anything related to them. The problem is that everything Risen 3 does decently has already been done better. It's Assassin's Creed IV without the assassin mechanics or ship battles.

Two years ago we could give Piranha Bytes the benefit of the doubt, but this time around we can’t give the developer a pass. The third installment is practically a copy of its predecessor. Entire areas, enemies and weapons make their reappearance. This wouldn’t be a problem if everything was already perfect, but Risen 2 was littered with bugs and clunky mechanics. These are still present. Actually charging people for this game, shows the little respect the developer has for its gamers.

Risen 2's difficulty was too high, and it's now too easy in Risen 3. Balance is at fault, despite a collection of interesting gameplay (nothing new, though). Without any kind of challenge, the player sips quietly on the content of this ambient RPG. Exploration is the primary activity. With nice sceneries and interesting people to meet. Maybe a better storyline would have helped going through the boredom of combat.

Risen 3: Titan Lords is a clunky mess of a game that fails to capitalize on the potential it has put forth. While the concept sounds alluring, and it’s chock-full of charm, it’s weighed down by stodgy design and a lack of polish.

A completely derivative, mouldy, boring hack job created by a once renowned studio. Looks like the hero of Risen 3 is not the only one who lost his soul.

While the game builds on the legacy of its previous installments, it also repeats old mistakes. Only for the tolerant camp of the series' hardcore fans. [Issue#245]

The game’s one saving grace could be the wealth of content, like items and stuff you can do. That seems irrelevant in a game that has little depth and very few elements that could keep you playing.

With such an uninspired story and shockingly bad combat, the glimpses of entertaining side quests drown in misery and frustration. Filled with clichés and outdated mechanics, Risen is stuck in the quagmire of RPG development and screams out for innovation.

The whole experience isn’t awful, just thoroughly uninspiring; a box of biscuits where some are moldy and all are digestive. It’s fun to be a pirate, but it’s far, far more fun elsewhere, with Risen 3 once again struggling and failing to rise above anything but its own mediocrity.