Risen

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 894 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 659 out of 894
  2. Mixed: 163 out of 894
  3. Negative: 72 out of 894
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  1. kolarz3
    May 19, 2023
    8
    Pretty nice gothic like game. It was my favorite game from the risen serie. Nice main character
  2. IamNader
    May 17, 2023
    8
    As an avid GOTHIC player, I can say that this game is truly an epic adventure that offers many positive aspects - 8/10
  3. Nick7000
    Mar 7, 2023
    8
    Ну это Готика ребят, Во всех смыслах. Добротная, хорошая Готика, ни больше, ни меньше.
  4. Czechinator
    Oct 18, 2022
    9
    Last good game from PB. Great music, great ambient sounds, beautiful world where I enjoyed exploring every corner. The last game they made where I wanted to try another faction right after I finished. When it rained at night it was absolutely magical. Combat was fun. The story was interesting. Dialogue was pretty much ok.
    It really gave off a gothic vibe
    Too bad after this game, every    Last good game from PB. Great music, great ambient sounds, beautiful world where I enjoyed exploring every corner. The last game they made where I wanted to try another faction right after I finished. When it rained at night it was absolutely magical. Combat was fun. The story was interesting. Dialogue was pretty much ok.
    It really gave off a gothic vibe

    Too bad after this game, every game they made got worse and worse in every way.    … Expand
  5. KIrillooss
    Dec 9, 2021
    8
    Великолепная игра с хорошей историей и классным геймплеем, не считая боёвки. Она так себе
  6. Deant_Magnetic
    Sep 5, 2021
    9
    Отличная рпг, которая достойна внимания, особенно если тебе полюбилась готика.
  7. svansolojo
    Jul 18, 2021
    9
    A very good game. Definitely very underrated game. By far better than the other Risen games and Elex.
  8. nexus151196
    Feb 27, 2021
    8
    Классная рпг , в которую всем стоит поиграть. Атмосфера игры - поражает и затягивает, музыка бесподобна, чего только стоит главная тема. Остров очень красивый и живописный, всегда за любым кустом пожно найти какие то руины и приключения на пятую точку, Один раз в начале нарвался на ящеров в каком то храме и меня за секунду развалили, ох весело было :) Сюжет интересный, мифология мира тоже,Классная рпг , в которую всем стоит поиграть. Атмосфера игры - поражает и затягивает, музыка бесподобна, чего только стоит главная тема. Остров очень красивый и живописный, всегда за любым кустом пожно найти какие то руины и приключения на пятую точку, Один раз в начале нарвался на ящеров в каком то храме и меня за секунду развалили, ох весело было :) Сюжет интересный, мифология мира тоже, фракции со своей мотивацией. Годная игра, можно и сейчас перепройти.… Expand
  9. Pekaboyare
    Jan 26, 2021
    8
    Клёвая игрушка, проблемы у нее конечно есть, но она стоит того чтобы пройти её.
  10. Torgall
    Dec 12, 2020
    8
    Very good RPG that made me nostalgic because of how it resembled the good ol' Gothic. The way this series went after this first game is just sad.
  11. TaQkful
    Nov 16, 2020
    10
    A perfect reincarnation of PiranhaBytes’ Gothic series. Game is overall similiar to Gothic 2, yet it is so different. Lovable NPC’s, gripping story, thrilling atmosphere. The fact that you need to stick to one role (mage, warrior, thief...) really makes you role-play and offers countless replays. For me, one of the best RPGs - 10/10
  12. DaniloNovakovic
    Aug 26, 2020
    8
    Personal favorite game from Piranha Bytes since Gothic 2. Honestly, it might have the best melee combat system out of all of their games (it still has it's flaws but much better than Risen 2,3 or Elex).

    The only major flaws that I have with this game are: - magic feels more like shooting something from a gun which is a major step down since Gothic 3's amazing magic system - it feels a    Personal favorite game from Piranha Bytes since Gothic 2. Honestly, it might have the best melee combat system out of all of their games (it still has it's flaws but much better than Risen 2,3 or Elex).

    The only major flaws that I have with this game are:
    - magic feels more like shooting something from a gun which is a major step down since Gothic 3's amazing magic system
    - it feels a bit too short (I wish they made DLC in NotR style that introduces new questline with maybe a new map)

    Genuinely would recommend this to anybody who enjoys a solid RPG game :)    … Expand
  13. KaianMatheus
    Jun 21, 2020
    10
    Jogo ótimo e super explorável para um RPG da época. Marcou muito para mim tanto no desenrolar do jogo quanto na trilha sonora.
  14. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    9
    great fun. you have different ways you can go, funny characters, good rpg .
  15. GraysonUA
    Mar 31, 2020
    9
    Ну це Готика 1 у новій обгорці, а що мені ще треба. Моя улюблена з усієї серії, саме через темну атмосферу.
  16. Genek13
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    As a fan of Gothic game series I think this is a very good game.
    Very enjoyable playthrough :) Not as good as Gothic, but still worth to play.
  17. InQuasi
    Apr 14, 2019
    10
    A masterpiece of sound, atmosphere and world building. A small yet dense world feels so alive, so real for a fantasy game this is truly amazing. I remember many scorching summer days spent wasting away in the immense game that is Risen. Thank you PB, for the best game ever made.
  18. MadnessisRising
    Mar 15, 2019
    10
    A game totally done right! Focus on gameplay not on graphics. Beautiful world with an even more beautiful soundtrack and like I said a perfect combat system. Great story, great characters, great monsters ... everything is great in this game. I played it so many times, one of the best games ever created.
  19. Yabs
    Mar 9, 2019
    8
    58.2 hrs on record
    Wheww.. finally beat Risen after 58.2 hours, solid game. Combat is a bit clunky thus leading to lots of deaths and reloads (also due to traps), However, the setting and narrative of Risen is beautifully crafted. The Island is fun to explore and is open world. I enjoyed the game very much, albiet progression in the beginning is slow. It takes nearly 15-20 hours of game    58.2 hrs on record
    Wheww.. finally beat Risen after 58.2 hours, solid game. Combat is a bit clunky thus leading to lots of deaths and reloads (also due to traps), However, the setting and narrative of Risen is beautifully crafted. The Island is fun to explore and is open world. I enjoyed the game very much, albiet progression in the beginning is slow. It takes nearly 15-20 hours of game time just to get the first peice of armor (unless the player steals it from the first farm they encounter). Great game, though lacking much replayability, going the 'Don' path really isnt a fun or worthwhile option.    … Expand
  20. Gelaos
    Sep 20, 2018
    8
    Risen is a great spiritual successor to Gothic 1 and 2.

    The world with it's inhabitants feels authentic, like a real living place. The combat is pretty good, I don't understand why so many people hate it so much. Quests are typical RPG standard, factions and characters intrigued me, story isn't bad. Risen is easier than Gothic 1 or 2 but it won't hold your hand and you must learn to    Risen is a great spiritual successor to Gothic 1 and 2.

    The world with it's inhabitants feels authentic, like a real living place. The combat is pretty good, I don't understand why so many people hate it so much. Quests are typical RPG standard, factions and characters intrigued me, story isn't bad. Risen is easier than Gothic 1 or 2 but it won't hold your hand and you must learn to play this game. Solid RPG with old-school vibe.    … Expand
  21. shadorn
    Feb 18, 2017
    9
    If you like RPGs and retro-gaming don't miss this one: it is technically quite poor for nowadays standards (it has been released in 2009), but this game has a soul. Art, music, gameplay, balance, are all well crafted and the experience is overall extremely pleasant.
  22. KayVen17
    Jan 4, 2017
    8
    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln verstanden?
    Dann sind hier meine Punkte.

    Mein persönlicher Score = 75/100
    Mein User Score = 8/10    … Expand
  23. Jernas
    Oct 27, 2016
    9
    There's never enough of good RPGs out there in fact, there's a lot of options on the market, but many are underwhelmingly boring and make you question if they're worth the usually huge time investment. Luckily, Risen is a very good option if you want to spend countless hours in a world of monsters, magic and heroes.

    Risen can sure look good, dense forests with tons of vegetation,    There's never enough of good RPGs out there in fact, there's a lot of options on the market, but many are underwhelmingly boring and make you question if they're worth the usually huge time investment. Luckily, Risen is a very good option if you want to spend countless hours in a world of monsters, magic and heroes.

    Risen can sure look good, dense forests with tons of vegetation, beautiful night skies and lighting strikes during a storm. The story is good and well presented. It's not overcomplicated like it happens way too often in the RPG genre. Main characters are well designed and have interesting personalities, more so than in The Elder Scrolls series, but not as much as in The Witcher or Mass Effect series. Gameplay remains interesting throughout the entire experience and If we compare Risen to the preceding Piranha Bytes game, Gothic 3, which had some pretty broken combat mechanics, dull quests and an underwhelming main story, Risen comes out as a clear victor. One of the stronger points of the game, taken straight from the Gothic series, is that enemies don't scale with you as you level up. This makes you feel the progress your character is making on the environment. Once tough enemies become easier and easier to fight, unlike in The Elder Scrolls games, where enemies are constantly equally (easy) to defeat, despite all the leveling up. Risen is no Gothic 4 (or 5), but that's a plus. After a solid, but not great, Gothic 3, it's an improvement in almost every way. The world is smaller yes, but it feels alive. It is both, small and big, but in a good way.

    On the other hand, despite the nice graphics, many textures are of low resolution and polygon count is not the highest. This becomes very apparent in the largest town on the island and in many dungeons throughout the game where most of the buildings are made out of stone, yet all the walls stand completely straight. A technique called tessellation would have helped tremendously in this case. Human characters are also copied and pasted a bit too much throughout the island, which takes away from the illusion of an authentic world. The combat is unfortunately still quite literary a hit or miss and is liked by some and hated by others. The truth is, it can get frustrating being killed by a pack of wild hogs or wolfs at mid-stages of the game, when you should be slaughtering such weak animals without problems. It's a far cry from Gothic 3 though, where a single wild hog could have easily killed you at the late-stages of the game. Sword, axe and staff fighting is designed around parrying and blocking enemy attacks, but that becomes almost impossible when multiple enemies attack you at once and surround you. In such cases, it's crucial to use either, a crossbow, a bow or magic, and your legs to run away. This becomes a problem in enclosed environments such as underground dungeons, which offer little room for maneuvering. In the first half of the game, there's a lack of variety in weapons and armor to choose from. In fact, there's only about three worthwhile swords, two axes and two shields available. Not to mention, you only get to wear a proper fighter's armor about 25 hours into the game, which is absurd for an action RPG. In addition to that, most of the early quests are basic and can get a bit boring and the game only picks up after you leave Harbor town, about 15 hours into the story. Interestingly though, later parts of the game turn into a little bit of a dungeon crawler and you suddenly start getting better and better equipment.

    All in all, Risen is a very well made RPG, that has a good story with, for the most part, well made characters, interesting world and varied enemies. The ending might be a little bit underwhelming, some of the early quests boring and combat not for everyone, but it's a very good game nonetheless. Low scores and ratings this game received upon release and later are, in my eyes, not justified.    … Expand
  24. chemgeeked
    Jan 11, 2016
    10
    I have been out on my gaming for awhile for personal choice; I use to play a lot of games and felt burnt out and overall just bored with video games in general. Its been around a year of me not playing games besides the brief occasions of dabbling for a few hours through out for the nostalgia. I recently had an urge to get into a fun rpg, something open world that had a survival feel toI have been out on my gaming for awhile for personal choice; I use to play a lot of games and felt burnt out and overall just bored with video games in general. Its been around a year of me not playing games besides the brief occasions of dabbling for a few hours through out for the nostalgia. I recently had an urge to get into a fun rpg, something open world that had a survival feel to it. though I was very limited on games I could get, because I sold all my consoles awhile, and all I have is a 4 year old 300 dollar HP pavillion laptop. So with hours spend looking up reviews then checking if my laptop could run them I decided on risen. I AM SOOO GLADD I DID!!! My choices were down to gothic 3, two worlds 2 and risen. Which all of them have mixed reviews so it was hard to decide. I crossed out gothic even though it looked fun I didnt like the fact that it needed a mod patch to even run right. So HERES MY REVIEW. GRAPHICS - To me graphics really don't matter much if the game is really fun and this is the case here. keep in mind I play on all low for better performance but even at that I think the world is beautifully done. The weather and the lighting are awesome. when the sun is shining its really bright and actually looks like how bright it would be in real life. Then when its dark its as dark as it really would be in real life. its soo awesome looking when its dark out, your exploring, its storming and lightening and you get flashes of bright light where you see everything, it really looks badass. (now on high settings the graphics are really nice for its time.) so torches are actually a must if your going in really dark caves or traveling at the dark of night or you can wait to journey and sleep in a bed till morning. I think it really immerses in the world. GAMEPLAY- Now what I really really like about this games is the overall small details that a lot of games over look that really makes the world feel alive IMO. For a RPG I think this details im about to explain are really important to a RPG because theirs people who play and really wanna get into the role of there character and the world hence ROLE playing game. First I'll start off with getting food and cooking it. in this game food really does matter idk how many times i was out exploring and if i didnt have food to boost my health I would of died. and you can find water barrels to drink from that will really boost your health when your in need like being out of potions or only having a few and want to save them. I like how when you cook food you need to get a pan and you see your character really cook the food, and when you drink you see your character really drink or when you eat whatever your eating he will actually take it out and eat it. when you kill someone in the game no matter who it is they will stay dead for the whole game, IT MAKES SENSE. when you go into someones home they will get mad and threaten you, it makes sense. when you want to up your stats in lets say pickpocking or swords you have to find someone who specializes in that art and pay them to trai n you, again it makes sense. the map isnt that big compared to like gta or skyrim but I think its pretty much perfect because there is a lot of content packed into it and it feels actually pretty damn big because you only run as fast as you do in like fallout 3 and new vegas. Plus in the beginning there is a lot of unknown places you cant explore because there are monster their that are just to hard to kill untill you get stronger and better gear. So it gives you something to work for on the side. youll find a cave and get half way through it then find there to be an monster that is just to strong so you take note leave build up gear up get stronger bring potions and go back later and find treasure and what not. The game has so much dialoge and you can basically talk to anyone and your character actually speaks what you pick and he is such a smart ass 98% of the time I love it. The story is not that special but I think its cool its kind of like star wars but no force instead magic and theres the iquisition(which is like the empire) and then the bandits/ dons men (which is like the rebels) and your fighting for control of the island basically and you have the choice to choose what side you want to support. Now a lot of people dont like the combat and a lot love it, I love it even though it is basically 2 buttons, block and attack, what makes it really fun is you have to be really good with timing, its kind of like a timing mini game. if you attack at the wrong time you leave yourself open to get hit blocking is really important and swinging at the perfect time is also important cause this game is really hard and if your not smart you will die tons. If you like games that hold your hand this isnt for you then. But if you like games that really give you a challenge then it is for you. #noquestarrows. theres a lot more I can say about this game but it would go on too long. This game… Expand
  25. Lucassmdt
    Nov 16, 2015
    10
    One of the best gamer I played! The history and the realism cativate until now. The history, centrated in a misterious organization (Inquisitors) and the fate of the world and me, I lone wolf in the mid of all this.
    One of the best gamer ever!
  26. keefbaker
    Nov 4, 2015
    8
    When I first attempted to play Risen I played for 30 minutes, noticed all it's flaws and decided to rename it "Risible". I've never been so happy to be convinced to give something a second try.

    Risen is as wobbly as a dog with 3 legs, you will need to ctrl-alt-del out of it more than once in your game. The voice acting can be a bit "amateurish" at times, the graphics a bit wonky, the    When I first attempted to play Risen I played for 30 minutes, noticed all it's flaws and decided to rename it "Risible". I've never been so happy to be convinced to give something a second try.

    Risen is as wobbly as a dog with 3 legs, you will need to ctrl-alt-del out of it more than once in your game. The voice acting can be a bit "amateurish" at times, the graphics a bit wonky, the quests so vague you'll occasionally need to use google...

    But you know what? Absolutely none of that matters because the world it's in is brilliant. When you start the game nearly everything is tougher than you, you'll learn to fight by grinding enemies down and parrying to stop them 3 hit killing you but by the end you'll be mashing them down like a tank.

    Risen is a gem in the rough. Stick with it and try to ignore it's (many) foibles and it'll reward you in spades with the kind of game freedom rarely seen and the kind of tactical combat that teaches you to treat enemies differently and not simply button mash.

    I'd love to give it a 9 or 10 but with the bugs and wonky bits I can't bring myself to do that.    … Expand
  27. deathbringer
    Oct 17, 2015
    10
    One of the best RPG experiences i've had! Truly a 10/10 and this game is so underrated, i don't actually know why, but i guess it's because many played it on the crappy ported xbox version.
  28. Nuker
    Jun 29, 2015
    8
    - Good: Setting, Atmosphere, Exploration, Combat system, Character progression
    - Mixed: Story, Characters
    - Bad: Second half of the game

    The first half of this game is very good, sadly the whole game didn't maintain such a high level
  29. nolte11
    Mar 28, 2015
    9
    I liked Gothic 2 very much and this game many points similar to it. I think the best non Gothic game Piranha Bytes made till now. Better than Risen 2 or 3 and in my opinion at least as good as Gothic 3.
  30. Phobius
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    I must start by saying i can be a little subjective on this game because my favourite childhood game series was Gothic. When this game appeared i had a lot of expectations of it and i must say it surpassed my expectations. In my opinion this is the true genre of rpg's with a little of open world to explore for your own pleasure. I can proudly say i finished this game 5 times now and iI must start by saying i can be a little subjective on this game because my favourite childhood game series was Gothic. When this game appeared i had a lot of expectations of it and i must say it surpassed my expectations. In my opinion this is the true genre of rpg's with a little of open world to explore for your own pleasure. I can proudly say i finished this game 5 times now and i didnt get bored on any of the occasions. So for the ones that are wondering if they should try it my vote goes for definitely yes.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best PC Game of 2009
19
#19 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Meristation
    80
    Fun, large and with many things to do, Risen is a good game for medieval RPG lovers. It has its flaws, specially due to technical issues, but overall it's a great experience, where every choice has its consequences. The great storyline and the different paths that we can follow are the strongest points of this game.
    Read full review
  2. SpazioGames
    80
    While Gothic sails away to other developers, Piranha Bytes turns the tide with this return to the origins of true RPG. Deep, polished, compelling, Risen is an RPG for RPG true lovers. Some small glitches and a general lack of accessibility make it step down a little bit on the score, but it's still THE game to have if you love RPGs.
    Read full review
  3. Everyeye.it
    80
    An old-fashion RPG, with an impressive number of quests and NPC, and a deep level-up system.
    Read full review
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