Risen

Risen is far from an RPG for everybody, but for the right player it is a member of a rare breed that doesn’t see many new releases anymore. For fans of games like Gothic, Risen is a solid experience that balances out its impenetrability with being exceptionally rewarding. So, whether you are looking to visit an older style of western RPG or replay a fondly remembered cult classic, Risen is a solid port to do so with.

Brimming with ideas and invention Risen embarrasses most modern RPGs, although it shows its age in its infuriating combat. Nevertheless, it is worth playing for those that can look past that.

What we have in Risen is a game from 2009, in all its faded glory, released unchanged onto modern machines. It looks rubbish and it plays very poorly in the combat stakes, but yet, there is something about the world that will keep you trying. There is a solid hook, an urge to see what is on the other side of the swamp, or the town, that keeps you going even when you swear you are done.

Risen is a weird release. Sure, we are getting just about everything these days and I love that, but this one is just a weird pull. The genre has its fans, heck one of them is on our weekly podcast, so I can see the appeal of bringing back the classic Euro-jank formula. Risen is packed with content and if you can get past its blemishes there is a solid RPG here to last you at least 60 hours, but I feel a lot of today’s gamers won’t even get off the beach tutorial at the beginning of the game.