Risen 2: Dark Waters Review Summary

Compelling story and characters: The game features a unique and interesting plot with well-developed characters and engaging storylines. The setting, story, characters, and humor are well-received, making the narrative a strong point.

Strong pirate theme and atmosphere: The game is widely praised for its immersive pirate setting, capturing the spirit of piracy with a unique blend of fantasy and adventure. Players enjoy the distinctive atmosphere, engaging pirate plot, and the detailed implementation of the pirate theme.

Diverse and interesting quests: The game offers a variety of quests and activities, with diverse and creative quests that keep players engaged. The quests are varied and interesting, adding to the game's appeal.

Fun and engaging gameplay: Players find the game fun and entertaining, with exciting gameplay and cool mini-games. The overall experience is enjoyable and engaging.

Exploration of tropical islands: Players enjoy exploring the tropical islands, with a charming environment and the freedom to explore multiple islands. The theme of sailing and exploring islands is well-received.

Clunky and frustrating combat: The combat system is widely criticized for being clunky, unresponsive, and unsatisfying. Players find it sluggish, unbalanced, and poorly implemented, leading to a frustrating experience.

Frequent game crashes: The game is reported to crash frequently, especially in the Steam version. This includes periodic crashes to desktop, which significantly disrupts the gaming experience.

Poor character animations: Character animations are noted for lacking polish and appearing underdeveloped. They are described as outdated and wooden, detracting from the game's immersion.

Useless and repetitive quests: Quests are criticized for being useless, bugged, and repetitive. The quest design is often tedious and lacks variety, relying heavily on backtracking.

Save game problems: There are significant issues with saving the game, including broken saves and inconsistent saving. The lack of an auto-save feature exacerbates these problems.

Diverse combat system: The game features a combat system that includes melee weapons, firearms, and magic. Players can engage in combat using swords, pistols, muskets, and other weapons, providing a variety of combat experiences.

Character system and progression: The game includes a character system with attributes, skills, and a progression system. Players can upgrade their skills and abilities, and choose different factions and story paths.

Pirate-themed setting: The game is set in a pirate-themed world with various locations and a colonial setting. Players can explore different islands and engage in pirate adventures.

Open-world exploration: The game offers an open-world environment with multiple islands to explore. Players can discover secrets, hidden treasures, and different themes across various islands.

Voodoo mechanics: The game introduces voodoo mechanics, allowing players to control other characters and engage in voodoo quest lines. This adds a unique element to the gameplay.

Frequent game crashes and freezes: Many players report that the game frequently crashes and freezes, often at various points such as during gameplay, cutscenes, or after extended play sessions.

Performance and optimization issues: Players experience performance issues such as low FPS, frame drops, and high CPU usage. The game is also reported to have poor optimization and high system requirements.

Compatibility and settings issues: There are reports of compatibility issues, particularly with gamepads and specific operating systems like Windows 10. Players also mention the need for various patches and adjustments to improve game performance.

Animation and graphical polish: The game's animations and graphical polish are criticized for lacking quality. This includes issues with lip-syncing, character animations, and various graphical effects.

Loading times and control issues: Players have noted long loading times and stiff controls, which can detract from the overall gaming experience.

Worth trying at least once: Many players suggest that the game is worth playing at least once, indicating a generally positive reception.

Flawed but charming experience: The game offers a worthwhile experience for fans of action RPGs despite having an underdeveloped combat system and bugs. It is charming and atmospheric, typical of Piranha Bytes games.

Recommended for pirate RPG fans: This game is highly recommended for fans of unusual RPGs, particularly those who enjoy pirate and swashbuckling themes.

Recommended for story-driven exploration: The game is recommended for those who enjoy story-driven narratives with an emphasis on exploration and unique mechanics.

Play for trilogy completion: Some players recommend this game only for those who want to complete the Risen trilogy or finish the hero's storyline.

Steam Deck: The game has several significant issues that impact the user experience. The most notable problems include clunky controls, poor animations, frequent crashes, and an unclear combat system. These issues collectively detract from the game's overall enjoyment and playability.

Mod reliance: The game Risen 2 has notable stability issues and bugs that are somewhat mitigated by community-created mods and patches. Users frequently rely on these mods to improve gameplay and fix various issues, indicating a significant dependence on community fixes. However, the game is still playable without mods, albeit with some crashes and bugs.

Bundled game purchase: The game was often purchased as part of a bundle, indicating that players may have acquired it alongside other games.