- Compelling story and characters
- Strong pirate theme and atmosphere
- Diverse and interesting quests
- Clunky and frustrating combat
- Frequent game crashes
- Poor character animations
Emotions
Players find enjoyment in the pirate theme, engaging story, and exploration elements of the game. The atmosphere, humorous dialogues, and unique pirate setting contribute significantly to the overall fun and entertaining experience. Additionally, the improved combat mechanics and interesting quests enhance the gameplay, making it a solid and enjoyable experience despite some flaws.
Players experience frustration primarily due to frequent crashes, buggy achievements, and a clunky combat system. Technical issues, such as game crashes during cutscenes or travel, and poor combat mechanics, including unsatisfying sword fighting and firearms mechanics, contribute significantly to this frustration. Additionally, the game's performance issues and the need for cheats to achieve 100% completion add to the overall dissatisfaction.
Players feel disappointed due to the game's departure from the expectations set by its predecessor, Risen 1. The shift in theme from medieval fantasy to pirates, along with simplified mechanics and a weaker story, contribute to this sentiment. Technical issues, such as frequent crashes and poor graphics, further exacerbate the disappointment, making the overall experience underwhelming compared to the first game.
Players experience nostalgia when replaying the game, as it brings back memories of their childhood or earlier gaming experiences. The familiar pirate theme, atmosphere reminiscent of classic games like Gothic, and the charm of Piranha Bytes' unique style evoke a sense of nostalgia. This emotion is often tied to the personal history and fond memories associated with the game.
Players feel satisfied with the game's dynamic and interesting gameplay, diverse quests, and unique pirate setting. The transition to muskets and pistols, along with good voice acting and improved game mechanics, contribute to a pleasant and well-rounded experience. Despite some flaws, the overall gameplay and engaging story provide a sense of satisfaction.
Verdict
Mixed
Summary
Positive 70% · Negative 30%. Score: 30 / 100
Verdict
Buggy but Playable
Summary
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. Score: 40 / 100
Top points
- Stability Issues - Medium
- Mod Dependence - High
- Bug Fixes - Medium
Verdict
Tinkering Required
Summary
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. Score: 60 / 100
Top points
- Steuerung - High
- Animationen - Medium
- Stabilität - High
- Kampfsystem - Medium
Positives:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Players find the game fun and entertaining, with exciting gameplay and cool mini-games. The overall experience is enjoyable and engaging.
- 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.
Negatives:
- 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.
- The game is reported to crash frequently, especially in the Steam version. This includes periodic crashes to desktop, which significantly disrupts the gaming experience.
- Character animations are noted for lacking polish and appearing underdeveloped. They are described as outdated and wooden, detracting from the game's immersion.
- Quests are criticized for being useless, bugged, and repetitive. The quest design is often tedious and lacks variety, relying heavily on backtracking.
- There are significant issues with saving the game, including broken saves and inconsistent saving. The lack of an auto-save feature exacerbates these problems.
Gameplay:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The game offers an open-world environment with multiple islands to explore. Players can discover secrets, hidden treasures, and different themes across various islands.
- 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.
Performance:
- Many players report that the game frequently crashes and freezes, often at various points such as during gameplay, cutscenes, or after extended play sessions.
- 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.
- 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.
- The game's animations and graphical polish are criticized for lacking quality. This includes issues with lip-syncing, character animations, and various graphical effects.
- Players have noted long loading times and stiff controls, which can detract from the overall gaming experience.
Recommendations:
- Many players suggest that the game is worth playing at least once, indicating a generally positive reception.
- 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.
- This game is highly recommended for fans of unusual RPGs, particularly those who enjoy pirate and swashbuckling themes.
- The game is recommended for those who enjoy story-driven narratives with an emphasis on exploration and unique mechanics.
- Some players recommend this game only for those who want to complete the Risen trilogy or finish the hero's storyline.
Miscellaneous:
- The game was often purchased as part of a bundle, indicating that players may have acquired it alongside other games.
