Risen Reviews
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GameSpot hands out a 7.0/10:
Risen's flaws are notable. The unsatisfying combat lacks precision and flow, and bizarre quirks are common enough to make you wish the game had spent more time in development. But these problems aside, the game makes you care about its characters, which gives its main quest a sense of urgency few RPGs can match. It takes time to make an impression, but give it a chance: Risen will grow on you, and when it does, you may very well be hooked.
Games32 hits it with a 78%:
Risen is the spiritual successor of Gothic, and is in many ways just like it. It can be extremely rewarding if you develop your character long enough and invest a lot of time in it, but it can also be extremely frustrating if you are just starting and try to find that RPG freedom of exploration, even if you can go everywhere in theory.
Britxbox comes in with a 6/10:
In terms of content, Risen is nothing to scoff at. There are a good few hundred quests available, a whole bunch of items to either find or forge and, on occasion, you'll come up against a genuine moral dilemma. It may not be pretty and may not feel at home on the console but if you honestly haven't had enough of the genre you'll perhaps be able to overlook the foibles and enjoy what Risen has to offer. Even if it does feel stretched.
TechArena leaves us without a score:
Without really deciding to open a guideline in achieving Risen, Piranha Bytes comes anyway to create a very special atmosphere, both classic and confusing, to attract a wide audience of amateur role play. The proposed challenge is raised while being accessible. Able to move freely in this world is very visually pleasing and an undeniable pleasure. The improvement is very slow and difficult, particularly long adventure with a slight screenplay. The island is completely open, we are free to go anywhere we like, at our own risk of course. The few defects encountered does not really affect the gaming experience, however, Risen is very classical in game.
And then we have a fourth day of impressions on Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
Key to Risen is it is two opposing factions: the bandit fraternity of Don Esteban, and the religious fanatic/mage alliance of the Inquisition. Fairly early in the game, you decide which of these most appeals, and work towards it. It's one of Risen's cleverest systems, in fact rather than simply following a fixed plotline that eventually unlocks chumminess with one or the other, instead you pick and choose your sidequests. Once you've done a given amount of them, and acted in favour of a specific faction, you reach the point where your favour is high enough that the core story progresses, one way or another.
