Risen Previews

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Written by BuckGB on January 29th, 2010

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I was told I would be able to judge the skill level of my enemy by how he stands and how he wields his weapon. The character-improvement system in this game would require me to take my character and any experience points he gains to specific in-game characters who could train my guy to learn the abilities I want. Different characters train different skills, be they blacksmithing, spell-making or whatever else. This would feel more realistic, I was told, to have the trainer teach you, rather than just being able to click on a button and suddenly be a mage. We saw a cook cooking, and I was told that anything I see a non-playable character in the game world doing, my character can do. And, yes, that includes picking up a broom and sweeping the floor.

Risen definitely has a few attractive attributes that should appeal to the RPG junkie. There's a surprising attention to detail, something the game's facade makes hard to believe. Every action is seemingly tracked by the game, and although there is no overarching "morality" system, NPCs clearly respond to your actions. For example, if you're caught stealing from a woman's house, she will cry out for help. Even after leaving the area, the woman will not forget -- she will always hold a grudge against you. Every action an NPC can do, the player can do. Blacksmiths, for example, will have to heat and hammer metal and go through a multi-step process to forge new weapons. Players, should they pursue the craft, will be able to learn the process, step by step.

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