14 DAY TRIAL // Female pirates who land on a beach at night in the rain should really try and protect themselves from the pouring rain by buttoning up those few last buttons on the shirt and should also reveal the special magic they are using to instantly dry themselves off after their earlier swim (this is a fantasy universe after all, so magic is a possibility).
This was the first thing I can think of after the first few hours of Risen 2 – Dark Waters and it’s not a very good sign when it comes to the long-term appeal of the new third-person action and role-playing game from developer Piranha Bytes and publisher Deep Silver.
I played the first Risen for quite a while and could never get to see the spiritual successor to the Gothic series that had been promised. It is also unlikely that this sequel, which focuses on the battle against the Titan Lords and the various monstrosities they have created, has the potential to satisfy long-term fans of the Gothic world.
The main, unnamed character is very different from the hero we saw at the end of the first Risen, and one saving grace for the sequel might be to play up this anti-hero element and the angle of reluctant hero.
It might also be interesting to see how the engine copes with the newly introduced firearms, which could become the rulers of the battlefield if they are overpowered.
Unfortunately, even with all the graphics options turned up to the max, Risen 2 looks a little disappointing, especially for a player who has experienced the lavishness and the scale of Skyrim recently and has also sampled the Spartan simplicity of Legend of Grimrock.
Take a look at the attached video to see the first few minutes of Risen 2 – Dark Waters, including a few conversations and a quick battle sequence.
Unfortunately, the first few hours of the game have not hinted to any quality increase that would justify more time spent with Risen 2.
Worth a full Softpedia review? No.