RISEN
An island conspiracy with mages, muscle and balls
RPGs are known for their slow, methodical pace but even by genre standards, Risen is the definition of a slow burner. As soon as you step foot on the isalnd on which you are marooned, there's little help or guidance showing you where to go and what to do. In fact, during the first 20 minutes of the game you make a decision which will shape the entire campaign experience.
Risen tries very hard to dissuade you from making binary choices, and you'll have to think about some decisions very carefully. Some moral choices are easy, such as stopping a brutish customer beating up prostitutes, whereas others are much more complicated, like deciding if you should hand over a snitch to the Inquisition or the Outlaws - the Outlaws will end up killing him while the Inquisition will press-gang him into their ranks, which you may see as a fate worse than death anyway.
You would be forgiven for thinking that Risen is needlessly punishing but in reality it's just braver than your average RPG. A prime example of this would be the lack of instant travel and a complete lack of mini-map. The island of Faranga is a harsh, unforgiving place, with creatively designed beasts and a population torn apart by open war. Right from the start you can either choose to fight for the ruler of the Outaws, Don Esteban, or the evangelical leader of the Inquisitors, Mendoza. Due to both clans keeping their true motives concealed, both are constantly pouring honey into your ear about how their clan is better that their rivals. But you'll soon find that the lines between good and evil are often misconstrued.
The story is split into four different chapters and the gameplay easily sprawls into 60 hours-plus territory, and that's without exploring the island's many different temples and side quests. Sometimes the choices in front of you can be a little overwhelming, and when key quests end you're sometimes wondering what to do next.
At times, some of the characters look very similar, which is only intensified by the NPCs often being voiced by only a few different actors. It's only noticeable during the busier settlements in the game but it immediately breaks the immersion, and blights an otherwise believable story-driven experience. Characters are usually fully rounded and there are some memorable ones which will stick with you long after playing.
The inclusion of John Rhys-Davies as Esteban and Andy Serkis as Mendoza is a masterstroke and, as expected, they both completely steal the show. Combat is very mouse dependent - you use the left button to attack and the right button to defend. It's simple but becomes more complicated as you level up and learn how to parry and block. The usual fantasy arsenal is included, such as spears, swords, axes, bows and arrows and magic spells. You'll find that the spells are powerful and are helpful during quests as well as combat scenarios.
Each trainer has very specific skills which are appropriate for their role on the island. For example: treasure hunters can teach you how to dig, miners how to find iron ore and blacksmiths how to forge weapons. Everything you find can be used for a specific purpose. There is no weight in your character's inventory and the environment cries for your interaction with great harvesting potential. As you gain experience you'll earn learning points which can be spent on gaining new abilities like cooking and the ability to forge your own weapons.
There are some minor niggles, like incosistent visual performance and some ugly character models. The biggest issue we found was a lack of a first-person camera, as looking at your character's back soon grows tiresome. Also, the jumping animation is cringeworthy but you'll soon ignore these initially jarring impressions.
PCGZine Vertict: a compelling RPG experience with some great ideas.
84%
+ Memorable characters
+ An intriguing and original story
- Takes a while to get going.
Sidebar text:
Sinful activity - What's clear from the very beginning is that there's a distinct lack of order in Faranga. Drugs, gambling and prostitutes are all available to you, just make sure you aren't noticed by the Inquisition.
It's a kinda magic - Even though some magic is underwhelming, there's plenty to experiment with. Being able to transform into diffferent creatures like the Nautilus and conjuring dancing ladies are particular highlights.
Take a stroll - A lack of quick travel during the earlier levels forces you to take sights of the island. The lighting system and constantly changing weather offers some amazing sights of the varied geography which bursts with personality.
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