If I had one complaint for Risen 2 is that it's a bad Pirhana Byte game.

I'm not someone who complains about a game being too casualized or too easy, but I can't ignore how many ways Risen 2 is a step back from Risen 1.

That being said, I can still admire Risen 2 as a good game. Maybe someone who doesn't like the style of Gothic 1/2 and Risen 1 would still enjoy the game. The power of the game's theme carries it far, and if you want a light-hearted, challenging pirate game then Risen 2 is a great choice.

(Just don't expect ship-battles.)

If you have played Risen 1, you MUST play this game on Hard mode (even if you played the first game on Easy, like myself). Even at that setting you'll probably get by with far fewer deaths than the first game.

If you haven't played Risen 1, I wouldn't recommend Risen 2 as an entry into the Gothic games. It's an accessible title for newcommers, yes, but the game doesn't have that freeform sense of discovery, replayability and challenge which makes PB games what they are known for.

It wouldn't prepare you to play the other games.


If Risen 1 was centered on the mage role with Rune Magic, then Risen 2 is focused on a Thief/Pirate character. The difference is R1 allowed you to be more liberal with your playstyle and offered you multiple paths to make you curious to play the game again. R2 feels tailored to a specific playthrough.

Swords, Guns and Thievery are what you will want to specialize in to get the most out of the game. Voodoo is far too strict/limiting to use in the main game and you'd be better off not crafting items of any kind and be better off looting what you can find. Alchemy, Distillery, Smithing and animal trading are useless fluff for immersion.

Even if you don't care of replaying the same playstyle over again, then you'll find little to offer a second playthrough. There is a fork in the road to make the game feel like it's made for two runs. In reality, however, it's all a ruse.

For one, if you're someone like me, you'll side with what you think is the good/right faction. The benefit of R1 was that the Don's men and the Order had both positive and negative qualities, making it unable to say who were the good guys. In R2, the natives are obviously portrayed as the underdog with little to no faults.

Second, the branching paths connect together sooner than they part. They only shape how you go through the scenario, which feels way too linear to make you feel like you're accomplishing anything. (For example, you can't just make voodoo dolls of anyone to figure out how to solve a problem.)

My recommendation is to make a Pirate-themed character, side with the natives for the Voodoo to change things up a little bit for the rest of the game--you don't even need to invest in the skill--and you'll get an enjoyable 25 to 30 hours of an experience. (Especially if you get the DLC.)


Unlike other fans, I am actually okay with the new format for the control scheme. It plays similar enough to Risen 1 that it doesn't feel out of place--instead of side-stepping we have Witcher 2 style rolling and we also have Demons' Souls memory of your inputs.

However, it's far from being perfect. The problem is actually that PB didn't make the controls simple enough, and the combat animations are too janky to read properly.

On an X1 controller, you use X for attack (power-attack, riposte, etc.), Y for kick, jump and dodge, LT for parrying (the block) and RT for using a projectile weapon. When you hold down the LT button, you lock on to the nearest enemy and you can do a real parry and riposte (clicking X then Y simaltaneously). B and A are not used in combat. At all.

This becomes a problem when you want to dodge rather than kick. Had they maped it to another button then you'd never have the problem of kicking by accident when the enemy circle-strafes your camera in the forward direction. And because you get a different control when holding LT for Y, then I don't see why they didn't do the Assassin's Creed layout of mapping buttons over one another. Switching them out with the LT.

If that's too technical, the problem is they mapped way too many actions to one button when they have a better alternative, overlaying the buttons with a way to switch between them. It causes problems because some actions are based on where you are moving and how the camera moves.

Another change I would suggest is implementing a Dark Souls stamina meter. It would counter-act spaming the dodge-roll button or make your attacks carry more weight in every battle. That would be one innovation I'd like to see.

Speaking of abusing missing frames, the other major problem with R2 are the animations. Some enemies are too inconsistent to know when to strike in order to counter their attack, so you're better off dodging than parrying.

Also, the block, for example, will sometimes block some enemies but refuse to block other attacks (like the Warthog). It's not clear what is acceptable and what is not from the animations shown. You simply won't know until you try, which I don't think is all that great.

Despite these problems, I think the combat is an improvement; it's simpler, which makes each encounter full of tension with every strike you make. So long as you get over that inconsistency curve.

(Oh, and the boss fights still suck. Not surprised.)


The biggest change from R1 to R2 is the exploration. Instead of being on one landmass with multiple entrances/exits and shaping how you traverse the island from the story's progression, you are exploring about 10 islands (with DLCs included) of a similar size.

It's hard to tell whether every major island is bigger or smaller than R1's location because the enemy mobs are much less of a problem than Risen 1. That change is definitely something I like as I found Ch 2 to 4 tedious from the enemy mobs.

As a result of the variety of the islands, and the non-linear manner of the game, the islands sometimes lack an identity. Only a few have major differences than being a tropical beach for colonization.

But because you're always finding something new to explore you will want to continue playing. The game has some Legendary items to give you permanent stat boosts and secret crew members to accompany you to make the exploration worthwhile. The best thing to do when arriving on an island is to ignore the settlements and go wander on your own--you'll get a lot more done that way.

The worst change in exploration, however, is how much they've neutered the sense of exploration. Climbing is no longer as free to the player as in R1; dungeon crawling isn't about spatial awareness to traps or secret pathways; and exploring the environment to shortcuts doesn't feel as rewarding as before.

Some might argue that it's due to consoles--especially the unnecessary QTEs--but Risen 1 was on the 360, even in a crappy state they didn't implement these changes. So why they limited the game this way makes no sense.


If it seems like I'm bashing Risen 2 a lot more than prasing its improvements, that's because there is a gem of a game to be found underneath the rough edges. The lore continues on from Risen 1 in some interesting ways, the characters you come across are more memorable, and even the horrible voice-acting and writing continue to have an amusing charm.

Instead of being a grim, hardcore Pirate RPG, we have a light-hearted, self-aware yet still challenging Pirate game that has a lot more to enjoy than to lament on its shortcomings. At some point you should consider playing this game for fun.

If I had one complaint for Risen 2 is that it's a bad Pirhana Byte game. I'm not someone who complains about a game being too casualized or too easy, but I can't ignore how many ways Risen 2 is a step back from Risen 1. That being said, I can still admire Risen 2 as a good game. Maybe someone who doesn't like the style of Gothic 1/2 and Risen 1 would still enjoy the game. The power of the game's theme carries it far, and if you want a light-hearted, challenging pirate game then Risen 2 is a great choice. (Just don't expect ship-battles.) If you have played Risen 1, you MUST play this game on Hard mode (even if you played the first game on Easy, like myself). Even at that setting you'll probably get by with far fewer deaths than the first game. If you haven't played Risen 1, I wouldn't recommend Risen 2 as an entry into the Gothic games. It's an accessible title for newcommers, yes, but the game doesn't have that freeform sense of discovery, replayability and challenge which makes PB games what they are known for. It wouldn't prepare you to play the other games. [h1]Arr Role To Play the Game (ARPG)[/h1] If Risen 1 was centered on the mage role with Rune Magic, then Risen 2 is focused on a Thief/Pirate character. The difference is R1 allowed you to be more liberal with your playstyle and offered you multiple paths to make you curious to play the game again. R2 feels tailored to a specific playthrough. Swords, Guns and Thievery are what you will want to specialize in to get the most out of the game. Voodoo is far too strict/limiting to use in the main game and you'd be better off not crafting items of any kind and be better off looting what you can find. Alchemy, Distillery, Smithing and animal trading are useless fluff for immersion. Even if you don't care of replaying the same playstyle over again, then you'll find little to offer a second playthrough. There is a fork in the road to make the game feel like it's made for two runs. In reality, however, it's all a ruse. For one, if you're someone like me, you'll side with what you think is the good/right faction. The benefit of R1 was that the Don's men and the Order had both positive and negative qualities, making it unable to say who were the good guys. In R2, the natives are obviously portrayed as the underdog with little to no faults. Second, the branching paths connect together sooner than they part. They only shape how you go through the scenario, which feels way too linear to make you feel like you're accomplishing anything. (For example, you can't just make voodoo dolls of anyone to figure out how to solve a problem.) My recommendation is to make a Pirate-themed character, side with the natives for the Voodoo to change things up a little bit for the rest of the game--you don't even need to invest in the skill--and you'll get an enjoyable 25 to 30 hours of an experience. (Especially if you get the DLC.) [h1]Streamlined Combat[/h1] Unlike other fans, I am actually okay with the new format for the control scheme. It plays similar enough to Risen 1 that it doesn't feel out of place--instead of side-stepping we have Witcher 2 style rolling and we also have Demons' Souls memory of your inputs. However, it's far from being perfect. The problem is actually that PB didn't make the controls simple enough, and the combat animations are too janky to read properly. On an X1 controller, you use X for attack (power-attack, riposte, etc.), Y for kick, jump and dodge, LT for parrying (the block) and RT for using a projectile weapon. When you hold down the LT button, you lock on to the nearest enemy and you can do a real parry and riposte (clicking X then Y simaltaneously). B and A are not used in combat. At all. This becomes a problem when you want to dodge rather than kick. Had they maped it to another button then you'd never have the problem of kicking by accident when the enemy circle-strafes your camera in the forward direction. And because you get a different control when holding LT for Y, then I don't see why they didn't do the Assassin's Creed layout of mapping buttons over one another. Switching them out with the LT. If that's too technical, the problem is they mapped way too many actions to one button when they have a better alternative, overlaying the buttons with a way to switch between them. It causes problems because some actions are based on where you are moving and how the camera moves. Another change I would suggest is implementing a Dark Souls stamina meter. It would counter-act spaming the dodge-roll button or make your attacks carry more weight in every battle. That would be one innovation I'd like to see. Speaking of abusing missing frames, the other major problem with R2 are the animations. Some enemies are too inconsistent to know when to strike in order to counter their attack, so you're better off dodging than parrying. Also, the block, for example, will sometimes block some enemies but refuse to block other attacks (like the Warthog). It's not clear what is acceptable and what is not from the animations shown. You simply won't know until you try, which I don't think is all that great. Despite these problems, I think the combat is an improvement; it's simpler, which makes each encounter full of tension with every strike you make. So long as you get over that inconsistency curve. (Oh, and the boss fights still suck. Not surprised.) [h1]Is Less More or Is More Less?[/h1] The biggest change from R1 to R2 is the exploration. Instead of being on one landmass with multiple entrances/exits and shaping how you traverse the island from the story's progression, you are exploring about 10 islands (with DLCs included) of a similar size. It's hard to tell whether every major island is bigger or smaller than R1's location because the enemy mobs are much less of a problem than Risen 1. That change is definitely something I like as I found Ch 2 to 4 tedious from the enemy mobs. As a result of the variety of the islands, and the non-linear manner of the game, the islands sometimes lack an identity. Only a few have major differences than being a tropical beach for colonization. But because you're always finding something new to explore you will want to continue playing. The game has some Legendary items to give you permanent stat boosts and secret crew members to accompany you to make the exploration worthwhile. The best thing to do when arriving on an island is to ignore the settlements and go wander on your own--you'll get a lot more done that way. The worst change in exploration, however, is how much they've neutered the sense of exploration. Climbing is no longer as free to the player as in R1; dungeon crawling isn't about spatial awareness to traps or secret pathways; and exploring the environment to shortcuts doesn't feel as rewarding as before. Some might argue that it's due to consoles--especially the unnecessary QTEs--but Risen 1 was on the 360, even in a crappy state they didn't implement these changes. So why they limited the game this way makes no sense. [h1]Something To Be Found Beneath the Grime[/h1] If it seems like I'm bashing Risen 2 a lot more than prasing its improvements, that's because there is a gem of a game to be found underneath the rough edges. The lore continues on from Risen 1 in some interesting ways, the characters you come across are more memorable, and even the horrible voice-acting and writing continue to have an amusing charm. Instead of being a grim, hardcore Pirate RPG, we have a light-hearted, self-aware yet still challenging Pirate game that has a lot more to enjoy than to lament on its shortcomings. At some point you should consider playing this game for fun.