Risen Reviews

Reviews of Piranha Bytes’ Risen continue to pile up, with a few more reaching the Internet over the past 48 hours or so.

Crispy Gamer kicks things off with a score of “Try It”:

Risen is a solid game that religiously follows the design of the Gothic series. It would even be fair to say that the game is a wholesale rip-off of JoWooD’s RPG under another name. But who cares? Isn’t this what fans of these games expect from Piranha Bytes? We have to wonder what JoWooD and Spellbound are going to do with the Gothic universe in the upcoming sequel, and to be thankful that someone is working on a franchise that will give us the familiar role-playing game experience we want. Risen is our safety net.

Then we have Cheat Code Central with a score of 4.4/5:

Risen is not an RPG game for the impatient-minded. It moves along at a slow burn, and bettering your character can be a meticulous and painstaking process at times. The challenge is steep early on, yet the lack of instant gratification and power loot hording is actually refreshing. Faranga is a finely crafted setting for what ultimately turns into a tremendously deep and very satisfying fantasy RPG. It has a few shortcomings; they’re largely forgivable, once you get lost in the adventure.

Followed by College News with a score of “B”:

Risen may not venture into any territory not already covered in past Gothic titles or other RPG’s like Oblivion, but despite its flaws, it’s still a very solid and enjoyable game that hardcore RPG nuts will be able to invest countless hours into. Casual gamers and newcomers to the franchise will want to be wary of its steep learning curve and in-depth gameplay, but anyone who finds the appeal in exploring magical lands full of hidden dangerous and epic rewards will definitely want to check out Risen.