Risen Reviews

Two more reviews for Piranha Bytes’ Risen have hit the web over the past week or so, though their overall tones are considerably different.

Gaming Bits comes across much more favorably, though they don’t leave us with a score:

Games as deep as Risen come around only once every few years. If you enjoy fantasy RPGs like Oblivion, you should consider playing through Risen. It’s not up to the graphical or technical quality of some other RPGs currently available, but it is a long and engrossing adventure. Was I frustrated by the technical glitches? Yes, especially towards the conclusion of the game. Would I recommend Risen? Yes, but to those who like long action-RPG challenges and can overlook some of the lower qualities of the game. Did I enjoy Risen? Yes, enough to complete my playthrough and enjoy doing it. If you are a fan of fantasy action RPGs, Risen will give you many hours of gameplay for the money.

And then Site of the Gaming Dead winds up with a 2/5 and some obvious bitterness:

The rogue is a primary archetype in the fantasy setting like the fighter and the mage, but the rogue has the unique ability to open locks and pick pockets. Since game designers don’t want to disadvantage players for picking their favorite class, this means no object of importance will ever be in a locked chest. Similarly, players should not be disadvantaged for moral choices, so the selfless do-gooder will somehow wind up with the same amount of money as the selfish pickpocket. Where most games balance this by making stealth a beneficial and intricate part of combat, to compensate for the rogue’s wasted skill points, Risen compensates for it by stomping your rogue into the dirt until you have the good sense to train as a fighter instead.