Risen Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on October 2nd, 2009

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I suppose I'll say this: there's a lot of talk about whether games reviewers are trustworthy in their judgements. There's a lot of discussion about critics hedging their bets a little too much, or, conversely, coming down too enthusiastically on one side. There's a reason why people post things like (I'm going to wait for the user reviews) on website comments threads. People need multiple opinions from people with whom they can associate, because sometimes, people's impressions are going to be so polarised that any isolated hard-opinion is going to be rendered a little meaningless.

That's the case with Risen, but extended to the point where I can't even say with any real conviction what I think. There's no point in masking that, no use in running too far in one direction to the exclusion of reasoned reporting. So, I guess, here's my review of Risen in a nutshell: it's a game I like, except when I don't, and one you might be rather fond of, unless you're not.

Up against such revered and critically acclaimed competition, Risen cannot help but come across as a shabby, underdeveloped pretender with none of the polish or insight shown by much older games. The core idea is sound (if unoriginal) and the idea of being shipwrecked on an island is a good one (a medieval Lost, if you will) but this is unfortunately left unexplored after the initial opening FMV. What follows is the worst kind of gaming experience- part shameless copy of what has been done (much better) before, part outdated design and presentation, all bad. One to avoid.

It ultimately comes down to effort versus reward, and Risen requires a lot of effort on your part. Not just the usual time investment needed to get the most out of serious role-playing but a conscious decision to put up with the crude interfaces, to tolerate the stodgy combat and to generally make the best of a game that is fundamentally unappealing in too many core areas. Even for players who put in that level of effort, the reward is only worthwhile when considered in isolation. If this were the only console RPG available the numerous flaws might be worth suffering, but when compared to the ambition and polish that other games have brought to the genre in recent years Risen demands far too much and offers too little in return.

...in this post Oblivion, post Fallout 3, post Fable II world, Risen's got no excuse, especially on the Xbox 360. As an Xbox 360 RPG, even as an Xbox 360 fantasy RPG, it's so unpolished, so devoid of the oomph demanded by current gen games, so inaccessible and needlessly punishing, that it's offensive. The issue is not time: Great role-playing games are always huge time sinks, and Risen is no different - it'll easily last you 60 hours. The issue is enjoyment. If Piranha Bytes hadn't designed Risen while giving accessibility the finger, then it would have had a chance of being a slow burning but absorbing RPG. As it is though, it's impossible to recommend. You're better off playing through Bethesda's Oblivion, even if it's for the 50th time.

If you've played Fable II to and are looking for an RPG distraction to tide you over until Fable 3 comes out, you could do worse than Risen. I'd just wait until the first price drop before picking it up.

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