Developer: Piranha Bytes
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Risen 3: Titan Lords – Review
Risen 3: Titan Lords is the latest installment in the RPG series called ‘Risen’. With the moderate success of Risen 2, Risen 3 aims to be a more successful sequel. Piranha bytes, the developer of the Risen series have for the first time taken up the development of both the PC and the console version.
The game itself doesn’t exactly pick up where its predecessor Risen 2 left off. We all know Patty from the first two games, but now you play with her pirate brother. It is in this review that we will discuss the game that is built around the story of how our again unnamed hero tries to retrieve his soul.
Story
Risen 3’s storyline has every ingredient needed to make it an epic adventure. You start off with Patty and the rest of your pirate crew at Crab Cove trying to find some ancient treasure. You and Patty board the island and after finding your way into the temple, you encounter a sorcerer of the Shadows who takes away your soul. Convinced that you are dead, Patty buries you and takes off, completely overthrown by sorrow.
The problem is, you are not dead. Bones, a magician of some sort who lives on the island knows that, digs you up and sees to it that you have a plan to get your soul back. This will be the official start of your adventure. The problem is, even though on paper the setting sounds right, the story never feels like it takes off. There are plenty of side missions to make the world richer, but the way the quests follow each other up, it just stays really predictable and hardly moving.
Even though there is plenty of lore to tap into from the first two games and plenty of possibilities to diversify the storyline and the quests that revolve around it, the game sticks to a linear predictable plot that doesn’t do a very good job at keeping you attached to the game. This is one of the main problems in the game, because a good story can overcome flaws in gameplay, keep you from quitting a game that has outdated graphics or make you buy a game in a genre you normally wouldn’t even think about.
Graphics
The graphics of Risen 3 are gorgeous… sometimes. Let’s start off with the environment. In general, the world of Risen 3 is extremely big and has a lot of exploring ready for you. The environment is beautifully done and most of the animals are a work of art. The problem is that they sometimes appear chunky, as though they were badly optimized and in most of the cutscenes various environmental objects feel buggy because they don’t load fast enough and appear like rough shapes before fully showing.
The buildings and characters are good, the former being better than the latter, but it’s the environment that really steals the show. Some of the wildlife looks so good, it’s almost a shame you have to kill them for food. Like we already mentioned, the characters are the least in the graphical category. The villagers, fishermen, druids, shamans, pirates etc. are okay, because they don’t get too many stage time. It’s the protagonists that feel like a letdown. For example, the emotions Patty shows when you die are so mixed that you actually hear her crying but see her laughing. The same can be said for other emotions that the characters should display, it just doesn’t work out.
It might not be an important point of critique, but compared to the gorgeous and seductive Patty we have come to know and love over the first two Risen games, this one feels like a step down. Especially the way she is designed.
Sound
In all honesty, the music of Risen 3: Titan Lords is great. I have listened to it even outside the game when I am working and even if you don’t plan to play the game, take your time to listen to the official soundtrack because it is gorgeous. Aside from the music, there are the sound effects of the combat and the environmental sounds which are also not bad. The clashing of swords sounds realistic and the overall sounds of the newly added magic is good though it might sound a bit funky from time to time. But hey, it’s magic.
Aside from the sound effects and the music, the third main criteria of our sound part is voice acting. This however, is maybe the biggest letdown. Every time the main character opens his mouth, you seem to lose feeling with the story and the same goes for the voice acting of Patty and other main characters. The only character that has some acceptable voice acting is Bones, because his crazy lines and voice fits the overall crazy magician type of person he is.
Gameplay
Risen 3 is a role playing game in the old sense of the word. Its skill system is old school, with a hint of the modern way of leveling up your skills. For close to everything you do in the world of Risen 3: Titan Lords, you gain Glory points. These points are in return used to level up your attributes, which are the prerequisites for skills like sneak, crossbow shooting, silver tongue, etc.
This is where the old school part kicks in, because in order to level up the right skills you have to find the right people. When you find those people, you have to be in luck that you leveled up the right attributes for the skills you want. There is no way of mapping out how you want to build your character, unless you do a fair bit of research and planning by talking to the right people and really exploring out your options.
It is a solid and fun system, for some people. It takes a kind of commitment to the game, because you have to be driven to get your character better. With the serious lack of story or great character design, it doesn’t seem to work well. The problem isn’t the system that Piranha Bytes have tried to implement, but the problem is that the system is overshadowed by the bigger problems of the game.
Aside from almost every npc being a skill trainer, most of them have their fair share of goods to sell. It can be annoying from time to time, because you really have to remember who is able to sell you the items you need to get the job done. When we say, get the job done, we mean fighting the many monsters Risen 3 has to offer.
The combat system can be really hard on you, because it is not that easy, but it is rewarding when you get good at it. It’s a shame that there are several exploits however, that let you take a spin on the whole combat system. Try dodging against a wall for example to avoid being hit, you might be surprised by the results.
Magic is another important part of the game, but it doesn’t really seem to add to the combat. Most of the important fights seem to be very close combat orientated and even though there is magic that lets you enhance that close combat, it is easy to ignore the numerous spells npc’s have to offer and just stick to sword play. If you pick up Bones as a companion, he will be doing some magic spells and you can completely forget about doing magic yourself.
Conclusion
Risen 3: Titan Lords doesn’t do a good job living up to the name of the Risen series and it feels like things are going downhill after the smash hit Risen. The story is good on paper, but doesn’t take off and sticks to a predictable line of events. The skill system itself is okay and may work for some old school gamers, but if you are not driven by a good story with good characters, it’s a hassle and doesn’t feel like fun at all.
Risen 3 as a game might work for some people and if you have played the first two games, you might give it a shot. We however have not been convinced about the game and hope that with a possible next installment Piranha Bytes will step up their game.
Risen 3: Titan Lords - Review,
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