Risen - First Impressions

[MRG]

Greetings all,

My first impression of Deep Silver & Piranha Bytes new RPG game "Risen", was that of a mixed bag. The games opening cinematic & first NPC encounter was somewhat less than impressive I felt visually & so I was slightly worried that it was an indication of things to come. While it's true that "Great visuals do not make great games", a low poly count can quickly kill a games enjoyment factor, if the story & game play are not sufficient enough to make up for the visuals.

Forcing myself to have an open mind, I continued playing.

Once I got over myself & actually gave the game a chance, I began to see that Risen's game world was in fact, quite attractive. With Semi-lush environments, ( Bottom screenshot shows lushness ) diverse enemy types & plants you could harvest to use raw or for Alchemy uses, were just the beginning. Add in the excellent voice acting & smooth game play, not to mention the many different weapon types & combat styles, I started to really enjoy myself.

Do you want to use swords & other blade types? Then train with them. The same for axes, maces & blunt weapons. Prefer to kill from afar? Then train to use Bows or Crossbows. Prefer to blast your enemy to smithereens? Then learn magic. Like to live in shadows? Then train to sneak & take the way of the rogue, learning rogue skills like pickpocketing & lock picking. Some skills you cannot perform until you train in them, though I'll not say what they are. I am currently playing as a swordsman, so i'm not sure if it's the same for those training in axes or blunt weapons, but with swords, every time I level up my sword skill, I have unlocked new content. Such as Parrying with your weapon instead of your shield, to open an enemy up for an extra attack & adding new directional swings which changes your combo's to how YOU choose to attack. I'm also only lvl 3 now in swords out of a possible 10 levels. I still have many more Sword "skills" to unlock.

Note: - I have a Mace equipped in the bottom 2 screenshots because I was fighting Skeletons just prior to getting caught out in the storm & everyone knows a blunt object works better against the skellies than does an edged weapon.

A few screenshots I took in game.

Character Screen

NPC Face

Lightning @ Night - Normal

Lightning @ Night - During Flash

Official website w/ screenshots, videos & demo
http://risen.deepsilver.com/blog/pages/en/news/news.php

So far, I have played for a little over 6 hours all together & I'm only at the very beginning of the first of 3 acts. I have also not had a single game crash or other problem. Some may find the game's melee combat to be very difficult. The more so if you just go all Rambo, wildly swinging your weapon. Use the skills you unlock & remember to block. At this time I have not played much as a ranged or magic user & as such, don't know all that much about those classes at this time. The game does remind me quite a bit of Gothic 3, only without G3's horrible bugs it had at launch.

Attention nVidia Card Owners:
Some people with newer nVidia video cards, are having visual problems. Such as the day/night cycle & the in game "fog". Not all users have this problem, but many do. So I would advise you to download the demo & see if it works for you. As far as I am aware, ATI users do not have these problems. I have an HD4850 & I have ZERO performance issues.

I'll post more once I play more. At this time, I very much enjoy the game & recommend it to anyone that likes Hack n' Slash RPG's, such as Gothic 3, Two Worlds & similar games.

-MRG

 

[tesher06]

The game looks really good, but the items in the menu look like they were taken from WoW.

 

[Paulaner]

Tried the demo. I'm more on the Dragon Age side, because I don't like hack n' slash rpg's too much. But, wow, the visuals are really stunning! The game looks polished and intriguing. Plus, the retail version is very cheap in Italy (much cheaper than Steam), so I'll give it a try.

 

[JustachaP]

didn't this get banned in Australia

 

[Paulaner]

didn't this get banned in Australia

http://kotaku.com/5334595/risen-banned-in-australia-sexual-activity-and-drug-use-cited

 

[Kyorisu]

Short video of me failing at Risen here.

Fun game.

 

[ktimekiller]

been dying to get my hands on another good pc rpg, but from initial impressions, and reviews so far, seems like a generic rpg thats pumped out yearly in the pc market

 

[Lucid]

Didn't like it at all.
Felt too much like the Gothic series, which I hated.

 

[Kyorisu]

Felt too much like the Gothic series, which I hated.

Made by the same people

Watch this http://games.on.net/file/29756/Risen_Making_of_VIdeo

Gothic 4 is being made by a different developer and looks like it'll suit a wider audience.

 

[OmegaX]

The game looks really good, but the items in the menu look like they were taken from WoW.

Yeah a few of them look exactly like the ones from WoW.

 

[Gunner]

The game looks really good, but the items in the menu look like they were taken from WoW.

Maybe because you can't cram too much creativity in a little 50x50 pixel box. Besides a health potion looks the same in all video games, it's meant to be recognizable. WoW didn't invent those things.

 

[Paulaner]

Warning: Steam forums report Tages copy protection system and online activation (apart from Steam itself). Retail version should have a simple disk check. I don't have a direct experience, so I cannot confirm on this.

EDIT: The Steam page talks about a limit of 3 activations. I'm waiting for my retail box, so I'll let you know if it has a simple disk check. I remember X3:TC working this way: activations limit on Steam, disk check on retail.

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

This pretty much feels like what Gothic 3 should have been. Im enjoying it so far.

 

[the cow says moo]

As much as I like hack n' slash rpgs, this doesn't look that good.

 

[MRG]

Maybe because you can't cram too much creativity in a little 50x50 pixel box. Besides a health potion looks the same in all video games, it's meant to be recognizable. WoW didn't invent those things.

Well said & correct.

This pretty much feels like what Gothic 3 should have been. Im enjoying it so far.

I feel the same way.

What play style are you? Melee? Ranged? Magic? Or a combo of them? I fought a few novices of the Inquisition last night & their staff attacks were cool, as were their hand to hand attacks. Been thinking about starting a new char to try out.

-MRG

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

I decided to go as a mage, which made playing reaaaaally tricky at first because I decided to save up all my skill points until I unlocked magic use. It was completely worth it though, as im nigh unstoppable now.

 

[MRG]

I decided to go as a mage, which made playing reaaaaally tricky at first because I decided to save up all my skill points until I unlocked magic use. It was completely worth it though, as im nigh unstoppable now.

I am lvl 9 now & I have yet to see any magic. Thus far, I have not used any scrolls, nor pissed off any Mages. Hows the spells eye candy? Anything like in the intro? I'm in Harbor town now. While in town, I was playing around with the Bow. I really like how you had to be fully drawn, before you would do any damage. No quick 1/2 pulls that do full damage. I like how the aiming works & how gravity plays it's part.

Basic Weak Bow

I am finding that this game sure does have a lot of quests!

-MRG

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

MRG would be a good community reviewer. Also yeargh been wanting to play this for quite a while now.

 

[Alan00000]

I love this game , I found a souldraining sword piece and then i found the other half and forged them together. now i have a 1 hit killer weapon that does 72 damage. Fun game.

 

[Xoldier]

This game is really addictive. Does anyone know how to open treasure chests that you dig out of graves? I have lock picking at max and no dice...

 

[MRG]

This game is really addictive. Does anyone know how to open treasure chests that you dig out of graves? I have lock picking at max and no dice...

You dug up the unknown thief's grave too huh? :thumbs:

Not sure how to open that casket either. Can't pick it, so I think you need the key, which is prob part of a quest inside Harbor Town. Not sure though. I'm still looking...

-MRG

 

[Top Secret]

I'm picking this bitch up the second it goes on sale. I loved the demo. Definitely felt like a Gothic game.

 

[MRG]

I'm picking this bitch up the second it goes on sale. I loved the demo. Definitely felt like a Gothic game.

<Loaded an earlier save game>

Just had an epic battle against a group of Skeletons & Skeleton Warriors. While it was prob only a minute or two long, it felt like it lasted much, much longer. I would Attack using every combo I knew & then retreat to high ground just far enough to down a health potion, before they were on me again. Sadly I didn't live to tell the tale.

The beginning of my death began while I was exploring some ruins on the Cliffs overlooking the ocean, when I was beset by a group of 5 undead. 3 regular Skeletons & 2 Skeleton Warriors charged me. After fighting them off, I frantically scanned around for a better defensible position. Which actually can play a huge part in the game. While using guerrilla hit & run tactics, I managed to take out 3 of the five. The last Skeleton Warrior slipped past my defenses & proceeded to give me a world of hurt. I managed to parry his next attack & dodged sideways. I took off running & as luck would have it, I came to a dead end. As the two remaining enemies boxed me in, I looked up & saw a possible way out. So I jumped up to grab a busted floor in the tower above me & pulled myself up, when a Skeleton Warrior rounded the stairs just above me from a direction I hadn't yet scouted. Even though I managed to raise my shield in time to ward off his first blow, it knocked me off balance & left me wide open for another attack, which the skeleton took advantage up. Again I only just managed to raise my shield, but the force of his blow knocked me back a step. A step that took me over the edge of the broken floor. Falling to my death via drowning several stories below me into the ocean.

I was pissed that I died & stoked at the same time that the fight was so epic. At least from my point of view. Of course I didn't have the presence of mind to press the Fraps "Record" button, even though I had Fraps running... Damn.. Then again, the fight prob would have looked pathetic.. lol..

-MRG

 

[CptStern]

I'm picking this bitch up the second it goes on sale. I loved the demo. Definitely felt like a Gothic game.

without the suck brought upon by a bug riddled game


played the demo last night and I liked it. the beginning was similiar to age of conan. how far does the demo go? I ended the demo after the guy with the beard took me to the road that leads to his camp. I reloaded my last save and didnt complete the beared guy quest and started exploring a bit in the monks area ..does it keep going? can I go to Harvest town or whatever it is? I'll probably pick this up; it's fun

does the game have a character creation part? can you pick classes? how do you level up/assign attributes?

 

[Raziaar]

Holy shit, what is that? That is awesome! I want to hug it.

 

[MRG]

MRG would be a good community reviewer. Also yeargh been wanting to play this for quite a while now.

Thank you for the compliment Mr.Willie!
( What do you mean by a Community Reviewer? )

does the game have a character creation part? can you pick classes? how do you level up/assign attributes?

1) You are stuck playing as a male character.
2) You have a clean slate & have basic understanding on how to use all Melee & Ranged weapons. See the first SS in my original post. Each melee weapon requires a STR level, while every Ranged weapon requires you to have a certain DEX level before you can even equip them. Some skills require you to first learn them before you can use them, such as pickpocket, Sneak & Lockpick. There are many other skills you need to learn first before using them. Magic is it's own branch altogether with it's own requirements.
3) You level up as you gain enough experience. You gain experience by killing enemies, completing quests, finding & using some items. When you level up, you gain "Learning Points". You can use them in any way you wish. You just need to find a trainer scattered around the game world to train with. Each faction will normally have them. Just gotta find them.

Holy shit, what is that? That is awesome! I want to hug it.

That little bastard, is a Gnome. A dirty, sneaky & if you are not careful, deadly fighter. They look small, but they are quick & like to use sickles. However, they tend to have good loot, so the risk is worth it. They also have a cute little dance when they see you, as they squeak & dance about, waving their weapon. Then they charge.

-MRG

 

[Kyorisu]

Fireball > gnome. One hit kill.

 

[Lucid]

Does anyone else get this really distracting fog in the game? I looked it up and it apparently happens to anyone with a Geforce 6 or 7 series gfx card.

That sort of impacted my enjoyment of the demo... could hardly see a damn thing because of it.

 

[Evo]

Read these folks:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/10/07/the-risen-report-first-night/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/10/08/the-risen-report-2-yes-we-can/

 

[MRG]

Does anyone else get this really distracting fog in the game? I looked it up and it apparently happens to anyone with a Geforce 6 or 7 series gfx card.

That sort of impacted my enjoyment of the demo... could hardly see a damn thing because of it.

Please read the bottom of my original post. I cover that. There is a known problem with nVidia graphics cards. Even though I have an ATI card, I hope this problem is quickly resolved, so that those with non-ATI cards will have the ability to enjoy this excellent game.

-MRG

 

[Paulaner]

Does anyone else get this really distracting fog in the game? I looked it up and it apparently happens to anyone with a Geforce 6 or 7 series gfx card.

That sort of impacted my enjoyment of the demo... could hardly see a damn thing because of it.

Piranha Bytes have released a hotfix that should address the issue.

 

[MRG]

Piranha Bytes have released a hotfix that should address the issue.

Ahh.. excellent. Thanks for posting that.

-MGR

 

[ktimekiller]

First impressions for me so far have been horrible.

Clipping issues, stuttering movements (particularly when jumping, which in itself was horrible), POV clipping past terrains, half assed textures and sprites sticking out of environment like sore thumbs, lacking good voice work (especially for first impressions!), jerky initial combat, no smooth animations, I cant list them all!

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

My first impression is that it seems horribly generic. I mean, look at the blurb on Steam:

Delve into a gritty, raw and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence. In the epic world of Risen, filled with mysterious earthquakes, fearsome monsters and unimaginable treasures, forge your path with the sword, learn the art of staff fighting or become a powerful mage.

Countless side quests and creatures to discover.
Over 60 hours of Immersive open world gameplay.
Alter the destiny of the island by the actions you take.

Could that be any more generic of a fantasy-RPG if it tried?

Reading reviews and people's experiences, it seems like it might be a bit of fun, but not something I'd buy while it's at full price.

 

[Paulaner]

My first impression is that it seems horribly generic.

generic is word of the month
I personally don't see anything wrong with a good, well done generic setting.

 

[MRG]

First impressions for me so far have been horrible.

Clipping issues, stuttering movements (particularly when jumping, which in itself was horrible), POV clipping past terrains, half assed textures and sprites sticking out of environment like sore thumbs, lacking good voice work (especially for first impressions!), jerky initial combat, no smooth animations, I cant list them all!

Valid, well stated complaints.

I will agree with you on the clipping, at times it is rather pronounced. However, that being said, please show me a game that does not have clipping. I don't think you'll find one. True some are worse than others, but EVERY game has clipping to one degree or another. I felt that they did a decent job with the jumping animation. Perhaps the falling for extreme distances could have used a little more work, but then again, I doubt the devs expected people to be spending alot of time falling to their deaths. I do wish I was able to attack while jumping, but it's a small negative I am more than willing to live with. I'm sorry you felt the combat was jerky, as since this is a hack n' slash game, combat is rather important. For a "smallish" game, I felt they did a good job wit the "space" they had. Did you not like the Melee combat or all combat in general?

Lacking Good Voice Work?? Alright, everyone has a right to their own opinion & I respect yours, but I just gotta ask: WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!?? The voice acting in Risen is very good, bordering on excellent. 1) Voice inflection is well done, 2) There is comedy, 3) Except for dialogue choices, everything is spoken. No reading NPC "voice" text. Well like I stated above, everyone has a right to their own opinion & I'm not trying to change your mind or say you are wrong. Just voicing my own feelings about your comments.

What are your PC's specs Do you have an nVidia card? Sorry to hear you didn't like the game. I wished you could have been able to have a good experience with it. The same as I did. Don't get me wrong, Risen is far from a perfect game, but it is one I feel is quite fun to play & for an initial release, the fact that it can run for more than an hour without crashing, is quite frankly amazing. So few games are released as stable.

God! See what happens when I don't get my morning cup of coffee? I ramble on..

<Grabs keys, wallet & heads for the door. The local gas station has a very nice coffee bar.>

Delve into a gritty, raw and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence. In the epic world of Risen, filled with mysterious earthquakes, fearsome monsters and unimaginable treasures, forge your path with the sword, learn the art of staff fighting or become a powerful mage.

Countless side quests and creatures to discover.
Over 60 hours of Immersive open world gameplay.
Alter the destiny of the island by the actions you take.

Could that be any more generic of a fantasy-RPG if it tried?

Um.. and that's a bad thing how?

-MRG

 

[Kyorisu]

MRG no matter how awesome a game is someone will always find a reason to complain.

 

[StardogChampion]

First impressions for me so far have been horrible.

Clipping issues, stuttering movements (particularly when jumping, which in itself was horrible), POV clipping past terrains, half assed textures and sprites sticking out of environment like sore thumbs, lacking good voice work (especially for first impressions!), jerky initial combat, no smooth animations, I cant list them all!

You've obviously never played the Gothic series before. They're notoriously B-rate in those areas.

 

[MRG]

You've obviously never played the Gothic series before. They're notoriously B-rate in those areas.

Pre-1.70 & 1.71 patchs, You are right, Gothic 3 was junk. Now the game is rather excellent. Sadly, most of you that gave the game a chance & then came face to face with the bugs, many which killed the game outright, never went back & gave the game another chance. While not perfect, the game is easily 100% better than the original retail version & is very playable. If you wern't aware of the new(er) patches, I invite you to look back several pages, where I talked about the game play after the newest & last patch was released earlier this year.

In my opinion, the game is very much worth a second or even third chance.

As for Risen, I came across my new home. As the Inquisition hauled off the previous owner, all I have to do is vacate the squatter that there now or share the place with him. ( Not an actual option, just me talking )

My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my chicken. Prepare to Die.

<Sings old 70's tune> "Sunshine.. On my shoulder makes me happy..."

Bacon & eggs anyone?

-MRG

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

Could that be any more generic of a fantasy-RPG if it tried?

Um.. and that's a bad thing how?

-MRG

Because in that blurb they've managed to tell me nothing about the game that isn't true of every other fantasy-RPG out there. I can fight "fearsome monsters" and find "unimaginable treasures" in a countless number of games. Why should I pay loads of money for this one?

I know "hooks" are sometimes synonomous with gimmicks, which are terrible ... but at the other extreme, if you have no hook then I have no reason to play. I want to be excited by a game I'm playing. When they make it sound as generic as every other fantasy-RPG I've ever played, I'm not seeing anything that'll do that for me. Where's the intriguing plot, or the engaging characters? I'm not saying they don't exist, but the fact that I've yet to hear anything about them doesn't give me much confidence (or excitement).