Risen 3: Titan Lords

With Risen 2: Dark Waters Piranha Bytes proved themselves to be modern. The developer based in Essen, Germany provided us with new mechanics, tweaked the combat system and wrapped it all up in a brand new pirate theme. Nevertheless, it fell short of greatness, as the studio struggled to achieve their own lofty ambitions. The game was littered with good ideas, but their implementation often proved less than satisfying. And the start of the game was far too slow and sluggish. Fans were disappointed by its lack of charm.

The team appears confident that they redeem themselves, at least as far as the last point goes. Not only does Risen 3: Titan Lords add several guilds and factions, but it's a return to a more familiar setting as we're back to a medieval themed game. There are forests and ruins to explore, and mines for fans of Gothic, and much more. Crystal magic is back. But it doesn't completely abandon the concepts found in its predecessor as the pirates will once again have a role to play. There are islands, and areas inspired by the Mediterranean and Tropics, some of them even make a return from Risen 2: Dark Waters. Good news as we'll be able to swin this time around.

The story is that of a nameless hero. The Titans continue to wage war on the world and cause suffering. At the start of the game our soul is swallowed by a mighty Shadow Lord against whom we have no means to defend ourselves. Naturally, we want to reclaim what we've lost, but we need some magical assistance to achieve this and so the journey begins. Not the most novel of starts. We have the freedom to develop either in a human direction of demonic direction as a result.

The combat system, as far as we can tell from a brief introduction, works adequately. You can use your sword and magic and a lot of emphasis is placed on combos where you need to time actions correctly. We fought skeleton warriors, rhinos, giant hermit crabs, and cute little ducklings and turkeys. There are plenty of opportunities to invest ourselves in the game world - for some actions we're awarded soul points while in other cases they are deducted. There is also a fame system in play, we're your awared according to the difficulty of the task.

Risen 3: Titan Lords makes use of an improved engine. There is a greater level of detail, but the dialogue are still sparsely animated. When compared to the likes of upcoming games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Dragon Age: Inquisition it appears a little out of date. But presentation isn't the primary focus of Piranha Bytes as their main ambitions are with the game mechanics and exploration. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder regardless, and seeing as this is more of a niche title it doesn't faze us.

It's easy to make these kind of excuses. Piranha Bytes makes their case that they're hoping to go against the grain and develop something that's not necessarily mainstream. What's important to the team are variety and plenty of options for the player. After what's described as a linear introduction Risen 3: Titan Lords will, much like its predecessor, open up to a non-linear experience. The player decides where to go, and there is no fixed sequence of events. There will be multiple endings and different ways in which to solve quests. An approach shared with games like Divinity: Original Sin, and it's something that certainly appeals to us.

Done right this immerses the player in the world in a way a more linear approach can never achieve. We're not taken by the hand, but most seek out our destiny on our own. In a way the studio wants to make a game in the spirit of the old Gothic games. We still hope that some new mechanics are introduced against the wishes of the most conservative fans. One thing the die-hards often ask for is the exclusion of a mini-map. That can of course be switched off, and not every new addition is automatically something bad. Especially when you hope to introduce new players to the experience, a bit of hand holding goes a long way in the beginning.

Risen 3: Titan Lords is set for release in August - just over two years after the launch of Risen 2: Dark Waters. The console versions are being ported by an external developer, but internally more resources have been spent to ensure a more satisfactory experience for console players. Hopefully, lesson have been learnt from past mistakes. We still have some mixed feelings about the game, but the urge to explore a sprawling role playing world takes over. An adventure were we're left to our own devices. Don't disappoint us, Risen 3: Titan Lords!