I. General Info
Publisher:
Deep Silver
Developers:
Piranha Bytes
Wizarbox (Console)
Release Dates:
PC/Steam/Impulse - April 27th 2012 ($49.99 USD)
Console - NA: July 31st 2012 - EU: August 03rd ($59.99 USD)
System Requirements:
(Minimum)
Operating system: Windows XP (with Servicepack 2)
CPU: dual core with 2.1 GHz
Memory: 2 GB system RAM
Disk space: 5.5 GB
Graphics adapter: AMD Radeon 3870 or NVidia GeForce 8800 GTX (512 MB VRAM)
DirectX: version 9.1c
Sound: DirectX compatible sound chip
(Recommended)
Operating system: Windows XP (with Servicepack 2), Vista (with Servicepack 1) or Windows 7
CPU: dual core with 3 GHz
Memory: 4 GB system RAM
Disk space: 5.5 GB
Graphics adapter: AMD Radeon 4890 or NVidia GeForce GTX260 (1 GB VRAM)
DirectX: version 9.1c
Sound: DirectX compatible sound chip
II. Story
Many horrible years have passed since the Gods abandoned the world and the titans rose from the confines of their prisons. They devastated everything in their path with unstoppable force. However, there is a place on the southern tip of the Old Empire which still seems safe from the clutches of the Titans – the “Crystal Fortress” in Caldera. It is the headquarters of the Inquisition and a place of refuge for the people. It is repeatedly attacked by sea monsters, and supply ships are sunk en route. Nobody knows how long the walls will hold; food and weapons are gradually running out. The nameless hero, devastated by the developments on Faranga, now drowns his sorrows in rum in the harbour town Caldera. As the situation grows more and more dire due to the shortage of food, he sets out on a mission to put an end to the sea monsters once and for all. During his adventurous journey he not only faces new and immense challenges, he also meets old acquaintances who help him on his quest.
III. Characters
Nameless Hero: You are a brave, self-confident warrior. Misunderstood by the world, yet prepared for any danger. You fled your native island of Gaurus some time ago, but fate intervened and your boat was devoured by the sea. It flushed you out onto a small island named Faranga, where you freed the inhabitants from the raging Fire Titans. After the events on Faranga there was not much that you could do. Alone, in a world without hope, you joined the Inquisition and fled the Titans with them. You had every hope that you could evade the Titans. However, with your armour and your weapons lying at the bottom of the ocean, you have failed to find any peace. You realise that you cannot shun your responsibilities. You were the one who defeated the Titan on Faranga and it is you who must give the people fresh hope.
Patty Steelbeard: Armed with a sabre, a pistol and a very sharp tongue, she has boldly stood by the nameless hero since Faranga. She is the astute daughter of probably the most famous and most notorious pirate of all time: Gregorius Emanuel Steelbeard. She has spent most of her life searching for her missing father. To help in her search, she follows in the footsteps of her father and earns her living as a pirate bride. She has certainly managed to hold her ground in the male-dominated pirate world and has earned the respect of her male counterparts. To help survive she has developed a rough and sassy manner. But Patty also has a loving and charming side to her which only her friends get to see. Her relationship to the “nameless hero” in particular is very special…
Captain Steelbeard: Captain Gregorius Emanuel Steelbeard is an old-school pirate: a man of honour with no manners. With his crew he used to plunder the shores of the Lost Realms back in the old days, which is how he made a name for himself among the pirates.
The gruff and extremely confident old buccaneer is a pragmatist and one of the last true pirate captains of the Southern Seas. Whether he’s capturing Inquisition ships to get his hands on their gold or starting a fight over a cask of rum or a beautiful woman, for Steelbeard, the end justifies the means, and the Creed is his law. During one of his raids, he meets the nameless hero, although he isn’t terribly impressed with him at first. But Steelbeard treats every man equally, be he a sailor or a stranger, so the old pirate gives the nameless hero a chance to prove himself.
Chani: Courageous and full of pride, Chani is the daughter of the chief of the Shaganumbi tribe. Chani has spent her entire life in the village of the Earthclan, and despised the expansion plans of the Inquisition, and the appearance of marauding pirates in her home. As a strong-minded voodoo witch with a gift in magical talents, she is dedicated to the protection of her people. She defends with the strength of the people of her tribe against the dangers and rise of evil within and outside the community.
The nameless hero meets Chani on his travels; she shows him that "savages" are perfectly able to defend themselves against invaders! Chani is torn between seeing the nameless hero as a threat to her and her people and deciding if he is her only hope in helping her stop the evil that lies ahead.
Jaffar: Small, quick and always searching for booty. Equipped with a seemingly limitless number of bags and sacks, Jaffar is going to leave his home, the “Isle of Thieves”. He braves the dangers of the upcoming adventure with a sword and many small items which he can use as throwing weapons, even if they weren’t originally intended as such. Jaffar is still pretty young for a gnome. He has just reached the age at which he must undertake his “great journey”, assigned to him by his shaman. The goal of his trip is to grab a unique item of special spiritual value. This effort is greater than his fear of enemies and the upcoming danger. Throughout his journey, he comes in contact with the race of humans, which is not always easy for him. In particular, many human behavioral quirks don’t quite make sense to him, and this gets him into trouble more often than not. Nevertheless, he tries his best to understand the ideology of humans. It helps that he is able to speak the human language at least a little bit. Indeed, he builds simple sentences and frequently describes what he means, and occasionally lapses into the language of his own people. Jaffar meets the Nameless Hero on his mission and supports him in his adventures. Of course, during this upcoming adventure he hopes to find his unique item of special spiritual value; his “Auri Culci”.
Bones: As the former ship's doctor and a talented distiller, Bones has heavy hardships behind him. He was betrayed from his shipmates and friends and left to rot on a small island, for no reason. After a long period of loneliness, hopeless wandering and the constant struggle for survival, he was finally found by the natives of Maracai Bay. They tried to return him to good health, but succeeded only with his body. His spirit could not be made whole again. Infected by the madness and jungle fever Bones suffers from persistent paranoia, visions, fear of death and choleric temper tantrums. Since then, he lives out his life among the residents of Maracai tribe and hopes to release his wearied soul. Will the nameless hero help the unfortunate pirate and free his soul? Can he win Bones over to become a valuable team member?
IV. Gameplay: The player doesn't choose his character or his class. One gains experience points (XP) as rewards for fighting monsters and solving quests. When enough points have been accumulated, the hero levels up and earns learning points (LP). The player can spend these learning points with Trainers - special NPCs that are scattered around the game world - to increase his stats or acquire new skills. The player can use a wide range of weapons, including, for the first time, guns. Alternatively, the player can choose to play as a mage. Risen offers the player a semi-open world: each island is a separate area that requires loading; but once the area is loaded, one can move freely without hindrance or pause for loading new items. At the beginning of the game, not all islands are reachable, but they become so as the story unfolds.
V. Images
VI. Video
Hope Emerges Trailer
Reveal Trailer
Launch Trailer
Low, medium, and high graphics comparison
The Making of Risen 2
Creating Worlds
Factions
Animations
Music
Fighting and Dirty Tricks
VII. Reviews
GameBanshee Detailed Review
PC Games Germany 86%
Gamestar Germany 85%
Mash those Buttons 3.2/5
Destructoid 7/10
Atomic Gamer 7/10
IGN 6.5/10
VIII. Misc
All info/media shamelessly stolen from the Official Site and thread contributers.
