Going Deep with Risen 2: Dark Waters

Mat Paget

I’d like to first explain this little feature before I jump into it. Let me say it right now: RPGs are long ass games, and I play a lot of them. Playing a lot of these games doesn’t necessarily mean I ever finish them, though, and that’s exactly what this feature is going to be about. I don’t feel comfortable writing a full-fledged review, with a score, on a game I haven’t finished. My solution? I will go as deep as I can, and then talk about what I think of the game, ending with a quick summary (think of that as the score). So, without further ado, let’s go deep.

In my opinion, pirates are pretty cool; being a pirate was second only to being Batman when I was a child. The problem is there haven’t been many good pirate-themed videogames that allow you to actually become one. Heck, I still dream of the day Rockstar Games releases their mature open-world Caribbean adventure. And when Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was cancelled, I was absolutely heartbroken. I thought I’d never get my wish, but here I am today, writing about a game where players get the opportunity to take the role of a less-than-honest sea dog.

But that’s only a little true. You take the role of a dude with no name, who apparently is the main character from the first Risen. The character is a part of the Inquisition now, and they need to find a weapon to kill the Kraken, so they send him undercover to join the infamous Captain Steelbeard’s crew. From there, the world is pretty much open to you. Well, actually, you’re on an island, so I guess only that is open to you. Since it doesn’t have any dedicated landscape to traverse, it is difficult to become attached to the world when you’re moving from island to island. However, one thing that is pretty cool, but at times frustrating, is the initial lack of a map. Although it can be a hassle to find a map, it gives a great sense of freedom to not know exactly where you need to go; the encouragement of exploration is greatly appreciated.

And the area you explore is great, if a little narrow. There aren’t many wide-open spaces in this game, and sometimes the enemy placement can be a little overwhelming, but there are plenty of temples, crypts, villages, and caves to plunder. Exploring a cave could yield treasure, or an infuriated Ghoul. Those things scared the crap out of me, but thankfully, I just had to lure it towards a nearby town to escape. That sounds absolutely terrible of me, but hey, I’m a pirate. A soldier ended up disposing of it for me, and as pirates do, I took the Glory.

And Glory is Risen 2‘s counterpart for experience points. The skill trees–if you can call them that–are extremely simple. There are five attributes: Blades, Firearms, Toughness, Cunning, and Voodoo. Blades and Firearms speak for themselves, while toughness determines how you take damage. Cunning represents your pirate-y personality, and voodoo is the Magic equivalent. Each of these attributes has a slew of Talents and Skills. Talents vary based on what items you have equipped, and Skills are taught by people throughout the world. The issue I take with the Skills is that it can be hard to find exactly who teaches you what, and all of them come at a hefty price.

Otherwise, the pirate-y aspects of this game are top notch for anything that’s been in a videogame before. The characters may pale in comparison to games such as The Witcher 2, but there is no doubt that they are the best ruthless scumbags you can find. And it doesn’t even stop at the characters. What game has a skill where you can end a conversation by shooting the other guy in the head? This one. Even the conversation the A.I. pirates have with themselves is well done, if you don’t walk by a second time. That results in hearing the exact same back-and-forth again, which in its own right, can be hilarious.

Although the pirate aesthetic is enjoyable, the combat is the exact opposite. It’s clunky, and doesn’t really work that well. I haven’t experimented with the voodoo, so that may open the combat a bit, but as it stands, I am working with the classic pirate set-up: a sword, gun, and a bag of dirty tricks. The swordplay consists of merely hitting one button, then another to block. You can pull out your piece every once in a while and let a shot off. But since this is the time of single-shot pistols, there is a large cooldown after firing. And, of course, you’re a pirate, so you can also play dirty by doing various things such as throwing sand in your opponent’s eyes. However cool the combat may sound, it really doesn’t work as fluidly as one’s imagination may conjure.

Conclusion:

If you’re a fan of pirates, or anything to do with them, then it will be easy to look past Risen 2‘s shortcomings, such as the combat, bugs, and silly RPG moments. But if you have no affinity for a pirate’s life, then it might be best to skip this one.

The GameSparked Podcast May-1-2012

The GameSparked Team

Mat goes full pirate in this week’s edition of The GameSparked Podcast (which is served with a healthy dose of dubstep)! Sean Grant, one of the stars from “S**t Canucks Fans Say,” joins The GameSparked Team, as they discuss a wide variety of extremely intellectual topics. Brittney divulges details of A Serbian Film while playing Prototype 2; Jordan says, “Exactly;” Damian walks with the dead; and Mat is a pirate who is prone to seasickness. All this, and much more, in The GameSparked Podcast!

Brittney’s talk about A Serbian Film (and Damian revisiting of The Human Centipede II):
27:00 – 36:00

A very special thanks to Kevin Madden, the mind behind The DubSparked Remix.

Original GameSparked Podcast Intro/Outro by Cody DeBoer

Awesome Links!!
S**t Canucks Fans Say
Shit Canucks Fans Don’t Say
HouseofLinden YouTube Channel
GrooveThumper (Kevin Madden) YouTube Channel