14 DAY TRIAL // Risen is the latest RPG from the German developer Piranha Bytes. They're the ones responsible for the birth of the Gothic series, while the publisher of the franchise, Jo Wood, is responsible for its death. That is, mainly because they managed to drive the former away from the game while still keeping the license. Sure, a new Gothic is in the making and is to be released in 2010, but without the old developers to work on it we shouldn't really expect much. What does matter is that Piranha Bytes went on to make another game even without the Gothic license.
And so, Risen was born. It takes about 2 minutes into it to see that this is a Gothic game. Besides the beautiful environment and the “Gothic ostrich” that pops up right around the first corner the game gives you three possible factions to join. The first is a mix between the old Swamp Camp and Gomez's mercenaries, the second is the people in the nearest town, with whom I haven't really interacted yet, and the third faction is the Inquisition's monastery. As for this last one, joining is a bit of an overstatement. The way you become part of this faction is pretty unique and hilarious at the same time.
There's no quest and no trial that you have to pass. If anything, there's one that you have to fail. Warriors of the Order are scattered around the shrines of the world and recruit anyone in sight. Don't expect to be offered a contract to sign or a vow to recite. You're brought to the monastery caveman style: knocked on the head and dragged there. As long as you don't win the fight with the monk you become a recruit of the Holy order. And there's little chance of winning.
Risen is not hard, but rather challenging, just about as trying to drive off a starving lion by throwing a bucket of your own blood at it. The first animals you encounter are manageable – a little bit of tactics, a little bit of trial and error and you'll be fine. But the first NPC you're gonna cross swords with is going to remind you of that Gothic 1 feeling: you're nothing but a bug for the rest of the world to step on. It takes about 20 successful sword strikes to bring down your opponent while he only needs two or three. It's not a fight, it's a schoolyard bullying of the chess club by the varsity wrestling team.
Other things that remind you of Gothic are the graphics. The environment is beautiful but people look like they're made of cardboard folding. Their necks have sharp edges, their expression is blunt and their fists remind you of the squares Barret from Final Fantasy VII passed on for hands. Your character jumps like he just came out of a 1990 arcade: straight into the air like he just released a spring from his pocket. The game also performs a little unoptimized considering the level of detail it offers. But the dialogs, quests and the RPG elements are also beautifully implemented. So far it looks like if you enjoyed Gothic, even just a bit, you're definitely gonna like Risen.