Risen

by Deep Silver

Product Features

• Open world action RPG where every action has consequences
• Game is divided into 4 chapters and lets you decide which side you will join
• Spells can be cast either through a scroll or a rune (30 different spells)
• Full world streaming support - No loading of screens
• With each level, the character learns and improves his skills

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002C0VNVG
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches ; 5.4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 23, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,247 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #39 in Video Games > Xbox 360 > Role-Playing

Product Description

Platform: Xbox 360

A sweeping story captivates players from the start! An epic story in an authentic world hand-crafted with an eye for detail and populated by "real", plausible characters. The heavy tremors on the island bode ill for its inhabitants. Ancient temples have risen from the ground recently bizarre creatures are terrorizing the area. Fear and terror is spreading among the population. A group of powerful men who call themselves "The Inquisitors" have taken it upon them-selves to put an end to these events. They send an exhibition to this remote island, but a storm takes hold of the ship and destroys it at sea. A Hero Will Come As if by a miracle, the player survives the shipwreck and is stranded on the volcanic island alone. He finds himself amidst a chaos of rebellion, tyranny and mystic rituals. He must now decide to which side the pendulum of fate will swing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do not overlook this game., April 8, 2010

By 

Robert S. Foster "The Death Hippie" (morrill, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Risen (Video Game)

Risen has got to be one of the best rpg's to hit the 360 this year. The graphics are not the best for the 360 and the voice acting isn't much better, but this game is addicting to play. There are plenty of side missions along with the main story line to keep you busy for hours. When killing enemies you can search them to take some of the animal meat and before you can eat it you need a frying pan and a fire to cook it, you can pick plants and mushrooms to combine and mix into stronger potions, you can learn to be a blacksmith so you can make your own equipment, or learn to be a thief and pickpocket people while you talk to them and if you are caught stealing you get beaten buy the gaurds and whoever you stole from and they stay mad at you until you use a joke spell or joke scroll to make them like you again. From what I've played so far it seems like it is a massive openworld adventure with some oblivion elements but not a copycat ripoff. When you level up I think it picks your upgrades automatically unless there is a way to do it manually that I haven't figured out yet. Some downfalls in the game is the controls take alittle time getting used to, when doing missions you actually have to figure out where you got to go since mission markers don't appear on the map which isn't a big deal once you get used to it, that just means more looking around. Besides the fact that you need a frying pan to cook, you can also get a broom so you can sweep floors, you can get a saw so you can cut trees, you can get a pick axe so you can mine for minerals, I'm sure there is more to do I just haven't made it that far yet. In my opinion this game does what the first fable tried to promise, A massive open world adventure where your choices actaully change the outcome of the game, plant's grow back over time. Get this game, you wont regret it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game!, January 15, 2011

By 

Dimich (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Risen (Video Game)

I believe that this game has been largely under-appreciated because many people got lost and confused in the beginning of the game. I'll admit, I was one of them - when I started playing Risen, I felt that there was a great game hidden there, but I couldn't get through to it because I wasn't sure what to do. I literally just explored the island fighting animals and monsters, enjoying it and thinking, "well, I guess that would be the game for me." It was only at the replay when I discovered the "door" into other three chapters of the game and how great it was.

GAMEPLAY
Game-wise, Risen has reminded me of the Two Worlds - same as there, you have a large "free-roaming" world to explore with the main quest and side missions that you get after talking to people. In Risen you are a traveler stranded on the island and, to get off it, you have to understand what is going on there. Through the game you learn to use various weapons of your choice, certain level of magic, ability to mine gold, make swords, open locks, cook, or steal. All of these allow you to either progress in the game or complete certain missions. Risen is an RPG where you receive experience points, which give you learning points, which in turn allow you to use them to learn certain skills or get strength points from various teachers.

ENVIRONMENT
In overall, the environment feels very realistic and beautiful. Day turns to night, sunny weather turns into rain or a thunderstorm, the sun and the moon rise and set, and the clouds realistically move across the sky. There are forests, lakes, rivers, swamps, mountains, caves - in overall, anything you want if you like to explore the "open-world" games. The map is very small and does not provide a great assistance - it only helps to realize you current location - so you have to rely on your memory and ability to orient yourself in space.

THINGS TO DO
The game offers you many interesting things to do inside and outside the quests. As part of the quests, you can fight in the arena, investigate crimes, solve problems for people or provide them with necessary ingredients for a price or some cool rewards. Outside the quests, you can explore the world, fight monsters, make health-improving jewelry, open treasure chests, or learn how to sneak, steal, or pick pockets. You can learn blacksmithing and then make great swords for yourself or for sale. Through the game you may come across some herbs or various foods that you can either cook to improve their healing qualities or combine them into powerful potions. You can also collect loot or steal things and then sell it to vendors (prices are the same, so whoever you sell it to doesn't matter).

COMBAT
Combat is a strong part of the game. Unlike many other games, in Risen your enemies are fordable opponents - they don't attack you one by one but all together and most of them try to trick you or flank you, so you always have to be on your toes. The basic weapons are: various swords, staffs, knives, or bows and crossbows. Like I mentioned, you can improve your fighting level and learn various sword or staff techniques. You can also use the shield and high sword levels allow you to carry a shield and a heavy sword in each hand.

TIPS
You would have to choose between joining the bandits or the inquisition. That's where the main confusion is. If you try to please both, you'd get stuck like I did. If you want to join the bandits, talk to the blacksmith in their camp and get the "golden sword" quest - collect the pieces, have it made, but don't give it to the smith and give it to Don yourself. If you want to join the Inquisition, just go to the Temple. Whichever faction you choose, the game stays almost the same (some quests might be different, though). In any way, the key is the Harbor Town - choose the side and do the Harbor Town quests ONLY for this side (minimum four); after that the game becomes clear to follow.

If you join the bandits, you end up getting a better armor and higher sword training.

If you join the bandits, getting out of the Harbor Town would be difficult. Just climb on top of the wall somewhere and find the spot where you can carefully slide down using the "matrix" of the wall (using locations around either on the gates is the easiest way).

Your character moves slowly - you can use the "speed" spell; however, you can also hold the "jump" button. He will move in a funny way, but much faster.

Don't waste the herbs and ingredients (the "hero's crown" is crucial), instead wait until you get the recipes so you can get better potions.

If you are low on health, or just don't like the time of the day or a particular weather, just find a bed, sleep for 12 to 24 hours until you get what you want. It's a good idea to have strategic "bed" locations in each area.

ENJOY

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice game for $30...not $50, April 26, 2010

By 

No Rules, Just Right (USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Risen (Video Game)

I rented this game for a few days and have spent several hours playing it. I feel the same about this game as I did for Dragon Age: Origins -- all things considered, such as sub-par character graphics and weak combat control, this is still a fun game; but it comes no where close to games like Fallout 3. So why was it originally priced the same as superior games like Fallout 3? Why set this game up for such a comparison when it could have excelled at a lower price point and could have received better reviews if priced correctly? As of 2010, this is a $30 game, not a $50-$60 game.

Game play is fun overall, although over time it can become a little repetitive and slow. There are a few irritating things like not being able to see collectible items with a weapon equipped and companions repeating the same inane phrases over and over (hint, leave the girl at the beach until you find the cabin).

Enemy combat so far has been frustrating. When using the sword in tight spaces it is sometimes difficult to avoid swiping an ally accidentally, which turns the ally into an enemy. But stepping back and allowing the ally to fight alone means no credit (no experience points) for conquering that enemy.

The characters, especially the one the user controls, look NOTHING like the box art. The voice acting is bad and graphical movement is a little stiff and awkward.

The game provides no direction for completing missions and you end up with list of pending missions with no hint how to prioritize them. Often I wished I had completed certain steps in a different order or made different decisions. There is no official strategy guide book that I could find, however, so the only way to figure out how different decisions affect the game is to save often, reload, and try again.

But the explorable places are interesting with lots of items to gather and there are unique interactive elements the other reviewers mentioned (cooking food, mining, etc.) that help set the game apart. Just as for Dragon Age, the original price was a set up for disappointment; when are game distributors going to learn that price affects reviews and therefore revenue? This could have excelled at a lower price point from the beginning.

For now, this game is either a long term rent or a buy at a lower price.

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