Risen 2: Dark Waters Preview

PC Gamer is offering a brief new preview centered around Piranha Bytes’ open-world pirate-themed action-RPG Risen 2: Dark Waters, and come away with mixed feelings from their playthrough:

I liked the way paying attention to conversation options in Risen 2 rewarded me. When the governor of Tacarigua attempted to sell me the map of the island, I persuaded him to hand it over for free because I needed it for another mission I’d accepted on behalf of the Inquisition. But I was also permanently locked out of completing a sidequest that could have netted me a handy 1,000 gold simply because I was too friendly with one character on our first encounter.

Other beneficial interactions hinged on my skill at intimidation and persuasion. Learning to do anything in Risen 2 is a complicated process. Completing missions and killing things (even the docile turkeys) gives Glory. This can be spent on increasing your Attributes: five traits that govern competence in broad areas, such as aptitude with blades, general toughness or potential success at special conversation options.

But specific actions, like pickpocketing, or even kicking and crouching, must be taught by trainers. It’s here that things quickly get expensive. My predilection for larceny had me quickly rising up the cunning skill tree, but it came at the cost of combat skill and resistance to attacks. The game is full of tough choices for character advancement do you spend money on an improved weapon, or on a skill to let you use your existing weapon more effectively?