Risen

Risen is a fantasy role-playing game by Piranha Bytes in which a shipwrecked hero washes up on the island of Faranga. There, several groups fight for influence while mysterious temples rise from the ground and creatures threaten the island. Choices in quests and in picking a community shape your path from there.

Risen was released in Europe for PC and Xbox 360 on Oct 2, 2009. The revised console version for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch followed on Jan 24, 2023.

The role-playing game was released for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. PC versions are offered for Windows. The Xbox One and PS4 releases from 2023 are standalone versions for these console generations, not new native versions for Xbox Series or PS5.

Risen combines freely accessible regions with dialogue, fights, treasure and quests. Many tasks have several solutions: conversations, theft, violence and membership of a community all affect how the hero progresses. Experience points go into skills taught by teachers.

The original minimum requirements list a 2 GHz processor, 4 GB of memory, a DirectX 9 graphics card with 256 MB of video memory and 5 GB of free storage. The older Windows system list on Steam describes the original PC version, not the current requirements of the Steam client.

On Faranga, Don Esteban's bandits and the Inquisition compete for control. The hero can join a community, which gives access to different trainers, equipment and quest lines. The choice shapes the early chapters in particular and the direction of combat.

In melee combat, correct timing when blocking, dodging and attacking matters, as does developing the relevant weapon skill. Risen offers swords, axes, staves, bows and magic. Those who specialise in spells use mana and either rune magic or crystal magic.

Faranga includes forests, swamps, coasts, the harbour town and ruins full of traps and enemies. Many areas can be entered early on, even if stronger creatures block the way. The story gradually leads into the mysterious temples beneath the island.

The hero gains experience through fights and completed tasks. Learning points and gold are spent on training with suitable teachers. Besides weapons and magic, crafting skills such as smithing, alchemy, lockpicking and pickpocketing are available.

Risen is a single-player-only role-playing game. The open world is explored without any cooperative multiplayer features. The console versions from 2023 adapt the controls to controllers.

The PC version supports German text and voice-over. As a result, the dialogue and quests can be experienced fully in German.