Risen 2: Dark Waters

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,837 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Risen 2: Dark Waters Game Cover
Risen 2: Dark Waters will give you a genuine RPG experience, but it gets a lot frustrating sometimes.
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In Risen 2: Dark Waters, the world is on the brink of extinction after being ravaged by titans, and monstrous sea creatures are now preventing any seafaring. As a member of the Inquisition, the hero is tasked with finding a way to stop these underwater beasts and the chaos they have unleashed. The game is a sequel to Risen, and it features a mixture of role-playing and open-world exploration in a fantasy setting.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Gog Com
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,837 reviews
story275 positive mentions
stability73 negative mentions
  • Charming pirate theme with engaging exploration and treasure hunting.
  • Interesting story and character development, with humorous dialogue.
  • Improved graphics and a vibrant world that enhances the overall atmosphere.
  • Combat system is clunky and frustrating, often leading to unresponsive controls.
  • Many bugs and technical issues, including crashes and broken achievements.
  • Character progression feels slow and unbalanced, making early gameplay tedious.
  • story975 mentions

    The story of "Risen 2: Dark Waters" is generally viewed as a continuation of the first game's narrative, set in a pirate-themed world that introduces new characters and quests. While some players appreciate the humor and engaging dialogue, many criticize the plot for being predictable, linear, and lacking depth compared to its predecessor. Overall, the game offers a mix of entertaining side quests and a straightforward main storyline, but it suffers from bugs and inconsistencies that can detract from the experience.

    • “The story managed to keep things interesting at a good pace and the dialogue is a major contributing factor there; our nameless hero has so many funny responses to various ludicrous events and NPCs help by being equally ridiculous, thus causing many bouts of laughter.”
    • “Enjoyable great atmosphere and continuation of the story of the unknown hero.”
    • “The story is engaging, with a few twists and turns, and most of all it makes you want to play and move forward with the game.”
    • “Story is garbage, quests are garbage, companions are just typical pirate tropes, there is absolutely nothing worth spending time here.”
    • “The story is as mediocre as it can get, with almost all talkable NPCs being invincible, annoying pirate stereotypes, and plot holes.”
    • “The story, while being well written, definitely lacked something compared to the first game.”
  • gameplay341 mentions

    The gameplay of Risen 2: Dark Waters has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky combat mechanics, particularly the dodge and parry systems, which often feel unresponsive and frustrating. While some appreciate the game's exploration and story elements, others find the overall mechanics to be a downgrade from its predecessor, Risen 1, leading to a repetitive and sometimes tedious experience. Despite its flaws, the game retains a certain charm and offers a unique pirate-themed setting that some players enjoy, though it may not appeal to those seeking a polished RPG experience.

    • “The gameplay is better than the first game, but its story is more simple.”
    • “The gameplay was fun and somewhat challenging, even though a little wonky in mechanics and buggy in quest design, I still found myself pleasantly surprised by how great the graphics held up over the years and felt that this was a great sequel to the first entry.”
    • “Great game, deep gameplay elements, good voice acting and plenty to do/explore.”
    • “The dodge rolling mechanic was clunky and frustrating.”
    • “The world feels immersive, as always with Piranha Bytes titles, but the gameplay is the worst of any of their games.”
    • “The second negative aspect of this game is the terrible combat system, basically the parry with shield was eliminated, substituted by a weird parry with sword that in many situations was useless because you were hit anyway.”
  • graphics303 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are decent for a title released in 2012, they often feel outdated and plagued by various glitches and bugs. Some users appreciate the lush environments and atmospheric effects, particularly in jungle settings, while others criticize the character models and animations as subpar. Overall, the visuals are seen as a step up from the previous installment, but still fall short of modern standards, leading to a somewhat inconsistent experience.

    • “The graphics are excellent, given the age of the game, and I am happy to recommend it.”
    • “Great graphics and atmosphere, the jungle looks great, weather effects like rain and fog at night look very good.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the music is epic, making every moment of gameplay feel like a swashbuckling adventure.”
    • “The graphics were outdated even at the time of the game's release.”
    • “Ugly graphics single-handedly destroyed this game.”
    • “The graphics are not impressive, the music is wonderful.”
  • atmosphere115 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and vibrant pirate-themed world, characterized by stunning graphics, engaging weather effects, and a rich soundscape that enhances exploration. While some players miss the gothic elements of the previous installment, many appreciate the unique Caribbean setting and the humor infused throughout the narrative. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, effectively drawing players into its captivating environment despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.

    • “Despite all its flaws, this game has one quality that makes it truly appealing — its world and atmosphere.”
    • “The swashbuckling pirate atmosphere is pulled off perfectly with jungle settings, voodoo magic, and mysterious forgotten temples full of monsters and traps.”
    • “The exploration, the atmosphere, and the quests are really well done and keep you interested until the end of the game.”
    • “The gothic atmosphere and medieval fantasy are absent from this sequel, which has been reworked in a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' style.”
    • “Well, I can't finish the game; it's so boring. Bad combat system, bad story, no atmosphere at all. I do like pirates, but what's the point of being a pirate here?”
    • “Risen 2 is a flawed game and doesn't have quite the same atmosphere as the first installment.”
  • humor103 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its witty dialogue, entertaining characters, and absurd situations, often leading to genuine laughter. Players appreciate the blend of dry wit, slapstick moments, and humorous NPC interactions, particularly highlighting the comedic value of certain characters like the gnome Jaffar. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss, many agree that it adds a charming and enjoyable layer to the overall experience, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The game has a great sense of humor, with witty writing and entertaining characters that will keep you entertained for hours.”
    • “More than one conversation had me buckled over laughing, between the wacky voodoo gags you can pull on unsuspecting people, the hero's sarcasm, the compulsively swearing gnome, the deaf gunsmith... just yes.”
    • “The dialogue can be hilarious, especially with Jaffar.”
  • music95 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to enhance the pirate and voodoo atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and lacking in memorability compared to previous titles. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's fittingness to the setting, though some express disappointment over its generic nature and the absence of the original composer. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, it does not consistently leave a lasting impression on all players.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the music is epic, making every moment of gameplay feel like a swashbuckling adventure.”
    • “Music, graphics, and storyline together create an amazing Caribbean-pirate atmosphere.”
    • “The music by Tilman Sillescu is amazing.”
    • “I feel the music was massively inferior in comparison to Risen 1, but most disappointing in dungeons.”
    • “The music elsewhere did not captivate me at all and I do not remember any part of the soundtrack that leaves a positive mark in my mind.”
    • “You simply always forget there's music in this game; it sometimes surprises you and right after that you forget it's there.”
  • stability76 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and a variety of bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some users noted that the game is playable despite these issues, many found the bugs—especially related to achievements and graphical performance—frustrating and indicative of an aging title. Overall, the game is described as "buggy" and "glitchy," with varying degrees of impact on gameplay, but it remains enjoyable for those willing to overlook these flaws.

    • “I experienced virtually no glitches in the main or side story.”
    • “They must have optimized it because it looks fantastic (for its time, 2012) and runs smoothly and beautifully with no glitches or bugs.”
    • “The game itself is much more bug-free than its predecessor, but sometimes you'd encounter minor bugs that don't harm playability.”
    • “The only negative criticism I have to point out is the frequent freezes and sudden crashes to desktop that became quite irritating over time, coupled with an increase in visual glitches and bugs as opposed to the original.”
    • “The biggest issue, however, is the game freezing; there seems to be a memory issue or something. The longer you play, the more it slows down until it freezes. I basically set a timer and would quit back to the start menu every hour or so to get around this.”
    • “It's buggy; the melee combat is a weak clickfest, about half of the achievements are flat-out broken, and the natives rely on some borderline stereotypes.”
  • grinding55 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be tedious and often frustrating, with many tasks requiring excessive repetition to achieve progress. Combat mechanics are criticized for being clunky and unengaging, leading to a sense of monotony, especially in the early stages. While some players appreciate the RPG progression and exploration aspects, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game demands an unreasonable amount of grinding, particularly for achievements and skill development.

    • “There's no grinding; you really need to earn gold, and the treasure search is interesting and satisfying.”
    • “It can be a bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Diseappearing items, texture bugs, sometimes your hero starts jumping around and you can't stop it and you have to load a previous save, 80% of achievements not unlocking unless you use cheats and stupidly grindy achievements that will not unlock unless you do them in a single sitting... yes, you have to kill 5000 enemies in a single sitting, or use cheats to spawn 5000 sea devils and kill them with a bomb, which lags the crap out of your PC.”
    • “Combat is, in short, broken, tedious and not fun.”
  • optimization28 mentions

    The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent bugs, and low frame rates even on capable hardware. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly on certain systems without crashes, the overall consensus highlights significant optimization issues, including graphical glitches and inconsistent performance. Many reviewers recommend modding or reverting to previous titles in the series for a better experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly in Windows 10 and didn't require any patches or file editing for me to get it to work correctly (rarely crashed out or locked up).”
    • “They must have optimized it because it looks fantastic (for its time 2012) and runs smoothly and beautifully with no glitches or bugs.”
    • “Performance on my above average PC (AMD 8350 @ 4.81 GHz, 16 GB RAM, AMD 6970 OC'd) I experience some sub-30 FPS at times with all settings maxed, but it remains playable at all times, and framerates are around or over 60 most of the time.”
    • “I guess I should be impressed because unlike my previous attempt to play this game a few years ago, this time I managed to get in the game... with performance around 20fps.”
    • “Very poorly optimized.”
    • “Not optimized, laggy, buggy, glitchy, and more.”
  • replayability15 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers multiple paths and faction choices that encourage revisiting, some players feel it lacks the depth and variety found in previous titles in the series. The ability to make significant choices and explore different skill trees adds some replay value, but overall, it may not be as engaging as earlier installments, leading to a more moderate replayability rating.

    • “I love this whole series of games 1 to 3. The storyline carries on through the game series, so what you do in this game can have some effects in the next game. You'll have a laugh as you play this character because you can be a real smart aleck. In these games, you get to a point where you choose a faction to end the game with, so it has some replay value in the fact you can go back through the game from the point you saved just before you picked a faction.”
    • “Replayability: multiple ways to advance and finish quests... great on all counts.”
    • “It has a major choice to make at the start that ends up branching quite significantly, so there's a lot of room for replayability.”
    • “Faction-specific detours are irrelevant (are there?), unlike previous PB games, which means the replayability is zero.”
    • “However, I have to admit this is not as replayable as other PB games.”
    • “It's an accessible title for newcomers, yes, but the game doesn't have that freeform sense of discovery, replayability, and challenge which makes PB games what they are known for.”
  • character development14 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the interesting designs and voice acting, while others criticize the unbalanced and complicated systems that detract from the overall experience. Although there are varied character development options and an engaging main plot, many reviewers feel that the mechanics are flawed and could benefit from refinement to enhance user-friendliness and balance. Overall, the atmosphere and NPC variety are praised, but the execution of character development leaves much to be desired.

    • “It has a very nice atmosphere and character development; the combat system can be quite poor.”
    • “Character development is fine, the story is interesting, and NPCs are fun and varied.”
    • “At first, it seems like a bummer they removed the old and well-loved strength and dexterity system, but the new system is actually a lot more elaborate and interesting, and makes for more varied character development options.”
    • “The game also disregards the important elements of RPG games like character development and customization.”
    • “The character development and skill systems are complicated and should be more user-friendly.”
    • “It is flawed; it has a clunky combat system and its skill and character development mechanics could use solid refinement.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with some players finding it a heartfelt adventure despite its flaws, while others feel disgusted by certain gameplay mechanics and a lack of depth in the story. While the game's world is praised for its beauty, many reviewers express disappointment in the underdeveloped pirate theme and mechanics, leading to a sense of unfulfilled potential. Overall, fans of the developer may still find enjoyment, but the emotional impact varies significantly among players.

    • “If you've got 20+ hours spare and fancy a very rare, heartfelt swashbuckling adventure, I can absolutely recommend this game.”
    • “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
    • “I had fun playing it because I am a PB fan and by playing it the way it is instead of harshly complaining about what it should have been, made me feel not too much bothered by its shortcomings and by the end I was satisfied with my playthrough.”
    • “I tried to ignore the bad optimization and boring storyline.”
    • “Horrible gameplay, boring story, not enough time on the ship.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization strategy has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing relief over the absence of microtransactions, while others criticize the game's changes as potentially exploitative. Overall, there is a sentiment that the monetization approach may detract from the game's integrity.

    • “No microtransactions, thank you!”
    • “The DLC policy is fair and adds meaningful content without being intrusive.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers optional purchases that don't affect gameplay balance.”
    • “At first, it seems like a cash grab and shoddily done because they changed so many of the main aspects.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

Buy Risen 2: Dark Waters

Play time

28hMedian play time
25hAverage play time
26hMain story
47hCompletionist
15-38hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs

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