Risen 2: Dark Waters

62%
Game Brain Score Based on 906 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, you are a pirate captain seeking to save the world from the Titan Lord's wrath. This action RPG takes you on a journey across tropical islands, where you'll fight supernatural creatures, upgrade your character, and make crucial decisions that impact the story. With its immersive atmosphere and engaging gameplay, Risen 2 is a must-play for pirate and fantasy enthusiasts.

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

Reviews

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 906 reviews
story147 positive mentions
stability32 negative mentions
  • Engaging pirate-themed story with interesting characters and humor.
  • Improved graphics and atmosphere compared to the first game, creating an immersive experience.
  • Variety of skills and abilities, including unique mechanics like voodoo and treasure hunting.
  • Clunky and frustrating combat system that can feel unresponsive and unfair.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches, including broken quests and achievements.
  • Limited character progression and lack of meaningful choices compared to previous titles.
  • story501 mentions

    The story of "Risen 2: Dark Waters" is generally viewed as engaging but somewhat predictable, continuing the narrative from the first game while introducing a pirate theme that many players find refreshing. While some appreciate the humor and character interactions, others criticize the quest design for being linear and filled with fetch quests, leading to frustrations with bugs and inconsistencies. Overall, the game offers a decent storyline with a mix of interesting characters and quests, though it may not reach the heights of its predecessor.

    • “The story of the game is very deep.”
    • “I very much liked the story, and it's a main part of why I'm still playing this game.”
    • “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.”
    • “The dialogues are boring and mostly meaningless, while the world and plot have somehow been twisted in comparison to Risen 1.”
    • “The story failed to pull me in.”
    • “The game only improved the graphics and completely is worse in every aspect, not from gameplay wise with the broken combat that is so easy due to the musket abuse but also the whole writing, from dialogues to quests itself is all a watered downgrade from the previous game.”
  • gameplay154 mentions

    The gameplay of Risen 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players noting improvements in graphics and the introduction of new mechanics like firearms and voodoo, which add depth to the experience. However, criticisms are prevalent regarding the clunky combat system, repetitive mechanics, and various bugs that detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the engaging story and exploration elements, others find the gameplay frustrating and less refined compared to its predecessor, Risen 1.

    • “The gameplay is awesome and the skills are endless.”
    • “Exploring new worlds and discovering treasure make for great gameplay.”
    • “It has an interesting story, nice dialogue, smooth gameplay and makes you feel like a real pirate.”
    • “The second negative aspect of this game (and this time this was true for both consoles and PC users) is the most atrocious one and 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. They added a dodge system that was a total failure because 9/10 times you get hit anyway; sadly this made the whole experience much less entertaining than how it could have been with better combat mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay, however, leaves much to be desired.”
    • “This game is worse than Risen in nearly every way possible, especially combat mechanics (you were frustrated by unreliable dodges? Now blocking is generally unreliable too!) and controls.”
  • graphics153 mentions

    The graphics of Risen 2 have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are an improvement over its predecessor, they still feel somewhat dated, especially for a 2012 title. The environments are often praised for their beauty and atmospheric effects, such as lighting and weather, but some players have pointed out issues with character models and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered decent and enjoyable, particularly with enhancements like HD texture packs, but they do not fully compensate for the game's other shortcomings.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the music is epic, making every moment of gameplay feel like a swashbuckling adventure.”
    • “Graphically, despite 10 years since the release, the game holds up very well, and you take a lot of screenshots, because the islands are really nice.”
    • “Beautiful tropical landscapes, ancient ruins, and settlements look amazing; the graphics please the eye.”
    • “The graphics are quite outdated and tax low-end computers badly despite the quality of the graphics (my low-end machine barely gets 30fps with the bad graphics).”
    • “The only graphical letdown are the NPCs: many of them look alike, their eyes are a bit too glossy and stuff like that.”
    • “Clumsy graphics and physics that will test your patience.”
  • atmosphere60 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive pirate-themed world, vibrant environments, and captivating music, which collectively create a unique and engaging experience reminiscent of "Pirates of the Caribbean." While some players miss the gothic elements of previous titles, the colorful settings, distinct island atmospheres, and strong character interactions contribute to a delightful adventure that keeps players invested despite criticisms of the combat system. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its strongest aspects, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The best in the series for me, mainly because of great world creation and pirate atmosphere.”
    • “Music, graphics, and storyline together create an amazing Caribbean-pirate atmosphere.”
    • “The swashbuckling pirate atmosphere is pulled off perfectly with jungle settings, voodoo magic, and mysterious forgotten temples full of monsters and traps.”
    • “The gothic atmosphere and medieval fantasy are absent from this sequel, which has been reworked in a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' style.”
    • “Started playing it after Risen, stopped after around 6 hours because it was a totally different game in atmosphere (pirate theme) and gameplay-wise.”
    • “Changes in game 'atmosphere' were sad because it didn't have the gothic elements, but from the beginning, the new way of creating the world looked like a good quality idea implemented not badly.”
  • music55 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 generic and repetitive. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's sweeping and immersive qualities, though some express disappointment over its lack of distinctiveness compared to previous titles in the series. 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 in this game is outstanding.”
    • “I feel the music was massively inferior in comparison to Risen 1, but most disappointing in dungeons.”
    • “Where you would expect a soundtrack that would have a mysterious touch, you get a soundtrack that sounds like terror 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.”
  • humor48 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying its witty dialogue, entertaining characters, and humorous interactions, particularly involving voodoo gags and quirky NPCs. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss, many highlighted memorable moments that elicited genuine laughter, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience despite some criticisms of the game's other aspects. The blend of dark humor, sarcasm, and absurd situations, especially within the pirate theme, adds a unique charm that resonates with players.

    • “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 main story is good enough, though, and there are many funny sidequest-related moments and dialogues.”
  • stability34 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent crashes and significant bugs that hinder gameplay, such as freezing during key moments and issues with achievements. While some users noted that the graphics and overall experience improved with optimization, others found the game overly buggy, leading to frustration and a diminished enjoyment of the story and mechanics. Overall, the consensus indicates that while the game has potential, its stability issues significantly detract from the experience.

    • “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.”
    • “And also there is a factor that this game crashed on me like 300 times (not an exaggeration) and also really buggy.”
    • “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.”
    • “The game is broken, at least for Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 8 64-bit - every time you try to pickpocket, the game freezes, and during numerous conversations, the game freezes, requiring you to manually kill the process.”
  • grinding28 mentions

    Reviews highlight significant issues with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious and often frustrating due to bugs, unresponsive mechanics, and broken achievements that require excessive effort to unlock. Players note that while grinding can lead to character progression and exploration, it often detracts from the overall enjoyment, making combat feel repetitive and quests overly burdensome. Despite some improvements in later game sections, many still find the grinding aspect to be a major drawback, leading to a mixed reception overall.

    • “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 do not unlock unless you use cheats, and there are 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. Talents do not unlock after buying them, and the biggest bug I've ever seen is that cooldown reduction skills actually do not do anything. You buy them for 2000 gold and they are absolutely pointless. Gold is incredibly difficult to come by in this game, so you can tell how frustrated I was to finally get that sweet cooldown reduction for my voodoo only for it to be absolutely useless.”
    • “Another complaint I have is the fact that the grinding required to do anything is excessive. It doesn't require a huge amount of mathematics to determine that you'll be grinding all the time.”
    • “There are some quests that are bugged so you can't complete them, and learning the pickpocketing skill would take hours of grinding to earn enough glory to level up.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users reporting frequent bugs and poor performance even on newer hardware. While some players noted that the graphics are visually appealing, the optimization issues detract from the overall experience, leading to a recommendation for modding to improve performance.

    • “They must have optimized it because it looks fantastic (for its time 2012) and runs smoothly and beautifully with no glitches or bugs.”
    • “- graphics & performance (even for very very old PCs!)”
    • “I recommend some modding or this compilation that I created just recently, to boost up the graphics and the performance.”
    • “Very poorly optimized.”
    • “I tried to ignore bad optimization and a boring storyline.”
    • “It seems like the developers wanted to make a Pirates of the Caribbean game and shoehorned the Risen 1 plot into it while removing most of the RPG aspects and adding a completely worthless magic system. It also suffers from some terrible consoleitis and poor engine optimization.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered medium to high, with players appreciating the multiple paths and faction choices that allow for varied experiences. The ability to revisit key decision points without replaying the entire game enhances its replay value, although some feel that certain elements, like faction-specific detours, could be improved. The evolving gameplay and engaging storyline across the series also contribute positively to the replayability factor.

    • “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 effects in the next game. You'll have a laugh as you play this character because you can be a real smart aleck with NPCs. You get to a point where you choose a faction to end the game with, which adds replay value since you can go back from the point you saved just before making that choice.”
    • “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 games, which means the replayability is zero.”
    • “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, so you don't have to grind through the whole game again just to get to the point where you make the faction choice.”
    • “Replayability: medium”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its interesting approach, but it suffers from imbalance and a lack of depth, particularly in customization options. While some players appreciate the unique system, others feel it neglects essential RPG elements, leading to an unsatisfactory experience for certain character builds.

    • “The way they do character development is interesting, and in my opinion, well done.”
    • “The character development system is intriguing and adds depth to the gameplay.”
    • “The game offers a unique approach to character development that keeps players engaged.”
    • “The game also disregards the important elements of RPGs, such as character development and customization.”
    • “I played a gun-heavy character, and the character development felt quite imbalanced in the end.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The game offers a rare and heartfelt swashbuckling adventure that resonates emotionally, despite its poor optimization and lackluster storyline. Players who can overlook these flaws may find a rewarding experience that captures their feelings.

    • “If you've got 20+ hours to spare and fancy a very rare, heartfelt swashbuckling adventure, I can absolutely recommend this game.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me, making every decision feel impactful.”
    • “I was moved to tears by the story; it beautifully captures the complexities of love and loss.”
    • “The emotional moments felt forced and lacked genuine impact.”
    • “I found it hard to connect with the characters, making the emotional scenes fall flat.”
    • “The game tried to evoke feelings but ended up feeling hollow and unconvincing.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Many users perceive the monetization strategy as a cash grab, criticizing the significant changes to core gameplay elements that detract from the overall experience.

    • “At first, it seems like a cash grab and poorly executed because they changed so many of the main aspects.”
    • “The monetization system feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
    • “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending extra.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

Buy Risen 2: Dark Waters

Play time

22hMedian play time
21hAverage play time
26hMain story
47hCompletionist
5-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs

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