I love how reviews are an artform now. Anyway, this game has a very pleasant handcrafted look to it, unlike the more procedurally generated look of games like Oblivion.
A very good detailed account of what this RPG offers, quite enjoyable! I just bought the new physical PS4 port, so I'm more enticed to experience it now after your review, thank you.
I had to have a literal debate with A CERTAIN SOMEONE who said "If you play Risen you don't need to play Gothic anymore because it does everything Gothic does but better" like it's a new smartphone model
I mean - it's both true and false at the same time. I would agree that Risen is basically all of the best things from G1 and G2 combined with some upgrades (primarily combat and controls), but there are things about Gothics that make them special and worth playing still, at least for an immersive RPG fan.
Man, this video took me back, cheers! Strange that I remember little detail other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Memories of Gothic 1 & 2, however, will be with me until death. The devs had clear respect for adventuring - even the remotest of corners had items or interesting things to see.
Was looking for this comment - while not a masterpiece of a combat system like mentioned Dark Souls, it still is fairly solid and easily the best out of Pirahna Bytes (compared to e.g. Risen 2 which had such bad combat that I dropped the game after less than an hour as I couldn't stand even a minute longer of that melee). As to sometimes abrupt enemy attacks I just learned to utilize dodging backwards and using charged attacks while the enemy approaches me to counteract that.
@@Jedrex899 I don't have this 100% confirmed (as I never looked into game code), but I think there is zero delay between the enemy attack animations. It's definitely too fast, you have block constantly when fighting someone like lizardmen. Targeting can be also an issue, when dealing with groups of enemies, the game sometimes switches focus on one of the foes in the back of the group.
Great video! Gothic is one of those games that, according to the world, I should love, but I could never get into it for whatever reason. Maybe Risen will click. And it's $2.49 on Steam right now!
Really great review man. Heartfelt and honest. I'm gonna have to give this and gothic a crack at some point, though the steam wishlist is quite long now lol.
@@thesummerofmark I have a list lol. I sat down recently and casually penned all the videos I want to make just off the top of my head. In about 5 minutes I'd written nearly 100 games. Most of them from the early 2000s.
Will this be a series? I played Risen 1, 2 & 3 a year ago (second time for each) and I had a blast (especially with 1 & 3). While Risen 1 is a redo of Gothic 1 & 2, Risen 2 is going in a more original direction and Risen 3 is taking all the good stuff from the first 2 games and does a really good job.
No idea man, I don’t wanna promise anything. I didn’t plan it as a series like I did with the Arkane videos. Basically one day I woke up and thought “I really wanna play Risen” and the video just happened. I will cover ELEX at some point in the future tho (probably sooner rather than later)
@@thesummerofmark I bought Elex, played like 30 min and... couldn't go further... I think Elex 2 is in the works. Maybe I'll play Elex if your video will intrigue me
@@exer2000 I played it back in 2017. I'd say it's the least accessible game from their portofolio. the progression is super slow, it took me 10-15 hours to become powerful enough to kill my first mob lol. I couldn't say with certainty if that was a game issue or a me issue tho. but the story and the setting, oh boy, they're something special
@@Jedrex899 oh shit. Yeah, well, uuuuh, it’s coming, but probably closer to the end of this year. I have a few games that I wanna tackle first before ELEX
First of all thank you for covering this for all your 40-30 boomers out there. The fact that I recognize names in the comment section brings a tear to my eye. Also thank you for covering the sound AND music which is a huuuuge part of the Gothic/Risen/Elex series. While after reading the Level review back in the day I sided with the mercen... aaa bandits and I'm a mage guy in these games. Magic in Risen is a huge dissapointment. It's got good ideas and it kept the transformation spells which were a huge deal in the two Gothic games. BUT ... it's horribly balanced. The difference between a mage and a warrior of the Order is in utility spells which are given to you waaaaaaay too late. What's the point of transforming into an ashbeast if I'm already the equivalent of a magical gatling gun? Magic bullet is by far the best out of the three and at level 10 if you spend your LP's wisely, will eradicate anything on the map including Ogres. Levitation helped me get through a game breaking bug, while speed is handy if you don't fancy using your stumps to get around. But they come in later parts of the game which is arguably the worst and where a significant amount of players will quit. There's no Diego, Milten, Gorn and Lester in Risen, Lares doesn't greet you in the port and unfortunately the town is as dead after the 2nd chapter. You've got Patty and the three brothers but eh. Brogar is just a punk, no Sentenza or Silvio. Don Esteban doesn't really compare with Lee and Lord Hagen. Risen is a good game and it's actually the better introduction to the Gothic series but unfortunately it's all pretty diluted for a hardcore fan of Gothic. See you in Elex's Magalan!
All this years after the fact, I’m still sad that risen took a nose dive into shit town. I wish one day they release the true sequel to risen and call it “risen 2, this time is not a pirate fever dream.”
See just because you mentioned DJ Premier again I not only want you to have relations with my wife but I want you to give her the seed to bear our next child
I'm sorry, but Piranha Bytes didn't try to tap in the "open world mania" with Gothic 3... their games have always been open world, since the very first Gothic. And you probably knew this when you made the video, so i think you were spilling nonsense for the sake of sounding like you understand what was on the developer's mind. To put it simply, with Gothic 3, PB tried to make a mainstream game, but to say that it's their first tap in to the open world games? That's just wrong.
You know, I was actually ready to engage with you until you accused me of intentionally spreading misinformation for the sake of sounding smart. As it stands, I can only reply with “k bud” Also, I hope the irony of accusing me of pretending to understand what was in the developer’s mind right after your did the same with me doesn’t escape you
@@thesummerofmark See... the difference between you and me is that i theorized about your intent. I literally used the words "probably" and "I think" in my post, but i guess you also like to misread stuff when it suits you. I didn't accuse you, i criticized you. You had the chance to counter it, but i guess it's hard to do that when you're wrong. On the other hand, you opened your video with blatant misinformation, so don't compare me with you. The fact is, anyone who's new to the Gothic series and Piranha Bytes will get the wrong impression if he watches your video.... that G3 is their first open world game, while in fact the company is revolutionizing the concept of open world RPGs since 2001. At least have the courtesy to admit when you make silly mistakes for whatever reason.
Risen is how I be when I see a know summerofmark video in my subscription feed.
This is getting pinned
I love how reviews are an artform now. Anyway, this game has a very pleasant handcrafted look to it, unlike the more procedurally generated look of games like Oblivion.
A very good detailed account of what this RPG offers, quite enjoyable!
I just bought the new physical PS4 port, so I'm more enticed to experience it now after your review, thank you.
Thank you so much, hope you’ll enjoy it!
My teenage playthrough of Risen was so quick, ravenous and singular genre-wise (at that moment) that it feels like a dream now.
I had to have a literal debate with A CERTAIN SOMEONE who said "If you play Risen you don't need to play Gothic anymore because it does everything Gothic does but better" like it's a new smartphone model
I mean - it's both true and false at the same time. I would agree that Risen is basically all of the best things from G1 and G2 combined with some upgrades (primarily combat and controls), but there are things about Gothics that make them special and worth playing still, at least for an immersive RPG fan.
Risen is terrible
Greetings from Germany and Thanks for your Review :)
I have risen from bed to watch a thesummerofmark videya.
Heck yeah, can't wait to give it a full watch! Until then I'm here to boost the engagement!
Man your videos are always a treat to watch.
"the force of 1000 Cryptobros trying to defend their hobby at a family dinner?" I love this zinger XD
Man, this video took me back, cheers! Strange that I remember little detail other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Memories of Gothic 1 & 2, however, will be with me until death.
The devs had clear respect for adventuring - even the remotest of corners had items or interesting things to see.
The melee combat system in Risen is the best they ever did IMO, sadly no delay between enemy attacks breaks the game.
Was looking for this comment - while not a masterpiece of a combat system like mentioned Dark Souls, it still is fairly solid and easily the best out of Pirahna Bytes (compared to e.g. Risen 2 which had such bad combat that I dropped the game after less than an hour as I couldn't stand even a minute longer of that melee).
As to sometimes abrupt enemy attacks I just learned to utilize dodging backwards and using charged attacks while the enemy approaches me to counteract that.
@@Jedrex899 I don't have this 100% confirmed (as I never looked into game code), but I think there is zero delay between the enemy attack animations. It's definitely too fast, you have block constantly when fighting someone like lizardmen.
Targeting can be also an issue, when dealing with groups of enemies, the game sometimes switches focus on one of the foes in the back of the group.
Great video never paid attention to this game but I will probably buy it now
Great video! Gothic is one of those games that, according to the world, I should love, but I could never get into it for whatever reason. Maybe Risen will click. And it's $2.49 on Steam right now!
A great video mate keep it up
Really great review man. Heartfelt and honest. I'm gonna have to give this and gothic a crack at some point, though the steam wishlist is quite long now lol.
I’d kill for an Arkham666 Gothic Review
@@thesummerofmark I have a list lol.
I sat down recently and casually penned all the videos I want to make just off the top of my head. In about 5 minutes I'd written nearly 100 games. Most of them from the early 2000s.
Risen is a pretty cool little indie ARPG. It was among the first few games that got me into more less known ARPG games.
I remember Risen, is now on Switch
I am honestly baffled they decided to port it on Switch of all consoles after so many years
Will this be a series?
I played Risen 1, 2 & 3 a year ago (second time for each) and I had a blast (especially with 1 & 3). While Risen 1 is a redo of Gothic 1 & 2, Risen 2 is going in a more original direction and Risen 3 is taking all the good stuff from the first 2 games and does a really good job.
No idea man, I don’t wanna promise anything. I didn’t plan it as a series like I did with the Arkane videos. Basically one day I woke up and thought “I really wanna play Risen” and the video just happened. I will cover ELEX at some point in the future tho (probably sooner rather than later)
@@thesummerofmark I bought Elex, played like 30 min and... couldn't go further... I think Elex 2 is in the works. Maybe I'll play Elex if your video will intrigue me
@@exer2000 I played it back in 2017. I'd say it's the least accessible game from their portofolio. the progression is super slow, it took me 10-15 hours to become powerful enough to kill my first mob lol. I couldn't say with certainty if that was a game issue or a me issue tho. but the story and the setting, oh boy, they're something special
@@thesummerofmark 8 months later and my question is -where is the promised Elex review?
@@Jedrex899 oh shit. Yeah, well, uuuuh, it’s coming, but probably closer to the end of this year. I have a few games that I wanna tackle first before ELEX
Risen is one of my favorite games
great video
Glad you enjoyed it!
First of all thank you for covering this for all your 40-30 boomers out there. The fact that I recognize names in the comment section brings a tear to my eye. Also thank you for covering the sound AND music which is a huuuuge part of the Gothic/Risen/Elex series. While after reading the Level review back in the day I sided with the mercen... aaa bandits and I'm a mage guy in these games. Magic in Risen is a huge dissapointment. It's got good ideas and it kept the transformation spells which were a huge deal in the two Gothic games. BUT ... it's horribly balanced. The difference between a mage and a warrior of the Order is in utility spells which are given to you waaaaaaay too late. What's the point of transforming into an ashbeast if I'm already the equivalent of a magical gatling gun? Magic bullet is by far the best out of the three and at level 10 if you spend your LP's wisely, will eradicate anything on the map including Ogres. Levitation helped me get through a game breaking bug, while speed is handy if you don't fancy using your stumps to get around. But they come in later parts of the game which is arguably the worst and where a significant amount of players will quit. There's no Diego, Milten, Gorn and Lester in Risen, Lares doesn't greet you in the port and unfortunately the town is as dead after the 2nd chapter. You've got Patty and the three brothers but eh. Brogar is just a punk, no Sentenza or Silvio. Don Esteban doesn't really compare with Lee and Lord Hagen. Risen is a good game and it's actually the better introduction to the Gothic series but unfortunately it's all pretty diluted for a hardcore fan of Gothic. See you in Elex's Magalan!
Lets gooooooooo!
Incredible review.
Let's goooo
Nu e Gothic, dar merge :)
It’s too bad that they kicked Don “Narcos” Esteban out of Tomato Town, but at least he can focus on his Netflix original special full time
Fred, my man 💀🤜🤛🤕
Sunset makes you wanna write a midwestern emo album lmao
No no, unfortunately 'disasterous' is the only way to put it honestly.
I think you should cover Spiders games.
Patch 1.3 and the climbing fix from ModDB are obligatory, when playing Risen in 2021.
This Fix from ModDB also repairs the bug with stumbing in the air when falling.
risen 2 is kino
All this years after the fact, I’m still sad that risen took a nose dive into shit town. I wish one day they release the true sequel to risen and call it “risen 2, this time is not a pirate fever dream.”
This is a huge spoiler with those lizards. They should be kept secret until a later chapter.
The first half of this game is great. Afterwards it gets pretty bad and monotonous.
See just because you mentioned DJ Premier again I not only want you to have relations with my wife but I want you to give her the seed to bear our next child
🤮
Lol
I'm sorry, but Piranha Bytes didn't try to tap in the "open world mania" with Gothic 3... their games have always been open world, since the very first Gothic. And you probably knew this when you made the video, so i think you were spilling nonsense for the sake of sounding like you understand what was on the developer's mind. To put it simply, with Gothic 3, PB tried to make a mainstream game, but to say that it's their first tap in to the open world games? That's just wrong.
You know, I was actually ready to engage with you until you accused me of intentionally spreading misinformation for the sake of sounding smart. As it stands, I can only reply with “k bud”
Also, I hope the irony of accusing me of pretending to understand what was in the developer’s mind right after your did the same with me doesn’t escape you
@@thesummerofmark See... the difference between you and me is that i theorized about your intent. I literally used the words "probably" and "I think" in my post, but i guess you also like to misread stuff when it suits you. I didn't accuse you, i criticized you. You had the chance to counter it, but i guess it's hard to do that when you're wrong.
On the other hand, you opened your video with blatant misinformation, so don't compare me with you. The fact is, anyone who's new to the Gothic series and Piranha Bytes will get the wrong impression if he watches your video.... that G3 is their first open world game, while in fact the company is revolutionizing the concept of open world RPGs since 2001. At least have the courtesy to admit when you make silly mistakes for whatever reason.
@@Soulfly415 ok
This game was so bad in my opinion, even by 2009 standards