RPGWatch Feature: Risen Preview

Dhruin

Dhruin

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Myrthos brings us first-hand impressions of Risen after meeting with Pirahna Bytes at GamesCom 2009 to view the game. Here's a snip:
There are no skills to avoid a fight but there are some fights you can avoid by acting in a different manner. An example was given where you needed to talk to a prisoner in the jail at the harbor town. One possibility is to knock the guard over to take his key, the second is to learn the pickpocket skill and steal the key and the third is to do a related quest that will eventually bring you inside the jail. There are different possibilities to most of the problems you want to solve but the biggest problem you have to solve is which faction you will join; Inquisition, Bandits or Mages, because each of the factions has a different way to go through the main story line.
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Read it all here.
More information.
 
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Awesome - good to read a first-hand account. It's interesting they think the exploration is improved from the Gothics, because there aren't too many games that come close to those in the first place.
 
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The one thing I haven't read about yet, is HOW one joins the mages!! Anyone know anything?
 
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If I remember correctly you can only become a mage if you have joined the inquisition as only they are allowed to practice magic. The voice recording wasn't too good at that point, so I decided to leave it out. But how you become a mage after joining the inquisition (if that is what it takes) I don't know.
 
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Sounds like they've improved the thief aspects a bit, which is wonderful as I always take those skills :)
 
All that sounds very nice. Thanks for the preview Myrthos !

That no swimming and going too far into the ocean (Walking ?! Levitating ?) plus the
monster sending you back on shore sounds bit daft though ?

Also what is your take on Combat (one of the things I am afraid they'll mess up) ?
 
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As said before you can go wherever you want on the island - with one exception. The Inquisitor has passed a law that only his troops are allowed to enter the island - anyone else is brought to the harbor city or the volcanic fortress
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I don't understand this part of the review. Doesn't the whole game take place on the island? Therefore just by being on the island you are thrown in jail? I know this isn't the case but can you please explain this? Great preview by the way thank you.
 
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As I understand, they have patrols roaming the island, and if they see and catch you, you'll be thrown in jail. You could avoid them, or try to fight if spotted (but they'll be tough!).

Good preview in any case, like there was any doubt that Risen wouldn't be for me. :D
 
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The more i read the more i am itching for the game. Once again as with the gothic original i can sense a critical path is there diguised by questing that deter the player from the true course. No other free open world game series can achieve this personal feeling for me thanks to the Piranha's.
If there is a level where you can become a mage, then it follows that you could "max" as a non-mage beforehand to the extent that you are powerful. Probably from thereon you would be as a "battlemage" adept in both magic and weaponry as well as other skills - i just wonder how or where the skill limits (read: restrictions) will show, eg: if skills can be aquired freely or via the storyline/questline only (a game controlled skill advancement) - for me this will be a most interesting Risen game factor.

Thanks for this preview Myrthos.
 
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Thanks for the preview Mythros. It looks great. Too bad the only path to become a mage is through the Inquisition. I'm normally a mage in every RPG, but I think I'll try a fighter this time around. No way I'm joining anything called the Inquisition.

I always wondered what you look like. I take it you're the only guy who is smiling in the pic? I know I would be too :)
 
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No way I'm joining anything called the Inquisition.
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I think I'll become one and run into rebel camp screaming "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" :)

BTW I didn't read preview. I've already made my mind to buy this game and I want to discover everything on my own.
 
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Being a mage is the coward's way out anyway, so why not combine it with bigotry and join the Inquisition ;)

You could call yourself Bernado Gui to boot!
 
Konjad said:
I think I'll become one and run into rebel camp screaming "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" :)
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Well there are two reasons why you shouldn't do that:

Firstly these guys are not spanish ! Secondly because getting yourself surrounded in
an enemy encampment looking like a fool is a truly embarassing way to go and thirdly,
no damn , wait there are three reasons why you shouldn't do that...
 
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DArtagnan said:
Being a mage is the coward's way out anyway, so why not combine it with bigotry and join the Inquisition ;)
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I can't help it if I always wanted to be able to be 7 feet tall and shoot lightning bolts out of my arse. ;)

Mages are harder than you think. Sure towards the end they're powerful, but in the beginning of any rpg they are weaker than a newborn baby. A mouse bite is lethal.

In Gothic it's even harder since you have no pals to back you up. Just you against that damn mouse. If you happen to survive long enough then maybe you can have some mouse bbq.

DArtagnan said:
You could call yourself Bernado Gui to boot!
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Blasphemy!!! Guards, take DA to The Rack!!!
 
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skavenhorde said:
Mages are harder than you think. Sure towards the end they're powerful, but in the beginning of any rpg they are weaker than a newborn baby. A mouse bite is lethal.

In Gothic it's even harder since you have no pals to back you up. Just you against that damn mouse. If you happen to survive long enough then maybe you can have some mouse bbq.
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Hehe, I was kidding as you know ;)

Mages can be great fun - but I tend to prefer something else as my primary focus.

My style has evolved from "in-your-face" dudes to sneaky-fast-assassin types over the years. I think that's just as cowardly as ranged smarty-pants mages can be ;)

But there's more style in my approach!
 
Myrthos said:
If I remember correctly you can only become a mage if you have joined the inquisition as only they are allowed to practice magic.
Click to expand...

VPeric said:
As I understand, they have patrols roaming the island, and if they see and catch you, you'll be thrown in jail. You could avoid them, or try to fight if spotted (but they'll be tough!).
Click to expand...

That's how I understand it, too, from my RPC preview.

It's like that there are 3 factions :

- the bandits
- the inquisition
- the mages as a kind of sub-faction of the inquisition ?
- additionally, one can also decide to be on his own, if I recall this correctly, but that would be hard.

The bottom line is that as a member of the bandits or alone, one can always be caught by the inquisition. Or so I understood this.
 
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