I continued my play today, taking valuable time away from eating, bathing and generally living my life. I’m still in Chapter 1 of the game, and I’ve spent nearly 20 hours playing.
Today I wanted to focus on the sorts of folks you’ll be meeting in the game (no one specifically though, so I’m avoiding spoilers). The game features a wide range of NPCs, many of whom are faction bound and may or may not talk to you depending on your choices and actions earlier in the game. Some may even attack you outright.
Like any good classic RPG, you’ll eventually find your quest log filled to the brim with tasks, until everyone you meet has something to do with something you’re seeking, or somewhere you need to be. Luckily, the game provides you with a World Map, a Region Map, and a special Quest Map. The Quest Map highlights locations of NPCs you need to target for the quest, as well as the initial quest-givers. There are so many people in this world, it’s essential to use this map, as there’s no way you’re going to remember who told you to kill X Rats in tunnel Y.
But the world isn’t all about questing. You can trade with folks, and if you’re not getting enough material from them for what you’re offering, they’ll make it up in gold pieces. Likewise, you’ll need to supply gold pieces for things you want to buy that are worth more than you’re willing to offer in treasure. It’s a pretty standard way of doing things, but the interface can be a bit awkward at times, and it’s can be unnecessarily obtuse about how the transaction is faring for you.
Besides people that want to give you tasks, and people that want to trade with you, there are folks that can teach you things. Every time you make a level, you gain maximum hit points and maximum mana. You also gain “Learning Points” at a rate of 10 points per level. These, plus a nominal fee in gold, can be used with people willing to train you to raise abilities and skills. Someone willing to train you in swords may also be willing to increase your strength. This learning points system means that it’s very difficult to be a “jack of all trades”. If you spend money and points on sword skills, that’s less you’ll be able to spend on magic, alchemy, hunting, ranged weaponry, or anything else you should happen to want to increase.
Finally, there’s nothing stopping the game from allowing you to meet a person that wants to give you quests, has things to sell you, is willing to train you, and is someone that, at first, hates your guts and you have to beat them into submission to get to that point.
Lens Flare on a Solar Scale
Review
Ever since I created my first party and dove into level 1 of Wizardry, I’ve been dreaming of the perfect CRPG. Risen isn’t perfect, by any means, but it comes damn close to being everything I need in this type of game. Prior to this, I was pretty satisfied with Oblivion (heavily modded, of course), but where Oblivion failed in so many ways, Risen has taken up the standard.
Take balance and challenge, for example: In almost every major RPG, there is a well-beaten path down which you must walk in order to succeed. If the game allows you to deviate from this path, it’ll remind you, in no uncertain terms, that you’re breaking the “rules” of a linear progression through the adventure, and it’ll either kill you or leave you so wounded that you’re not going to try that again.
Risen is similar to this, in that it’ll smack you around with little or no provocation. The difference here is that the boundaries of the well-beaten path are not clearly defined. You’re left to use your brain and determine on your own how to make your way in the world. After nearly many hours of play, I still hesitate when approaching a group of monsters. For those monster types I’ve never met before, I’ll save religiously prior to the battle, and I might even spend 2 or 3 lives examining how they fight.
In this, the game excels. You’re never more than 5 or 10 minutes away from the beating of your lifetime, and it’ll be well into the game before you can part with earned or pilfered cash very easily. Certainly, this makes the game “harder” than any of the other RPGs out there. Strangely enough, for a guy that tends to shy away from outright challenges in his gaming, I’m really enjoying it. My successes are my own, and I really feel accomplished when it tags me with 10 or 20 more achievement points for accomplishing a particularly difficult task.
Things to note about this game: You can end up screwing the pooch. Sometimes, in your limited available choices, you can accidentally cause damage to your avenues of cash and experience, and they won’t reappear unless you’re willing to hit the Load button. Having backed up and restarted more than once, now, I’m willing to believe that more of these opportunities are in my future.
The writing and voice acting are excellent in this game. True to the cliche, everyone is endowed with the stock English accent. But, in this case, that’s a boon. If you listen closely, you’ll recognize Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies and Lena Headey (who does a drop-dead impression of Kiera Knightly), among others.
In general, if you want to get the most out of this game, read the manual and not too much else. Try to solve problems on your own, and use the Quest Map feature religiously. Otherwise, you’ll short-circuit some of the best moments in the game. Here’s one minor hint: When you’re trying to follow a guy inconspicuously, don’t let the prostitutes distract you.
A Landscape of Adventure Awaits Me
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