Clock 15:05 - console gamers know the Gothic series probably only from the stories of their PC friends who rave about for years, either from Gothic 1 a.m.-2 p.m. or made on the Bugfiasko and the following "publisher vs. developer" War of the Roses part 3 funny . Now the German developer Piranha Bytes to controls under the new flag of Deep Silver Risen with both PC and console waters and is therefore unfortunately properly bathe. Our test reveals the backgrounds of the shipwreck.
Building on our heritage
It was a tragedy, as the long-awaited Gothic 3 in 2006 finally came into the shops and littered with so many bugs was that not even the Starship Troopers would have them be able to master. Mutual accusations of publisher and developer Piranha Bytes JoWood did not ease the disappointment of fans, too. In this country we have all heard the consequences of the history of video gamers: Both parties have separated themselves in the dispute and the name of a great RPG series would have fallen by a whisker. Deep Silver, a label of Koch Media, Piranha Bytes was a new publisher for the was created in record time of just under two years, a new title: Risen to be the cornerstone of a new roll game series.
The World of Risen is in upheaval, which have after all the gods of the fantasy planet made of dust sprout everywhere in the world come to the mysterious temple of the ground, which ran from gay monsters and beasts, and the world flood. The increase in population not only ensures monsters falling property prices in the immediate environment of this temple, but also leads to smaller migration, which try to evade the residents to peaceful islands or tracts of land. The preferred means of travel are in the process vessels. Risen in a nameless hero is stranded after a shipwreck on an alien island. The island constitutes the entire game world and is divided into different zones: There is, in addition to a mandatory marshes also send palm trees in the port city, to subtly remind the fortress towns on the Caribbean islands or jungle-like vegetation and a huge volcano casts its shadow over the country. And the resident flora and usually hostile receives a slightly tropical touch and shows multiple: Spiny rat, wild boar, wolves, giant scorpions, lizards, and the thunder gorillaartigen Netherbeasts Waffenarm your request. Most specimens appear to be just like about 95% of the rest of gameplay directly from the Gothic sprung universe, a circumstance which we have devoted an extra box at the end of the test.
Not only in the Bundestag factions!
The island is dominated by three groups, which connect the player over time needs to. Since all were led by the Inquisition, which has its base in a volcano fortress and rule over the island. She is also the one who has draped a curfew and shall ensure that no one leaves the island. Then there are the wizards who dwell in the port city and have come to terms with the merciless Inquisition, but pursue their own plans. The robbers from the bandit camp, finally represent the freedom fighters in the world of Risen, who rebel against the yoke of the rulers. All the groups have rich contracts for the nameless, which can often be solved in different ways and thus lead to different rewards. To join a group that must be met for this particular task. The decision can also make it later undo if their missions completed for another party and thus rising again in their appearance. A membership exclusive benefits: Thus, for example, only supporters of the Mage Guild, the three attack spells (make fire, ice and magic! Learn). In addition, only they are able to create runes that can be used to spell repeat as often as everyone else have to rely on spell roles which they either receive a wage or looting, or produce them with the right ingredients and the necessary talent itself, But the blessing after a single use of the temporal.
Experience points to the master
New talent you must not assimilate with the respective teachers. There you can also improve your character's statistics. Both will cost gold and learning points. The latter will get her to Level up. The range of possible capabilities is versatile and useful again, but some veterans would also be very familiar. This allows the mineral-to-find talent everywhere degrade veins. Information derived from the raw materials it produces by forging weapons and armor make this time also, helmets and - by adding some stones - magical accessories that allow you individually your stamina improves as against stabbing weapons or fireworks. With knowledge of alchemy brews its delicious drink. Evisceration, it actually allows you hunted animal skins, bones, claws and the like lose weight, let the peddle to the prima nearest dealer. By Art Thieves and Dietrich, treasure chests can be opened for which you have just lost the key, of course. This applies to complete a mini game in which the direction buttons in the correct order to be pressed. Denied her, flute enters Dietrich. Alternatively, can also help direct pedestrians to their property if they manage to distract you for that. The locations of the masters and traders will be recorded in the logbook, which also all the relevant dialogue and mission objectives lists. Very comfortable: there is for most areas for a local map on which notes are also always the quest giver. Is a welcome innovation in the Gothic, uh, Risen universe.
Wild boars and wolves: The Scourge of the adventurer
To survive in this hostile environment that is experienced dealing with a medieval instrument of war is essential. The combat system is - how could it be otherwise assumed - also of Gothic, but refined. With the combination of mouse and directional buttons or analogue stick and A, B and Y buttons on the Xbox 360 controller blows from their various shares, blocking with your shield or weapon, you can nullify enemy attacks, and later a long combos and special attacks by Stack can be. But even these techniques will be taught only once during their master. Even if they have learned, of course, it still calls for the right timing. However, here also shows a typical weakness of the franchise: The Balacing. While fighting against human opponents, if necessary, also naked, armed with a branch gains can quickly bring a two wolves in distress. This is especially the fact that you can only block an opponent. Here are a kind of jumps Lock On feature one, but that only effectively attack a person, deflects or animal. The first 5-10 hours of play, therefore it is usually on the run from animal collections and tried his luck at the numerous missions in the human settlements. Only when one has earned the appropriate armor and weapons, you can also make longer trips into the wilderness and in the numerous temples.
Full power back: The technique of Risen
A large game world without Ladepausen, which certainly sounds tempting. Especially since quite a few Gothic-will give players who have dreamed of exploring the rough fantasy scenarios of piranhas once comfortable in the living room. What after the intro, already sprayed the spirit of the early 2000s, but then presented on the domestic flat screen, takes your breath away: The first can be seen almost nothing, which is not only because the game at night and storm begins, but because of the contrast set too low. Unfortunately, the game offers not, adjust the gamma value. Here are just a readjustment on the TV helps to herumzuirren into the dark caves not completely disoriented. The distance vision is better described as near vision, it is because everything that is more than 10 meters away from the game character will vermatscht either by blurring ", in trees or in the case of simple aufploppt mountains just visible in the background built up from nothing. Lie between a Fable 2 or Far Cry 2 on Xbox 360 and Risen felt five years of technical progress. Since there already is hardly in any more, which is noticeably cooked on the other areas on the back burner. Stones and walls are usually applauded by vast, muddy and low-resolution Simpeltexturen and among the characters seems to be only one handful of different models to give. Mostly Meet her on the same clones of the bearded pirate model, running around everywhere on the island. Among the women, there seems to be only two variants. Benefit must be considered, however, that the framerate is fairly constant, and that there is no visible tearing. Something. The speech may, however, as in the old Gothic-parts are referred to as a success, even if quickly notice that there are probably close to 10 speakers divided the 70-100 almost various NPCs among themselves. Since the PC version, but at the current PC looks noticeably better than the Xbox 360 version we evaluate the console version from about a point. The pure fun, however, is the same on both systems.
Risen vs.. Gothic: Deja vu on the running belt
With movies, they are known as a remake or homage known: editions film templates. With Risen Piranha Bytes clearly demonstrates that either themselves are the biggest fans of the Gothic world, or simply ideas and suffer from acute lack of innovation. In his Preview Mr John Krohn wrote a fix, "Why is something that is not broke?", But cloned as strong of Gothic Risen then we would not want it:
Story: The Nameless lands instead on an island in a vast open-air prison. Otherwise, he again finds the same various fractions, only mean that the inquisitors and the water now Paladins Mages have now moved to Universal magicians. Instead dragon hunters are found in the lawless bandits, and now the thief-for-profit group. The quest is over as usual. To be included in a group, have different tasks to be solved, which then give access to particular leaders. The quests are almost always variations of known functions of Gothic 1-3. Whether it involves the collection of information, spy on workers and the simple finding treasures and loot goes, veterans will never be surprised.
Gameplay: The controls, the distribution of experience points, the various talents (theft, alchemy, acrobatics), all of this was taken 1:1 from Gothic. The battle system has been expanded to include the capability of blocking and enhanced with some new attacks. The animations of the hero, especially when running and jumping but also acts as fresh from the year 2002 and is expected to Konsoleros, the Assassin's Creed are used to provide bursts of laughter.
Flora: Nearly all plants are known from Gothic to be found in Risen. Besides the known medicinal plants, herbs and Wurzler are again picking berries and mushrooms. The Statusverbessernden flowers are with us once again, being hot, of course, all different, but look almost the same. What used to be called the root or the dragon Ogerblatt, now has a different name but the same effect (eg Sträke +1). What was once made sense, now does sometimes unintentionally funny: This is still cultivated in swamps, cabbage, however, is brewed from the now rather obvious Rauchware suddenly beer.
Flora: Nearly all known from Gothic animals are also found in Risen, only the appearance has changed a little and got it in the exotic cases, new names. Pigs (wild boar) and wolves were virtually unchanged, blood flying moths are now grave, marsh sharks are now mine crawler worms and insects have wings.
All this familiarity may give us Gothic fans a pleasant feeling of familiarity, but there were Gothic fan modifications, the more courage to independence, when the in-house copy of Piranha Bytes. It was probably a mixture of tight schedule, a small team, and risk minimization, which moved Piranha to a gothic remake set up with a new name.
Pros and Cons
+ Provides all Gothic strengths (atmosphere, dialogue)
+ Motivating rise from nobody to hero
+ Almost bug free and stable
- Provides all Gothic weaknesses (Balancing)
- Xbox 360 version is technically out of date
- Noticeable lack of production value: Maximum of a handful of character models
Gothic Greatest Hits with the technology of 2002
Even though it hurts me as a fan in the soul of Gothic: Risen is a creative and technical bankruptcy of the guys from Piranha Bytes. Gothic fans like me will make the game fun again, but we've all played through at least three times Gothic 2. And I suppose I should also have a direct port from Gothic 1 play on the Xbox 360 and have some fun. Thus the target group of Risen, however, is also clearly defined: Only those who already have played through the Gothic-parts with pleasure, will forgive the re-edition Risen his old-fashioned gameplay and technical layer of dust. However, here is strongly recommended to the PC version, which can hide much better technical inadequacies. Gratifying, but in fact self-evident: The game runs on both PC and Xbox 360 crash and almost bug free. Unfortunately, it's just seen only on the 360 as a graphical version of the test in 2004. Even if we herummäkeln lately, unfortunately, very often the lack of production value of some German productions, it has Risen in times of Fable 2, Mass Effect and Dragon Age is already near future on the day of release as a message from the past. The piranha is therefore desirable that for her next project, with sufficient time, technical know-how and fresh ideas will be provided, since otherwise they will probably lose the final connection to the global games market. For even the Gothic-like substance loses herb beer with each new infusion significantly in flavor.
