Review: Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition

Title: Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition
Platform:Â PS4 (Reviewed on)
Developer:Â Piranha Bytes
Publisher:Â Deep Silver
Release date:Â Out Now!
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When Risen 3: Titan Lords launched on PS3 last year, compared to other RPG games it was mediocre at best. While this may be the Enhanced Edition of the same game, theres no getting around that it still remains an uncompromisingly mediocre RPG 12 months later on PS4.

Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition is by no stretch of the imagination a bad game, but with only a new paint job and some added DLC missions it still only sits as a second-tier RPG. If anything thanks to the excellent release of EA’s Dragon Age: Inquisition and the even better Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from CD Projekt Red, it could be argued that despite the enhancements the Enhanced Edition actually feels like a weaker games 12 months on.

Lets look at what improvements have been made, which disappointingly there aren’t that many. Fundamentally this is the exact same game as it was last year. The visuals have certainly had an upgrade, the terrible framerate has been improved (although it does still have it’s moments) and the bonus DLC content does add plenty of additional things to do in an already content rich game, yet sadly none of the game’s gameplay or structural issues have been addressed.

Yes, the improved framerate does make the Enhanced Edition an eminently more playable experience, but the mission design, the animations, and more importantly the wonky combat have all gone utterly untouched. You would think being called Enhanced Edition it would give great opportunity to smooth out the original rough edges; of which there are many. Beyond the aforementioned visual upgrade, Piranha Bytes have essentially released the same game; and a game which doesn’t hold up against the competition on the PS4 in 2015.

Still, despite being such a heated mess; Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition somehow manages to provide it’s share of enjoyment thanks to it’s fantastic premise, it’s brilliant sense of place, and it’s engrossing atmosphere. The combat is far to reliant upon the dodge roll, and the glitches serve to break the immersion of the experience, but the game still feels, well, rather charming. It’s not a great game. Sometimes it’s not even a good game, but it’s the kind of game that encourages youth not only forgive it’s inadequacies, but to a point learn to live with them.

Be warned though, no amount of goodwill will get you through the truly atrocious stealth elements. Luckily they aren’t to frequent, but with clumsy controls and no sense of how well you are hidden, the sections provide the kind of low point that even the biggest and best game would struggle to recover from.

The world of Risen 3 looks much better in the Enhanced Edition as well. it’s fantastic pirate-inspired universe is amazingly believable despite it’s technical limitations. Brought to life by it’s constantly engaging art design and a host of enjoyable cast of both enemies and allies. The dialogue is uniformly poor, but it is all delivered with enough cheery gusto to be deemed somewhat entertaining.

In actual fact the pirate theme is what makes Risen 3: Titan Lords worth playing. While far from award winning stuff the story is generally well told, thanks to the pirate theme it feels surprisingly unique thanks to the genre’s long running obsession with medieval fantasy.

Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition isn’t the biggest RPG on the market, but for those willing to put up with it’s flaws and vagueness of some of the objectives, there is certainly plenty to keep busy with. The additional DLC content is largely more of the same, though does offer up two new islands to explore; and the additional content will prove a welcome extra to those able to look past the technical issues and poor design choices.

There is fun to be had for sure, but honestly you have to be willing to overlook some pretty major issues from this charming but undeniably mediocre RPG. The story is fun, but also outrageously generic and often dragged down by characters that, while amusing, are let down by dodgy animations and consistently poor dialogue. Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition feels like a game where the ambition outstretches the budget, and while there are some bit to like here, there are simply to many issues and many other superior RPGs available on the PS4 to make this a genuinely recommendable experience.

The Good

Charming and immersive world

Pirate theme feels unique for the genre

The Bad

Animation is lacklustre

Character dialogue is consistently poor

Far to many bugs and issues to list

Doesn’t hold up against other games in the genre