Preview: Risen 2: Dark Water

It’s going to be an all-out pirate extravaganzaaaarrrggghhhh

This year is once again going to be another great one for the action RPG. Right on the heels of Mass Effect 3 we have the sequel to the under-appreciated gem, Risen.

Name: Risen 2: Dark Waters
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Piranha Bytes (PC) / Wizarbox (Xbox 360, PS3)
Publishers: Deep Silver
Release Date: April 27 (PC) / May 25 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Risen was one of those games that you either loved or merely didn’t like. No one hated it.

For those who disliked it, they found a well-crafted but unfriendly third-person, fantasy themed, action RPG. With a shoddy tutorial and little in the way of in-game explanation, this was a game that didn’t hold hands and wasn’t trying to make you like it.

Not helped by the relatively slow and boring opening, if you weren’t willing to give Risen a serious chance, it was happy to let you pass on by.

To those who did persevere past the opening, they found something quite magical; Risen boasted one of the most real, authentic and genuinely interesting game worlds to explore. Characters had complex pasts, layered motivations and the player was left with a web of relationships to untangle.

This was the very best of Risen. A beautiful and atmospheric soundtrack, well written and voiced dialogue, intense, if a little repetitive combat, all served to accentuate an excellent (if a little withdrawn) game world.

Even after all the other AAA games that I’ve sampled since Risen’s release in 2009, there are scenes, characters and music that I still remember with keen clarity to this day

Now in steps Risen 2: Dark Waters. Developed by the same German studio Piranha Bytes, the sequel promises to give players the same wonderful sense of authenticity while vastly improving usability and the overall accessibility of the game; bigger, better and more awesome.

Oh, and it’s pirate themed. PIRATES people!

In a stunning move of stunningness, Piranha Bytes have elected to drop the interesting but generic fantasy setting of the original for a full on, no foolin’ pirate setting.

Although there will be no sailing or any kind of on sea privateering; the new theme, voodoo magic system and deep, awesome world Piranha Bytes promise are enough to pique my interest.

There are sparse few details on the actual game itself, save for a few trailers. A game like this, however, is all about the detail.

Is the story good? Are the characters and side quests as multi-layered as the predecessor? Have the rough edges been smoothed? Can I really make voodoo on my enemies?

Unless the setting and idea have sold you completely, wait for reviews, but wait eagerly. If the normal slew of scores and reviewings paint even a slightly rosy picture — buy this game immediately.

Risen 2 has releases on April 27th for the PC and May 25th for consoles.