Forget the hero of the first two episodes, because it's a brand new main character that we impose on you here. The link with the previous episode actually lies in the family tree of the newcomer, who is none other than Patty's brother, a memorable freebooter with generous curves. The latter accompanies our avatar on the island of the Crab Coast in order, of course, to unearth a formidable treasure. But then, on the way, the nameless hero comes across a mysterious demonic portal. There followed a dazzling death, a proper burial and, three weeks later, a resurrection based on voodoo rites! Now devoid of a soul, our hero must be careful not to sink definitively to the dark side, under penalty of turning into a demon, a model underling rather than a big boss. From then on, each of his actions will make him gain or lose soul points, depending on their alignment with what is commonly considered to be good or bad. But let the psychopaths rest assured, it is still possible to slaughter exotic fauna without any penalty. Slaying the lesser bellicose pirate will also count for butter. It must be said that the fights are a significant part of the game. Before magic makes its appearance in the scenario, the games take place mainly with bladed weapons, a secondary weapon at a distance (pistol, daggers, etc.) can however coming to save you the day if you use it at the right time. During fights, it is advisable to alternate parries, simple blows, and powerful blows to charge for a few moments. Nothing very fancy, even if we gain in dynamism compared to previous episodes, since it is possible to perform avoidance rolls in all directions. Despite everything, the general lack of originality and punch of the combat system means that we will generally favor magic, certain devastating spells making it possible to quickly end most clashes.
Unknown land or known ground?
But let's not lose sight that we are dealing with a role-playing game and not an action one. What matters most is therefore the dialogues, the quests, or even the progression of the character. But there is no need to go into too much detail on these points, because a rereading of our Risen 2 test will be enough to give you a good idea of what Risen 3 offers, as the two games are so close. Let's just remember that the Piranha Bytes studio has not lost much of its know-how. If some quests may seem basic or brought too abruptly, it is simply because they are extremely numerous and it is impossible to maintain an optimum level of quality over hundreds, even thousands, of objectives. This profusion of quests, and therefore of encounters with characters, contributes to making exploration one of the main qualities of the game. Whether we decide to follow the main plot, whether we choose to accomplish an obscure secondary objective, or that we simply favor walks without a predetermined goal, we are sure to come across lots of additional missions. To help us on our journey, let's note the presence of a new gameplay element from the hero's mortal experience: astral vision. Depending on the improvements made to it, the latter makes it possible to easily detect characters, objects to pick up, and various treasures from a great distance. A feature that has been a little too fashionable lately (Thief, Dishonored…) but which has the merit of being new for the series.
Conversely, we welcome the "classic" presence of three factions to join, a typical characteristic of the Gothic saga and whose effectiveness is well established. Which of the Guardians, Demon Hunters or Voodoo Pirates will have your preference? In any case, be aware that one of the improbable gaps in Risen 2 has been filled: your character can now swim, which is still the least of things for a pirate who sails from island to island. The crawl animation is certainly not the most elegant, but we must recognize that the technique is still not the strong point of the studio. If some places seem really enchanting, thus once again rewarding exploration, it is more often due to the quality of the level design than to that of the graphics. A too pronounced blur effect bathes the sets, most of the characters have really strange proportions, and some animations clearly lack fluidity. In short, we are clearly not dealing with a "new gen" game. To this must be added a fairly obvious casting error regarding the voice of the hero, too cliché to be honest. And let's not forget the return of the scandalous DLC politics already pointed out in Risen 2, certain islands being reserved for those who choose to open their wallet several times...
