It seems Piranha Bytes just won’t back down. According to an exclusive interview with the developer (published in the latest German version of PC Gamer magazine), the studio won’t give up on its core franchise. After the fiasco that was Risen 2: Dark Waters, we were not sure what to expect. The developers seemed determined to right the wrongs of the past (yet again), and are working on the 3rd installment in the Risen franchise, mainly Risen 3: Titan Lords.
First things first, a brief history lesson! Before we can understand what Risen 3 is, we need to know its history. And the history dates back to the first Gothic game, which, as bugged as it was at the time, was a breath of fresh air in the gaming industry, and was a surprise success. Following the first Gothic, Gothic 2 was released, which surpassed its predecessor in pretty much every possible way. And then Gothic 3 happened, and it all went down the drain (won’t even mention the expansion pack, Forsaken Gods, because the very thought causes nausea). Piranha Bytes crumbled, and the core team moved on to create Risen, which for Gothic fans represented the true sequel to Gothic 2.
Risen was a great game, and undid the wrongs of Gothic 3. But that wasn’t about to last, as Risen 2: Dark Waters came out, and butchered everything. When Gothic and Risen games are concerned, it seems to be always be a good one that is followed by a bad one. Based on that logic, Risen 3: Titan Lords should actually be great. It simply can’t be worse than Risen 2 anyway. There were previous rumors about a new Risen game, but it was previously referred to as Risen 3: Blazing Oceans. Well, Titan Lords is the official title, and now the project is more than a rumor. It’s coming, that much is sure. Piranha Bytes wasn’t quite ready to tell when and for what, but expect a PC version, as well as console versions (most likely Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One).
To make Risen 3 a success, the devs must first seriously polish the combat system. Over the last few years, they kept trying to change it and perfect it, but it almost always backfired. The concept was always good, but the execution was almost always lacking. The engine needs an overhaul 2. Risen 2 was anything but pretty, and the graphics seem outdated by now. Last, but not least, Risen 3 needs to regain the atmosphere of the first Risen or the first two Gothics: punishing, harsh, realistic and raw. Let’s hope they manage to pull it off and make Risen 3: Titan Lords a worthy game that puts the series back on track. Are you excited about the news?