Hi!
This time I would like to tell you about the wonderful, in my opinion, RPG production by German Piranha Bythes - Risen - a game, which is the spiritual heir of the Gothic series. Personally, I love "Gothic" series. Graphics was ugly and clumsy controls could easily compete with the work of the camera in Silent Hill 2 for the title of the worst interface of all time, but Gothic and Gothic 2 have a great story, which compensated for any shortcomings in graphic design and controls. Epic music composed by Kai Rozenkratz was one of the reasons for my interest in instrumental music. But let's back to topic, shall we.
Difficult beginnings
Risen starts with a flourish. In the intro, we are witnessing a mysterious inquisitor fighting with a sea monster. As a result, our ship has sunk and we - hungry and ragged have landed on the beach. And here comes the first of the classic "Gothic" characteristics. We only rely on ourself and our wooden staff. The opponents are very difficult. Very, very difficult. For the first few hours (!) of game we are weakling, which is easily killed by a common rat. We get a thrashing so often, that the only way to not to fall into a rage and throw a game out of the window, is to love to two options - quick save and quick load - and prepare to use them really often.
From zero hero
When our hero, after receiving countless blows, gain experience, strength and better weapons game is getting more and more fun. Here shows up another of the features of Gothic - once our hero begins to be "respected on district" fight begins to make a great joy. Opponents, against which we have escaped with tears a copule of hours ago, disappear after two or three blows. Warriors, undefeated at the beginning of the game, now have at least as many chance as we have. What about the rest? They flee in panic before our power. In Risen, there is no difficulty level scaling known from The Elder Scrolls - if we get enough experience, we will become a real killing machine.
Become my Padawan
Risen, like the other Gothic-like games, is based on the skill points, aquired after getting enough expirience to level-up and teachers. Before I get to them, the word about "leveling." We gain experience through killing monsters / enemies, beating human opponents, as well as finishing the quests and tasks. Importantly, we get sometimes more experience due to the fight, than through tasks. Therefore, it's highly reccomended to explore the island and "clean" it from all the available opponents. We gain also lot of treasures too. Returning to the teachers - the system is really cool, but it has one drawback - if our faction has no teacher of the skill we want to learn - we can forget about its possession. What often hurts - a lot. Moreover, especially in the beginning, our growth may be limited by lack of knowledge of the world and knowledge, which the teacher teaches certain skills.
Game of Thrones
In Risen, there are three factions fighting factions, which we can join - swamp bandits, inquisition and mages. Choosing one of them (significantly) reduces interactions with other factions and indicates further development of events in the game. Unfortunately, the opportunities available to the player after joining the different fractions are heavily unbalanced. While joining the magicians, or the Inquisition allows as to comfortable play the game, playing as a bandit warrior from the swamps, makes game somewhere in the middle, unplayable nightmare. Bandits do not have access to magic (there are maigc scrolls, of course, but this is a drop in the ocean of needs) and must rely only on melee combat (or at a distance, using an average useful bows and crossbows). Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the game we are attecked by groups of opponents, who even alone are very difficult to overcome. On the other hand magicians and inquisitors, armed with magic stones, they can shoot missiles to wave of enemies like a machine gun. It is unfortunate, because from all factions, bandits are the most interesting and have the deepest plot from all factions in the game.
Smithing simulator
What else can I say about Risen? It is worth to invest a copule of skill points to crafting skills. While brewing potions may not be very useful, but certainly partially satisfies our need for potions, you might be interested in blacksmithing. Weapons forged by us are, by the majority of the game, much better than what we can find, or buy from merchants and even a few more points of attack may be important in a challenge with some opponents. We can also create magical scrolls, collect ore and cook meals, that gives certain bonuses.
Summa sumarum
I think, I said everything important about the game. Graphically, even today, it pleases the eye, though the animations are a little lame (which is probably a tradition ingames of Piranha Bythes). Generally game, despite its flaws, is a really good piece of RPG worthy of play. Tasks are not weary and curiosity and stubbornness of the player is rewarded fairly well. The game gives you satisfaction both during game and at the end, but playing can hurt for the first few hours.
Hej!
This time I would like to tell you about the wonderful, in my opinion, RPG production by German Piranha Bythes - Risen - a game, which is the spiritual heir of the Gothic series. Personally, I love "Gothic" series. Graphics was ugly and clumsy controls could easily compete with the work of the camera in Silent Hill 2 for the title of the worst interface of all time, but Gothic and Gothic 2 have a great story, which compensated for any shortcomings in graphic design and controls. Epic music composed by Kai Rozenkratz was one of the reasons for my interest in instrumental music. But let's back to topic, shall we.
Risen starts with a flourish. In the intro, we are witnessing a mysterious inquisitor fighting with a sea monster. As a result, our ship has sunk and we - hungry and ragged have landed on the beach. And here comes the first of the classic "Gothic" characteristics. We only rely on ourself and our wooden staff. The opponents are very difficult. Very, very difficult. For the first few hours (!) of game we are weakling, which is easily killed by a common rat. We get a thrashing so often, that the only way to not to fall into a rage and throw a game out of the window, is to love to two options - quick save and quick load - and prepare to use them really often.
From zero hero
When our hero, after receiving countless blows, gain experience, strength and better weapons game is getting more and more fun. Here shows up another of the features of Gothic - once our hero begins to be "respected on district" fight begins to make a great joy. Opponents, against which we have escaped with tears a copule of hours ago, disappear after two or three blows. Warriors, undefeated at the beginning of the game, now have at least as many chance as we have. What about the rest? They flee in panic before our power. In Risen, there is no difficulty level scaling known from The Elder Scrolls - if we get enough experience, we will become a real killing machine.
Become my Padawan
Risen, like the other Gothic-like games, is based on the skill points, aquired after getting enough expirience to level-up and teachers. Before I get to them, the word about "leveling." We gain experience through killing monsters / enemies, beating human opponents, as well as finishing the quests and tasks. Importantly, we get sometimes more experience due to the fight, than through tasks. Therefore, it's highly reccomended to explore the island and "clean" it from all the available opponents. We gain also lot of treasures too. Returning to the teachers - the system is really cool, but it has one drawback - if our faction has no teacher of the skill we want to learn - we can forget about its possession. What often hurts - a lot. Moreover, especially in the beginning, our growth may be limited by lack of knowledge of the world and knowledge, which the teacher teaches certain skills.
Game of Thrones
In Risen, there are three factions fighting factions, which we can join - swamp bandits, inquisition and mages. Choosing one of them (significantly) reduces interactions with other factions and indicates further development of events in the game. Unfortunately, the opportunities available to the player after joining the different fractions are heavily unbalanced. While joining the magicians, or the Inquisition allows as to comfortable play the game, playing as a bandit warrior from the swamps, makes game somewhere in the middle, unplayable nightmare. Bandits do not have access to magic (there are maigc scrolls, of course, but this is a drop in the ocean of needs) and must rely only on melee combat (or at a distance, using an average useful bows and crossbows). Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the game we are attecked by groups of opponents, who even alone are very difficult to overcome. On the other hand magicians and inquisitors, armed with magic stones, they can shoot missiles to wave of enemies like a machine gun. It is unfortunate, because from all factions, bandits are the most interesting and have the deepest plot from all factions in the game.
Smithing simulator
What else can I say about Risen? It is worth to invest a copule of skill points to crafting skills. While brewing potions may not be very useful, but certainly partially satisfies our need for potions, you might be interested in blacksmithing. Weapons forged by us are, by the majority of the game, much better than what we can find, or buy from merchants and even a few more points of attack may be important in a challenge with some opponents. We can also create magical scrolls, collect ore and cook meals, that gives certain bonuses.
Summa sumarum
I think, I said everything important about the game. Graphically, even today, it pleases the eye, though the animations are a little lame (which is probably a tradition ingames of Piranha Bythes). Generally game, despite its flaws, is a really good piece of RPG worthy of play. Tasks are not weary and curiosity and stubbornness of the player is rewarded fairly well. The game gives you satisfaction both during game and at the end, but playing can hurt for the first few hours.
Hej!
Tym razem chciałbym wam opowiedzieć o wspaniałej, moim zdaniem, grze RPG produkcji niemieckiej Piranha Bythes - grze będącej duchowym spadkobiercą serii Gohic.
Osobiście w "Gothic'u" byłem zakochany do szaleństwa. Gra może i nie grzeszyła grafiką, a toporne sterowanie mogłoby śmiało konkurować z pracą kamery w Silent-Hill 2 o miano najgorzej zrobionego interfejsu wszechczasów, ale Gothic i Gothic 2 posiadały wspaniałą fabułę, która rekompensowała wszelkie niedociągnięcia oprawy graficznej i sterowania. Epicka muzyka skomponowana przez Kai Rozenkratza była jedną z przyczyn mojego zainteresowania muzyką instrumentalną. Ale nie o Gothicu mieliśmy rozmawiać.
Trudne początki
Risen zaczyna się z rozmachem. Już w intrze jesteśmy świadkami walki tajemniczego inkwizytora z morskim potworem. W jej wyniku nasz statek ulega zatopieniu, a my głodni i obdarci lądujemy na plaży. I tu wychodzi pierwsza z klasycznych "Gothicowych" cech. Jesteśmy zdani tylko na siebie i swój kij. Przeciwnicy są bardzo trudni. Naprawdę, bardzo. Przez pierwsze kilka godzin (!) gry jesteśmy zwykłym wymoczkiem, którego zabić jest w stanie byle szczur. Dostajemy manto tak często, że jedynym sposobem aby nie wpaść w furię i rzucić grę w diabły, jest przyzwyczajenie się do dwóch opcji - Quicksave i Quickload - będziemy ich używać baaaardzo często.
Od zera do terminatora
Kiedy nasz bohater, po otrzymaniu niezliczonej liczby razów, zdobędzie doświadczenie, siłę i lepszą broń gra zaczyna się robić coraz przyjemniejsza. Tu na jaw wychodzi druga z cech Gothica - kiedy już nasz protagowany zaczyna być "szanowany na dzielnicy" walka zaczyna sprawiać ogromną radość. Przeciwnicy, przed którymi uciekaliśmy z płaczem giną po dwóch, trzech ciosach. Niepokonani na początku wojownicy, teraz mają co najmniej tyle samo szans co my. A reszta? Ucieka w popłochu przed naszą potęgą. W Risenie brak, znanego z serii TES skalowania poziomu trudności - jeśli zdobędziemy wystarczająco dużo doświadczenia, staniemy się prawdziwą maszynką do zabijania.
Zostań moim padawanem
Risen, podobnie jak seria Gothic, opiera rozwój umiejętności o zdobywane co poziom punkty nauki i nauczycieli. Zanim do nich przejdę, słowo o "levelowaniu". Doświadczenie zdobywamy dzięki zabijaniu stworów/biciu przeciwników ludzkich, a także przez wykonywanie zadań. Co istotne, dzięki walce możemy zdobyć czasem więcej doświadczenia, niż dzięki zadaniom. Dlatego warto zwiedzać wyspę i "czyścić" ją z wszystkich dostępnych przeciwników. Zyskamy też dzięki temu sporo skarbów. Wracając do nauczycieli - system jest na prawdę fajny, ale ma jedną wadę - jeżeli w naszej frakcji nie ma nauczyciela danej umiejętności - możemy zapomnieć o jej posiadaniu. Co często boli - bardzo. Ponadto, szczególnie na początku, nasz rozwój może być ograniczony przez brak znajomości świata i wiedzy, który nauczyciel uczy danej umiejętności.
Gra o tron
W Risenie walkę toczą ze sobą trzy frakcje, których członkiem możemy zostać - bandyci z bagien, inkwizycja i magowie. Wybór jednej z nich (znacząco) ogranicza interakcje z pozostałymi frakcjami i wskazuje dalszy rozwój wydarzeń w grze. Niestety, możliwości dostępne dla gracza po dołączeniu do poszczególnych frakcji są mocno niezbalansowane. O ile dołączenie do magów, czy inkwizycji umożliwia w miarę komfortowe przejście gry, o tyle gra jako stronnik ludzi z bagien od połowy gry staje się koszmarem. Bandyci nie mają dostępu do magii (poza magią ze zwojów, ale to kropla w morzu potrzeb) i muszą się opierać tylko i wyłącznie na walce wręcz (lub na dystans, za pomocą średnio przydatnych łuków i kusz). Niestety, tak gdzieś od połowy gry atakują nas grupami przeciwnicy, którzy w pojedynkę są bardzo trudni do pokonania. Natomiast magowie i inkwizytorzy, uzbrojeni w magiczne kamienie, mogą szyć pociskami do nadbiegających wrogów niczym z karabinu maszynowego. To niestety bardzo niekorzystnie wpływa na klimat gry, gdyż to właśnie bandyci z bagien są najciekawszą, najgłębszą fabularnie, stroną konfliktu.
Symulator kowala
Co jeszcze mogę powiedzieć o Risenie? Warto zainwestować punkty nauki w crafting. O ile warzenie mikstur nie jest może bardzo przydatne, ale na pewno częściowo zaspokaja nasze zapotrzebowanie na eliksiry, o tyle warto zainteresować się kowalstwem. Własnoręcznie wykuta broń jest przez większość gry znacznie lepsza od tego co możemy znaleźć, tudzież kupić od handlarzy, a nawet kilka punktów ataku więcej może mieć spore znaczenie w starciu z niektórymi przeciwnikami. Możemy też tworzyć magiczne zwoje, zbierać rudę i gotować wzmacniające postać posiłki.
Summa sumarum
Wymieniłem już chyba większość najważniejszych aspektów w Risenie. Graficznie nawet dziś cieszy oko, choć animacje troszkę kuleją (co jest już chyba tradycją gier Piranha Bythes). Ogólnie gra, mimo swoich wad, jest naprawdę dobrym kawałkiem RPG, godnym polecenia. Zadania nie nużą, ciekawość i wytrwałość gracza jest dość dobrze nagradzana. Gra daje satysfakcję, zarówno podczas grania jak i po zakończeniu, choć granie może boleć przez pierwsze kilka godzin.
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