Risen 2 Dark Waters Review (PlayStation 3)

by Jim Smale · Published September 9, 2012 · Updated January 9, 2023

For our Risen 2 review, we set sail in this pirate-themed RPG. We loot, Kill and do whatever it takes to go up the ranks in the pirate crew. with them not knowing you are actually an undercover operative. Offering glorious backdrops and the ability to use voodoo and much much more. Let us see how it fairs…

Risen 2 Dark Waters Review Pros:

Beautiful graphics.
Platinum trophy.
The environment is a lush rich world boasting deep jungles, glorious sandy beaches, dungeons, and ancient temples.
Main story missions and a whole host of optional side missions.
A living breathing world.
The addition of voodoo, monsters, and other mystical creatures make this so much more than a cheap Pirates Of The Caribbean clone.
Fast travel does exactly that with zero loading times.
Possible to just run away from encounters.
Upgrading and teaching yourself new skills are near endless. You can learn to become a blacksmith if you like or become a badass thief, pickpocketing and lock picking to your evil heart’s content. Learning voodoo opens up a whole new way of playing the game. The silver tongue perk allows you to get more out of conversations or learn things you wouldn’t normally hear.
Play how you want.
Traveling from island to island is done by your main pirate boat, but a small journey is done via a rowing boat.
Hidden treasure chests around for you to loot.
A huge wide range of animals from monkeys to alligators to ghouls.
Full voice acting and no character models looking the same, help to keep the great atmosphere created in this game world.
Can see enemy health.
Simple to learn hack-and-slash combat.
The game auto-saves a lot but don’t rely on them, instead save yourself OFTEN!

Risen 2 Dark Waters Review

Risen 2 Dark Waters Review Cons:

The combat is very messy. Resorting to just mashing the attacking button while also trying to parry attacks. This gets really annoying on uneven ground I can tell you.
Camera angle, while you can move it yourself on the right stick, in combat this is clumsy and not easily done due to the camera not following you.
The beginning is a bit slow but that’s kind of the norm with RPG games of today. Once you’ve done a few missions then it starts opening up.
You start off with an AI character following you around, This is fine except whenever you run or go up a hill you not suppose to, The AI character disappears resulting in you having to go and look for them. Usually, they are where you left them but sometimes they get stuck. I’ve had an AI character sink into the floor so I’m following a weird head guy, Or even a guy who goes to jump but gets stuck in the animation but continues to move. All very odd.
No clear on-screen visual guides. So if a mission asks you to speak to a certain person, this can prove rather difficult and a lot of checking everyone’s name. Not a huge deal but a niggling little flaw all the same.

The game is delisted on the Playstation store so here is a Steam link.

In summary, it is a good game with so much gameplay. It’s basically Skyrim with pirates, If you are a pirate fan or even if you are not, this game brings fresh ideas and a new approach to the RPG genre. The visuals really are top notch and you will lose many an afternoon just gazing out into the ocean, or walking through a field picking up flowers and hunting. The game despite its few flaws is still a good game that deserves your time.