[Nintendo Switch] Risen Review | PS4Blog.net

Action RPG Risen is getting a new chance on Nintendo Switch thanks to THQ Nordic and Piranha Bytes. Does the game hold up after all these years? Check our Risen review!

Action RPG Risen is getting a new chance on Nintendo Switch thanks to THQ Nordic and Piranha Bytes. Does the game hold up after all these years? This one was originally released in North America for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 back on February 2010, and 13 years later, it’s been ported to the Nintendo Switch, as well as the PlayStation 4. Two sequels were launched on PlayStation 3, with Risen 2: Dark Waters landing in 2012 and Risen 3: Titan Lords launching in 2014, so the odds of us getting these two games on Nintendo Switch are not that bad… but will certainly depend on how Risen does sales-wise.

The game places you in the shoes of an unnamed character who rises to the occasion to become the hero that the mysterious volcanic island of Faranga needs. It presents an open world action RPG where your actions matter and the choices you make during its story chapters will have consequences. After a storm hits your ship and leaves only you and someone named Sara alive, you must do whatever it takes to survive long enough for you to be able to fulfill your destiny.

Deadly tremors have hit the island, and its inhabitants are not very happy about it. On top of that, the tremors have revealed ancient temples that have risen from the ground. Inside of those temples? Bizarre creatures have started to attack everything and everyone in sight. You were sent to Faranga as part of an expedition ordered by The Inquistors, but the aforementioned storm cut those plans short.

You’ll control your character with the left analog stick, as you use the right one to move the camera as needed. If you press in on the right analog stick, he will jump. The A button will be for your primary action, with the secondary action mapped to the Y button. The B button is for blocking, while the X button is for dodging. Pressing the L button will put you into melee weapons mode for short-range attacks, while the R button switches into range weapons mode so that you can attack enemies from a safer distance. If you want to use your bow, you can press and hold down the ZR button to draw the string of the bow and then release it to shoot.

By pressing down on the D-Pad, you can open up the region’s map or check the world map. Pressing right will allow you to check your character’s stats – strength, dexterity, wisdom, mana, hit points, learning points, current experience points and total needed to level up, protection for blades, blunt weapons, piercing weapons, fire, ice, or magic. You can also review his sword, axe, and staff fighting skills, as well as archery and crossbow skills. There’s also crafting (alchemy, smithing, prospecting, and gutting animals), rune magic (seal and create scrolls), thievery (opening locks, pickpocketing, acrobatics, and sneaking), and crystal magic (magic bullet, fireball, and frost).

Pressing up will open up your inventory, from where you can review any weapons you might have collected, items that can heal your wounds or help you recover your mana, or trinkets that can be sold for some extra gold coins that can make a big difference during your adventure. You’ll start with nothing on you other than your clothes, so you’ll have to grab a club from the wreckage and try to make the most of it so that you can defend yourself from the hungry sea vultures that are ready to feast on your corpse, the angry giant stingrats that pack a punch, or the huge wolf that just wants to take a bite.

You’ll need to collect as many healing plants as possible so that you can recover some of your lost health during this long journey, as well as grab all of the meat and fish you can get your hands on. Stingrats are far from an ideal source of nutrition, but if you get their meat, find a frying pan, and cook the meat over a fire, you’ll be able to eat it and recover some HP. If you find a barrel with water, be sure to drink from it to recover some health as well!

This one features an in-game achievements system, which makes sense since the game was originally released for the Xbox 360. In fact, this game even still carries over and includes the Gamerscore values for each one of them! That means you can work on completing 50 objectives to gain a total of 1,000 in-game achievement points. As for what you’ll have to do, the objectives include things such as finding your first bow, defeating 500 monsters, killing 20 wild boars, learning every close combat talent, completing 250 quests, obtaining 300,000 gold coins, or picking 50 pockets.

Risen on the Nintendo Switch is a fun action RPG that is getting a new shot 13 years later. It’s a port and not a remake, so the game does show its age on Nintendo’s console – Metroid Prime Remastered this is not. This is why it’s not being released for a premium price, which makes it a good option for action RPG fans who might have missed out on playing it over a decade ago – as is the case for any Nintendo Switch owners who have only played games on Nintendo or Sony consoles over the years. Risen is out on Nintendo Switch with a $29.99 asking price.

Disclaimer
This Risen review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by THQ Nordic.