Whoo, this will be a long one!
Maylander, how long did it take you to complete one playthrough? Sorry if you already mentioned that.
The timestamp on the save game says 31 hours. This is not accurate, however, as I don't think it includes reloading and what not. I'd say it's probably closer to 40.
That is actually quite interesting. 40 hours. Not a whole lot for a game like this, and yet I've said it's huge and bigger than most PB games. What's the deal? The reason is actually quite simple: It's so much easier than most PB games. Gothic 2 isn't a huge game compared to Risen 3 or any of the Elder Scrolls, but it still takes quite some time to complete due to three things:
- Enemies take much longer to kill.
- You'll die a lot more in Gothic 2, which leads to a lot more time spent reloading and figuring out how to do certain fights.
- While you certainly progress in power in Gothic 2, you never reach a point where you can effectively steamroll your way through the game. In Risen 3 that happens about halfway in, after which the fighting is often reduced to a few seconds of WHACK! and you're done.
So yes, the game world is the 2nd biggest in any PB game (Gothic 3 is bigger), but it still doesn't take longer to complete because it's not as challenging.
thanks for that! Really good write up that pretty much mirrors my thoughts on the game. I have to admit I'm never really that bothered about music in a game but playing this I miss the old PB music so much!
On the difficulty/combat side has anyone tried playing the game entirely without a companion? I'm wondering if it might be considerably more enjoyable like this given the lack of challenge and relatively small feeling of progression. At the moment I just feel like every difficult combat encounter is a case of 1 person soaking up damage (blocking or rolling) while the other smacks the beasty from behind. Whenever I've encountered things one-on-one (usually because Bones is stuck somewhere) the game becomes quite a serious challenge
Well yes, that is true. I've tried soloing, or using Jaffar, for quite some time on my Mage now. It stays challenging for some time, but once you near the end it won't be a challenge even without a companion (I tried that on my Demon Hunter). That being said: There is a fight where you have to be solo that is quite a challenge. It came completely out of nowhere and really surprised me, so I won't spoil it for anyone. It's actually quite a fight.
Nice review. I'm early in the game but I am very disappointed with the combat. Basically I am on the first island I visited, Ticuragua or whatever it's called, and I've pretty much cleared all enemies with Bones without levelling up whatsoever bar the first time on the tutorial island. I would prefer to try it on my own without Bones but it seems obvious to me that on my own it would be a total pain to get through so many enemies. I might force myself to do it though because otherwise there is zero threat which is very un-PB like.
Once you join a faction, you'll get access to a healing spell. After that, Bones isn't really needed anymore and you can solo all you want. The only thing you'll miss out on is the occasional funny remark.
All those mobs from R2 that ment instadeath if you met them early (panthers, grave spiders, etc) you can solo in R3. Okay, maybe it's easy for someone who played all previous PB games.
This was actually one of my disappointments: Even the heavy hitters weren't heavy hitters. The only enemies in the game with enough firepower to actually be a challenge are the undead shadow beast like thingys, the Shadow Lords and the occasional magic user. Everything else, including Grave Spiders, are rather laughable to be honest.
Actually PB did solve it as you've said - in G2.
The problem with G3 was it got released prematurely. You can't polish challenges then.
Well, kind of. The world of Gothic 2 is not as big though, and every area is not open from the start. That's part of what I suggested as a solution - keep certain areas inaccessible until you've completed certain quests, and those areas have tougher enemies. Also, Gothic 2 spawns a lot of its heavier enemies in later chapters, which is also a possible solution of course.
Which difficulty setting has everyone been playing on? I'll switch to hard if it really does get that easy, even if it won't fix the exploits like roll being infinite invincibility and the companions.
Mostly normal, but hard is needed if you want a challenge. Like Moriendor points out: At least then you'll have more of a reason to avoid being hit.
So what I'm doing for the most part now is mash the 'E' button, dodge, 'E', dodge, until combat is over. The pistol is very effective and WAY too effective against some of the supposedly harder mobs. I can take down a golem in three shots (no kidding and I don't have uber skills or a uber pistol… both stats cunning and pistol damage are in the 45 to 55 area) and grave spiders also go down real fast. Shadow lords? No problem as long as I avoid getting hit by that death wave or whatever it is. Spam 'E' and the shadow lord goes down in under 10 shots.
Seriously, a pack of scavengers or monkeys is way more scary than a golem or a grave spider. Definitely makes you wonder who greenlighted this…
Yes, as I pointed out previously in this post: I am disappointed by the fact that the so-called heavy hitters aren't actually heavy hitters. Getting hit by a golem in Gothic 2 was usually a death sentence. In Risen 3 it's barely a nuisance.
That's a pretty thorough review, thanks. However, I'd like to hear a little more on the soundtrack and how it compares to Risen 2's music. It's a bit disappointing to hear that it's not at all memorable. Not even one single track?
Whilst you do note that Kai Rosencranz isn't present, this was also the case in the sequel as the composer was Bastian Seelbach.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE874C743D5E8B3B2
Interestingly, I've always found that Risen 2's main theme eerily reminiscent of New Vegas's main theme, but that's another topic for another thread…
I still like the original soundtrack more; bit more subdued and contemplatively mellow. I think my memory of the time and place when playing the game was also stronger, which assists in making music more memorable.
Finally, I have to echo the sentiment of GG: The speed of completion is absolutely off-the charts ridiculous.
The thing is: Every PB game so far has had memorable tracks. From the relaxing music in the Old Camp (Gothic 1) and the Harbor Town (Risen 1) to majestic symphonies in Myrtana (Gothic 3), there's always been something that I'd remember afterwards. Even Risen 2 had one melody that I still love (the quiet music at night).
Risen 3 just doesn't have that. It's not bad by any means, in fact it's quite good by gaming terms, but it's not quite as memorable as in previous games. It's a bit of a shame, as it's always been something of a trademark.
Usually I'm the one who puts a word or two on games soundtracks, but here I still can't be completely sure as I didn't finish the game yet so it's possible I didn't hear every score.
Those I did hear, range from mediocre to under mediocre. Thankfully, none of it is irritating, but I see no reason buying this game's complete OST, if you do find a score you like, buy just that one on iTunes.
Yes, I agree. It's mostly mediocre.
Great rundown, Maylander! Thanks!
Your description puts Risen 3 on the buy sooner list for me. Hand-crafted exploration plus a better magic system makes me think… YES!
The magic system really is a huge upgrade. Massive. It's actually the first time I feel a magic system has worked in a PB game, as they usually have some sort of extreme mana constraint that leads to every mage in essence becoming a "battle mage" where 4 out of 5 fights is won primarily with a sword. That is not the case in Risen 3: Once you have access to magic you can safely ignore other weapons completely, yet you can also play as a battle mage if you want to. I like that.