Risen 3: Titan Lords - Boxed - PS3

Risen 3: Titan Lords is a direct sequel to Risen 2: Dark Waters and takes place in the same world - a fantasy archipelago reminiscent of the eighteenth-century Caribbean, with a touch of sea piracy. In terms of design, it combines elements from the two previous games. Unlike its immediate predecessor, where exploration was often limited to one island at a time, the player gains access to almost the entire archipelago right after the short prologue mission and can explore each island in any order. Also more in line with the first Risen and the previous Gothic games, allying with various factions plays an important role, giving the main plot more freedom.

There are three factions in the game: Demon Hunters, Voodoo Pirates and Guardians. These factions are less rigidly defined in their combat specialisation than in the earlier games. Access to all quests of all factions is only possible with several playthroughs; however, the game still offers a large number of faction-independent side quests scattered throughout the world. The protagonist also commands his own crew and can choose one of the companions who join the hero to support him in combat and while exploring the land.

Combat has been slightly improved compared to the previous instalments by introducing more special manoeuvres. Dodging is now more pronounced, and powerful charged melee attacks can be executed. The player character can also learn other moves (e.g. riposte) if he finds the appropriate trainer. As before, experience points are manually assigned to the main attributes, while trainers must be paid for their services. Apart from a few changes, the character development system follows that of Risen 2, with the social skills introduced there (silver tongue, intimidation, etc.) returning. The magic system has been improved, with both special abilities (such as transforming into a parrot) and the more traditional crystal-based spells returning.