Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced Edition - gamescom Preview

Over the years, there has been a multitude of fantasy RPGs for players to choose from. Heavy hitters such as Skyrim, Dragon Age, and The Witcher 3 may be the titles that come to gamers’ minds when thinking of highlights of the genre. Risen 3: Titan Lords released last year for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The game was praised for its grand adventure and setting, but criticised for its countess glitches and bugs that affected the performance. Now with an Enhanced Edition coming to PS4, Risen 3 might finally be able to be the sum of its parts.

Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced Edition includes a number of improvements on the original version. During a live gameplay demo at gamescom, I was told that the enhanced edition is the best looking version, with visuals being comparable to the original’s Ultra PC setting. I was surprised at how nice the graphics looked, characters and environments are well detailed and the world is complimented by colourful vistas and good weather effects. Piranha Bytes have implemented a number of ways to improve the game’s visuals including, higher resolution textures, and an improved depth of field.

The game also runs smoothly at a solid 30 FPS and 1080P. The live gameplay demo had the developers running us through a character build on one of the maps nine islands. The map’s setting is very Caribbean-like, with gorgeous seas, beaches and coves scattered throughout the land. Traversal during this map looked enjoyable; the sights alone make it worth your time. At one point the character transformed into a parrot, soaring through the skies to a hidden location. Spots like this are only reachable through animal transformation, with precious loot being available there.

For anyone who is new to the series, Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced Edition is easily accessible and doesn’t require any previous knowledge of past games to understand the story. The plot revolves around the main protagonist, wishing to reunite his body with his soul, after his death. Dynamic plot points let you choose which direction the story takes, alongside companions who, depending on your actions can join your quests.

Once we had been shown around the island we had a chance to see how combat played out. Fights rely on a mixture of melee attacks and ranged attacks. These can be through magic, or through using side arms such as muskets or pistols. The fighting was fluid and looked to be very fun, almost like a faster paced version of The Witcher 3’s combat. The designs of the enemies and monsters are fantastic, each being unique and totally fitting to the aesthetic of the land.

For things to do there are a number of factions that players can join in the land. Much like the guilds in the Elder Scrolls series, these factions have separate storylines. We were told that whilst you can freely explore the world, at some point you are going to have to choose a faction, as they offer items such as armour and weapons that you will need to best enemies. It looks to be worth is as well. We were shown different character builds who had joined certain factions, each one garbed in an extraordinary set of gear.

Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition might just well be the game it originally set out to be. The unique setting, complimented by its smooth performance and visuals should make it look appealing to fans of the RPG genre. Hopefully this version has ironed out the bugs and glitches that were present last generation. For anyone after a different take on the RPG genre, this game might be what you’re looking for.

Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition will release on 21 August for PS4.