Developer Piranha Bytes is dreaming big with its upcoming sequel to the action role-playing game Risen. The sequel, Risen 2: Dark Waters, takes the high-fantasy setting of the previous game to the high seas, where pirates rule and buried treasure is ripe for the picking. We recently caught up with Daniel Oberlerchner, senior brand manager with publisher Deep Silver, to talk about all the additions coming to this game.
GameSpot: Give us an update on Risen 2's development. What aspects is the team working on at present?
Daniel Oberlerchner: We're slowly but surely leaving the content creation phase (items, textures, animations, and voice-over) and starting with fine-tuning and balancing, which is commonly called the alpha phase. All NPCs are getting their weapons and inventory set up, the fighting system has to be tested thoroughly, and we also have to make sure that the learning curve for the player is not too steep in the beginning. As Risen 2 offers a lot of playtime, the right pacing in the story and gameplay is important. An old saying goes that 80 percent of the work is in the last 20 percent, and this is true especially for open-world RPGs. Creating the assets is more or less straightforward once the preproduction is done; arranging and combining them to create an interesting world people like to play in is the most important and challenging part.
GS: We were told at the March Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that Risen 2 is intended to be a "full-fledged pirate role-playing game." For the team at Piranha Bytes, what's needed to make a full-fledged pirate RPG?
DO: Wow--where to begin? Let's start with the general scope (aka, the recipe), and then we'll talk about the building blocks (aka, the ingredients). What's generally needed to create any good RPG is an immersive gameworld with interesting characters who offer the player a convincing backdrop for the gameplay to happen in. What makes it "piratey"? First of all, the architecture has to reflect the culture of pirates, so everything you see in the game has to fit the period we want to convey to the player and the lifestyle of pirates. Pirates don't rely on civil engineers to build their houses, so everything looks a bit improvised and chaotic.
Secondly, you must have a language and tone throughout the game which fits the setting. The pirates in Risen 2 live in a dark and gritty world, so living like a pirate also means talking like a pirate. Thirdly, the weaponry we give to the player matches the setting as well: muskets, rapiers, sabres, pistols, bombs, powder kegs, coconuts, and parrots. Yes, you read that right--you can launch your very own parrot at people to annoy them, and knock them unconscious with coconuts. And last but not least, you can craft your own weapons and booze from the items you collect during your adventures.
GS: We were told in March that Risen 2 will take place across numerous islands, rather than on a single landmass, and that there would be some as-yet undisclosed means of transporting your pirate hero and his companions to and from different islands. Is it safe to assume that this method of transportation might be some sort of ship, perhaps of the pirate variety, as it were? If Risen 2 were, in fact, to have a "pirate's ship," if you will, what other purposes would it serve? Customizable housing? A quest hub? A crafting hub?
DO: Yes, you will be able to command your very own ship in Risen 2! The decision to make the ship the central means of transport in the game was based on the feedback from the fans. In Risen 1, even key characters dropped in and out of the storyline, and the players felt a bit isolated--they wanted a sense of ongoing companionship. For this reason, the ship in Risen 2 will not only get you from point A to point B, but will function as a hub for your companions where the player can talk to and get quests from them. So it helps to add the flavor of a party in an RPG without the hassle to the player of having to manage multiple characters all the time.
GS: We saw in the original Risen trailer that the nameless hero will have at least one companion, a swarthy young woman who seems to be an expert at voodoo magic. What can you tell us about this character? Who is she and what is she capable of? Will she remain at your side throughout the game?
DO: It's a bit too early to disclose her role in the game to a big extent, but I can confirm that she will be one of your companions in Risen 2 who will be part of your crew and support you in fights if you choose her to accompany you on shore leave. Her role will also depend on your actions throughout the game, so make your decisions wisely.
GS: Aside from this voodoo priestess, who else will join the hero on his quest to save the islands?
DO: The fellowship of the player character in Risen 2 will consist of representatives of the different factions in the gameworld, as well as special characters you can pick up during your adventures. They will also give you feedback on how you're doing and might also give you tips and hints on how to tackle some challenges. Patty, for example, is the helmswoman of your ship and is a character who made her debut in Risen 1. In Risen 1, Patty asked the player character to help her find the treasure of her father Steelbeard and took him on a treasure hunt all across the island.
In Risen 2 she will not only return, but will also have a reunion with her father, one of the mightiest pirates of the southern seas. Another example of a companion character would be Venturo, who is a soldier from the Inquisition and who shares their basic values but is fed up with all the discipline of the order. All characters who are with the hero will have a different skill set, so Patty, for example, is a very talented melee fighter, whereas Venturo will support the player with his musket. Additional skill sets will even include pairing up with a character who can heal you, or someone who loots killed creatures for you.
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