The Sword Coast!

At the official Risen 2 website, there is now a profile of what I assume will be one of the game’s main settings, the mysterious Sword Coast.

On the south coast of Arborea lies the hardly explored Sword Coast.

The Shaganumbi tribe has been settled in the jungle not far from the beaches for generations. The great temple ruins that adorn the area are remnants of the culture and the ancestors of the clan and were built on the sources of the natives’ magic. The Shaganumbi experienced the Inquisition and founded the military base off the Sword Coast, “Puerto Isabella”, while their expanding further into the South Sea.

From this base, the Inquisition tried to monitor the fabled temples. Observations and expeditions of the temple lead to long awaited findings and draw conclusions about the appearance of the Titans.

Sergorn Dragon has often argued that there are some parallels between the Risen series and Ultima 8’s lore, with these Titans being a particular example thereof.

Risen 2 has a Steam page now.

So we know it will be available on Valve’s digital distribution portal, at least. At present, however, it does not seem to be available for pre-order; no price is listed, and no purchase link is given.

Behold…the Leviathan!

The Leviathan is a gigantic two-man-tall beast and was formed by dark powers. It was bred in the deepest abyss solely for the purpose of bringing evil titan storm from the sea to the land! A mixture of sand devils, huge crabs and other creatures, it crushes any intruder with his large claws or overruns his opponents with ease!

Click on through for a picture; the brute does not look like the sort of beasty you’d want to casually stumble into the path of.

Risen 2 previews!
And another one!
Yes indeed…more previews!
Oh…and one more. Why not?

The consensus seems to be that the combat system is, as was the case in Risen, a bit difficult to master and in some was resembles Fable’s timing-dependent fighting. Some reviewers have expressed doubts about the game’s performance on consoles, but most reports seem to suggest that the PC version works just fine, thank you.

One thing I did note was that the game makes you choose — at least initially — between two major offensive skills: spellcasting (Voodoo) and firearms. I’m kind of a fan of these sort of contrasts, so it’s nice to at least think (for now) that Risen 2 will make players pit magic against technology for at least some of its length. I’m sure that by the end of the game, though, proficiency can be acquired in both skills.

Don’t miss GameBanshee’s preview (the fourth link, above); it’s very lengthy and comprehensive.