Risen

Risen is Piranha Bytes' 2009 open-world fantasy RPG set entirely on the volcanic island of Faranga — a gritty, raw setting closer to the Gothic series the studio is best known for than to the lighter fantasy of contemporaries at the time. The island is gripped by mysterious earthquakes, prowled by dangerous monsters, and dotted with treasures both ordinary and unimaginable. The player arrives as a nameless protagonist whose decisions shape what side of the island's emerging conflicts they end up on.

The character path branches based on early choices and the factions you align with. You can forge a path with the sword as a straightforward warrior, train in the art of staff fighting to master a more controlled style of melee, or commit to magic and become a powerful mage. Each path opens different quests, different relationships, and different ways of solving the situations the world keeps generating around you.

The game offers over 60 hours of open-world play between countless side quests, hidden caves, monster encounters and political entanglements. Every action has consequences in the Piranha Bytes tradition — NPCs remember slights, factions track loyalty, and the island's fate genuinely shifts depending on how the protagonist behaves. The result is a dense, sometimes punishing RPG with a strong sense of place and the studio's signature commitment to player agency.