Compares to the Mainstream juggernauts in more ways than one
First off, the background- Risen takes place on a fictional island called Faranga after your rugged British and somewhat generic character survives a shipwreck. This island has been plagued recently with storms and a number of ruins are seemingly to blame. The ruins in question are being looted by bandits and an order of warrior monks called the Inquisition, and your character must takes sides in an ongoing conflict and discover the secret behind the ruins. The game takes place, as the description says, in 4 chapters.
Visuals: 9/10
The visual style is excellent. It is reminiscent to Fable: TLC, although it is in a very contrasting setting; much more tropical. The swamp is dank and realistically mucky, the beaches have a genuine tropical feel to them, and the harbor town is a breathtaking sight, with plenty of attention paid to detailing the buildings, ships, and embellishment.
Sound: 7/10
Honestly, this is really where the game is lacking. The sounds aren't bad persay, just seemingly absent. When your character is attacked from behind you barely ever realize it until you are hit, as they often make no noise at all. The music is so quiet in some areas and at some times that you can sometimes forget music is playing at all. Sound is a big factor for me, as other games, have created excellent RPG settings using the power of sound as a major part.
Story: 8/10
The story was somewhat in the background of all things during the first chapter of the game. After Chapter 1, you will have already chosen a faction, and will work on uncovering the secret behind the ruins, which lies in a specific place. This place must be entered if you are to find out what the Inquisition is after, and if you are to bring peace to the island (or, perhaps, in some cases, more gold in your pocket). The story kind of jumps forward a bit, especially in chapter 4, and in my opinion made it kind of unatural for my character to go from a grunt to last hope for humanity when just 3 chapters ago he was a scrub who washed up on the shore. It seems to me like there could be room for 1 or 2 more chapters to truly give the story more 'flow.' Just my humble opinion though. The story doesn't match up to games like KOTOR and Fallout 3, but it is solid.
Gameplay: 16/20
Finally, Gameplay in Risen is quite unique to other mainstream RPG games. Though the game includes a variety of skills and abilities, the combat in particular has numerous flaws. First, the skills: the skills in the game are numerous, including smithing, alchemy, and prospecting, or less reputable talents such as lickpicking and pickpocketing. However, what makes this game more challenging is the way you learn these skills and level up. You will only become stronger and you will only be able to gain the benefits of level up by paying trainers to teach you. This isn't necissarily a bad thing, but some may see it as a hassle at times. Next, combat. Risen is determined to make your character feel very mortal- meaning that when you are hit, you are hit hard. I can guarantee now that if you play this game you will die more times than you can count. So basically by the time you've beaten the learning curve that quick save button will be natural habit for you.
All in all, Risen is a solid game, and I was completely sucked in for the first 3 days after I got it. If RPG's are your cup of tea, give it a shot. Sure, some things could have been improved, but it has a good formula and sticks with it. So give it a shot, you may be surprised to find yourself playing it longer than you expected.