Risen 3: Titan Lords
A Nameless Hero seeks his stolen soul in a Titan-torn world.
Risen 3: Titan Lords is an action role-playing game from 2014, created by Piranha Bytes and released by Deep Silver on Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It follows Risen 2: Dark Waters as the third game in the Risen series and received mixed reviews. An Enhanced Edition came out for PlayStation 4 in August 2015, and PC players who owned the base game and all its downloadable content on Steam received it as a free upgrade.
The story takes place after the Titan Wars, with the gods gone and a new danger emerging from the earth. Players control a new Nameless Hero, who replaces the protagonist from the first two games. This character, never seen or mentioned before, is revealed to be the brother of recurring non-player character Patty Steelbeard and the son of the late pirate captain Gregorius Emanuel Steelbeard, as well as one of the few remaining pirate captains.
The Hero wakes from a troubled dream where he fights the ghost of pirate captain Crow, killed in Risen 2. He and Patty go ashore on the Crab Coast to find a rumored treasure in an old native temple, but a Skull Cave rises from the ruins, releasing shadowy creatures. Inside, they discover a crystal magic portal that spawns a demonic Shadow Lord, which knocks them down and consumes the Hero's soul, apparently killing him. Patty and his crew bury him.
Later, the witch doctor Bones arrives on the island and performs a ritual on the Hero's corpse, reanimating him. Bones explains that the Hero is not truly alive, as his soul is trapped in the Underworld, and that voodoo magic only revived his body. Without his soul, he will gradually lose his mind and become a mindless servant of the Shadows. Bones, who once lost his own soul in a quest from Risen 2 and had it restored, says recovering the Hero's soul is much harder. He advises seeking help from the most powerful sorcerers in the Southern Seas: the voodoo witch Chani, the high magician Zacharias on Taranis, and the druid Eldric, now leading an ancient order of Demon Hunters.
Throughout the story, the Hero fights the Shadows and helps reclaim lost ground. On the pirate settlement of Antigua, Admiral Alvarez asks the Hero to travel to the strongest communities in the Southern Seas to request aid against the Shadows, especially the fleet of demon ships led by Crow's ghost and the massive sea creatures causing havoc.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Risen 3: Titan Lords
- Developer
- Piranha Bytes
- Publisher
- Deep Silver
- Director
- Michael Rüve
- Programmer
- Philipp Krause
- Artist
- Kristoffer Lerch
- Writer
- Björn Pankratz
- Series
- Risen
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 / (PSN)
- Released
- WIN, X360, PS3 / NA · 12 August 2014 · AU · 14 August 2014 · EU · 15 August 2014PS4 (PSN) / WW · 21 August 2015
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set in a world abandoned by the gods and suffering from the Titan Wars. The player character is a new Nameless Hero, never seen or mentioned in prior games, who is revealed to be the brother of recurring NPC Patty Steelbeard and son of the deceased pirate captain Gregorius Emanuel Steelbeard. After being killed by a Shadow Lord who consumes his soul, the Hero is reanimated by the witch doctor Bones, who explains that his soul is trapped in the Underworld and that he will lose his mind without it.
The Hero seeks guidance from powerful sorcerers: the voodoo witch Chani, the high magician Zacharias on Taranis, and the druid Eldric. He aids communities in fighting the Shadows and destroying Crystal Portals that summon them, while also dealing with the Inquisition on Tacarigua and the pirate captain Morgan. The Hero can acquire several NPCs for his crew, including the Guardian Horas, the Demon Hunter Edward, the pirate marksman Saddec, the gnome thief Jaffar, and the ghost of Inquisitor Mendoza. The loyalty of these characters is swayed by the Hero's soul value.
The story culminates in an attempt to restore the Hero's soul using the Nekroimortar spell, which instead summons Nekroloth, the Titan Lord of Death. The Hero eventually leads an assault on Skull Island, defeats the ghost captain Crow, and battles Nekroloth to reclaim his soul. The ending varies based on the Hero's soul value: a pure soul leads to a joyful reunion with his crew, while a demonic soul shows him with a demonic gleam in his eyes.
Reader's Guide
Risen 3: Titan Lords received mixed reviews. Critics praised the large scale of the world, the variety of enemies, and the varied environments, as well as various minor tweaks to gameplay. However, the game was panned for its lack of significant improvement over its predecessor. Hooked Gamers stated that the game 'oozes atmosphere and serves as a reminder that this type of roleplaying game is absolutely timeless,' highlighting its great gameplay, decent storyline, and rich, varied open world. The game's Enhanced Edition for PlayStation 4 and free PC upgrade for owners of the game and all its DLC on Steam extended its availability. As the third installment in the Risen series, it continued the franchise's tradition of pirate-themed action RPGs, though with a new protagonist and a focus on soul corruption mechanics that influenced both gameplay and narrative outcomes.
Did You Know?
- Before official announcement, rumors suggested the game would be called Risen 3: Blazing Oceans, based on a Facebook post by Dluxe Media.
- The ghost of Inquisitor Mendoza, an antagonist from the first Risen, can join the Hero's crew.
- The ending changes depending on whether the Hero's soul value is more pure or more demonic.
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