There's a lot to do in Risen 3: Titan Lords but not a lot of reason to actually do most of them. There's a lot to unlock and explore, but you'll never feel like the journey is worth it. Risen 3 is packed full of content but unfortunately the game's mechanics, story and controls aren't nearly good enough to make you want to devote your time to a game of this size. Fans of the little known RPG series will likely find enough to love here but Titan Lords just doesn't stack up to the competition in the crowded action, fantasy RPG field.

The story of Risen 3 starts interestingly enough. You discover a portal to the underworld during a seemingly routine trip to search for buried treasure (you're a pirate, what else would you be doing?) which ultimately takes your life. You're eventually rescued and brought back to life by a shaman but there's a catch - you're going to devolve into a minion of the underworld if you don't find a way to defeat the darkness. It's an interesting idea and opens up a lot of cool story options that Risen 3 could have explored but unfortunately a lot of these ideas get left behind. The game's plot unfortunately feels like you're constantly running into distractions; so much so that when something happens that's actually crucial to the game's plot, you're likely to miss it.

"...it tries to do so much but fails to do any one thing great."

And wow, do the people of Risen 3 love to talk. Countless times I would head into a village and do what everyone does in RPGs, talk to the NPCs and look to get quests and information, but I would often regret it. All too often these NPCs would launch into diatribes so long that I often missed the entire point of wheat they were telling me (assuming there is one). That, in essence is one of the main problems with Risen 3, it tries to do so much but fails to do anyone one thing great; so much so that even simple conversations feel like a chore.

But hey, with a game like this that's all afterthought if the actual game is fun to play right? Well, yes and no. The good news is that Risen 3 comes packed with a ton of content and fans of the series, especially those who are looking for a game to really spend time with are sure to find something they love. The game has four large major islands to explore and three class paths to experiment with. Traveling through the world of the Titan Lords is easy thanks to quick travel and thankfully they're all open to you almost immediately. There's always something to do or things to find in Risen 3.

"The combat in Risen 3 often feels uneven and clunky..."

Unfortunately, it never seems like the rest of Risen 3 is capable of keeping up with the game's massive scope. You'll quickly get into a rhythm when completing quests and though it can be rewarding, especially at the beginning of the game, the rhythm gets repetitive quick and once that happens, there's not much else to do here. There are some pretty great monster boss battles but they too become common place after spending time with the game. The core game of Risen 3 is entertaining enough, but there's a serious lack of variety here that hampers the entire experience.

The combat in Risen 3 often feels uneven and clunky to the point where it interferes with the game itself. The game employs your basic strike,block and parry system that countless action RPGs have used but everything just feels sort of off with Risen 3. Attacks that should feel heavier and powerful fail to depict any impact and feel too quick while those that are supposed to be quicker often take the most time. It was incredibly frustrating when the attacks I was landing would turn me around completely on the battlefield or worse, send me into another enemy for no apparent reason whatsoever.

There's a lot to do in Risen 3: Titan Lords, and fans of the series should find a lot to love here but casual fans are sure to be put off by the uneven controls, boring story and uneven combat mechanics. If you're looking for an adventure game that's going to keep you busy for quite some look no further than Risen 3. Yes, this is is a great time suck but unfortunately it's not a very great game.