Titans, Fallen - Risen 3: Titan Lords

Hark! There, off on that obscure isle surrounded by countless biting piranhas, a new Risen has arisen! The Gothic spiritual successor series has previously dazzled with its ambition just as much as it's disappointed with technical troubles, tedious conversations, and bland helpings of fillery gruel. If you want to understand the series' charm, I highly recommend Alec's diaries of the first game, as they're captivating reads and also there are kittens. Risen 3: Titan Lords, meanwhile, will once again spirit players away to a new setting full of opposing factions and infinitely explorable nooks and crannies. Details below.

Here's the basic premise, per developer Piranha Bytes:

"The world of Risen 3 is abandoned by all gods and suffers from the Titan Wars when a new threat rises from the soil. A young warrior is attacked from the shadows and deprived of his soul. He sets off to reclaim what is lost amidst the darkness that is spreading throughout the world. The banned Mages could be powerful allies on his quest. To get their help, he needs to find the Mage sanctuary on Taranis, also known as the Island of Thunder. Protected by the Guardians, the Mages search the mines of Taranis for crystals loaded with magic energy. Will the player join the Guardians to get in contact with the Mages? Or will he choose one of the other guilds in Risen 3 to reach his goals?"

"The key element of the cult Gothic series as well as Risen is the vivid world and the freedom to explore it. The world of Risen 3: Titan Lords will be diverse, authentic and full of life, providing the player with an authentic, classic RPG experience."

So it sounds pretty par for the fantasy RPG course, but hopefully Risen's penchant for sidestepping tropes and injecting a rather delightful weirdness into the proceedings will show through. This one doesn't appear to be another pirate adventure, but eh. I think I got my fill of pirates in Risen 2.

Risen 3 is set to release in August. Between that, Rise of the Triad, Metal Gear Rising, and countless others, there sure have been a lot of things rising lately (no not like that, Captain gutter-for-a-brain; but also kinda like that). Maybe we should, like, anchor them down or something.