With so few pirate games around — and classics like Sid Meier’s Pirates! and the Monkey Island series showing what the genre’s capable of — it’s easy to get excited at the thought of a full-on pirate-themed RPG. Even one as flawed as Risen 2: Dark Waters.

Every pirate needs a ship, right?

As roleplaying games go, Risen 2 is pretty ambitious…maybe a bit too much so. This sprawling ocean adventure — a roughly 60-hour quest that has your nameless hero seeking magical weapons to defeat a Titan goddess — can be fantastic in its scope, hosting large, impressive islands and lots of exploration. Many of the game’s best moments come when you’re combing twisting jungle paths, fighting the odd monkey (you kill a lot of wildlife in this game), and stumbling upon treasure. You’re Indiana Jones in pirate regalia.

But that scope comes at the expense of an occasionally stuttering graphics engine, lots of reused environments (the jungles and temples start to blend together after a while), and a surprising amount of pop-in. Morevoer, the focus on non-linear exploration can lead to some serious frustration due to opaque mission objectives and a map that’s nearly impossible to read. One early quest where you have to impress the piratical Steelbeard is particularly frustrating, as you have to range over pretty much the entire island and hope you stumble upon whatever it is that’ll make you worthy of his notice. (As it turns out, you have to not only do a lengthy quest to deliver rum, but also bail a pirate out of prison, loot an idol from a temple, battle a sea monster, and knock out a jealous lover!)

One interesting choice to make: Do you side with the natives or with the arrogant Inquisition?

We do commend the game for its fanatical devotion to its setting, where rum is second only to gold. The dialogue is goofy, the characters are coarse but fun (hey, they’re pirates), and there’s no shortage of swordplay. In fact, against A.I.-controlled people, the swordfighting is surprisingly deep, featuring a mixture of attack, parry, and counterattack that grows more complex as you unlock more abilities (fighting monsters, sadly, isn’t nearly as interesting). If only the price of unlocking new skills — a minimum stat combined with a hefty fee — wasn’t unreasonably steep.

Unfortunately, it’s these sorts of details that drag down what has the potential to be a terrific roleplaying game. And in the end, they’re what limits the appeal of this fun-but-flawed pirate adventure to all but the most dedicated RPG fans.

Your nameless hero begins as a soldier in the Inquisition and soon becomes an extremely sarcastic, voodoo-wielding pirate.

PUBLISHER: Deep Silver  •  DEVELOPER: Piranha Bytes  •  ESRB: Mature  •  MULTIPLAYER: None  •  ACHIEVEMENTS: Story-based  •  COST: $60  •  RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2012

On Xbox 360

+ A sprawling pirate adventure with plenty of depth.

- Unclear objectives and headache-inducing map will frustrate many newcomers.

– Extremely rough animation and stuttering framerate lessen the appeal of exploration.

? Piranha Bytes definitely has design chops, but can they harness their ambition and build a polished product?

6.0