The right way is taken. Please go consistently!

Risen 3 wants after a weak Risen 2 back to its glorious Gothic roots.

GOOD:
+ An open game world has been placed in the hands of all and is full to the brim. Nothing is randomly generated or level up with. It is really worth to explore the world, because everywhere is Something. And not only unimportant garbage. What brings a huge world if it is empty?
+3 Guilds, where the player has to work up from the very bottom. In each run only one guild is playable. This increases the replayability.
The NPCs react + Depending on guild membership else on the player.
+ Many items, almost everything collectable (and unnecessary items as cups - good for the atmosphere), infinitely large inventory.
+ It is less taken by the hand as a play in most. Nevertheless, only the highest level of difficulty is really demanding.
+ It is not loved by all NPCs / admired, the player is not the invulnerable superhero who can pick it up immediately with all (as in Skyrim where the monster levels are adapted to the players level).
+ The world is relatively rough (typically Gothic / Risen precisely).
+ Swimming is possible for the first time.
+ Minimap switched on and off
+ Actions actually have consequences with which you have to live. For example, no longer talk angered NPCs with the player.
+ Money has actually made sense. It does not swim in money as in Skyrim / Sacred and actually almost all the games. In addition, you need money and can not find all the items that are needed automatically but must buy them.
+ Almost every NPC has a meaning. Scarcely 0815 NPCs will only make small talk.
+ No DRM, no steam-forced. So it gets done and EA Ubicrap.
+ Largely modeled interesting monsters you must fight differently. Some of them well-known.
+ Attacks by animal type monsters can be blocked.
+ Game extent. There is much to discover and do.
+ Practical bug free and is stable (at least on my upper-class PC).
+ Many Skills and the usual good skill system with experience points that you invested money in coaches (in this game, fame points).
+ The graphics and sound really liked me, but can not compete with the AAA titles. But that did not disturb me.

NEUTRAL:
+/- Less pirates and more Middle Ages than in Risen 2 but still too much pirate theme.
+/- Exaggerated much magic and colorful elves fantasy there is in comparison to other games like Aion / Guild Wars / Warcraft little, but compared to Gothic 1-3 and Risen 1 is still too much. Emphasis should be a realistic medieval world / atmosphere with magic elements and monsters. In this magic should be something special.
+/- The story is uninteresting. That bothers me is not, but is a pity, because Gothic always had a good story.
+/- No cohesive game world but still islands that can be visited but this time free.
+/- Soul points (a kind of good or evil decision system) make for me so far little or no sense.

BAD:
-There Are still muskets.
-No Shields, No sheets, no two-handed sword. WHY ???
-How Can it be that the over 10-year-old Gothic 2 had a better combat system? Please take urgently a model of the catchy, yet complex / challenging / action-packed Mount & Blade.
-Crafting Only menu. not at eg forges in the game world. This expresses the atmosphere
-All Foods are classified as "provisions" are summarized. Also bad for Atmo.
-Unsterbliche NPCs. Ade atmosphere.
-No Mod support. In a game with such a passionate community very unfortunate. This was officially the budget.
-Save Can we attribute some cutscenes or ship battles, which should loosen up the game and probably make more action.
-3 Paid DLCs, which is only available for pre-order and the first-Edition free. Adventure Garb 1.99; Uprising of the Little Guys 4.99; Fog Iceland 4.99
-Nächtliche Nightmare visions would have been able to give.
-The Dialogues are sometimes mixed and attendants are characterless and bland.

For Collector's Edition:
The map and the almanac fall out unexpectedly small. Both are about each the size of a DVD case, but act of high quality. On publication of the price was lowered to 10.

CONCLUSION:
Many stupid, unnecessary and known (!!!) weaknesses were not eradicated, although it would have been no great effort!
It was consuming a combat system created, which is to look nice and also fun, but a lot simpleres / demanding more complete / atmosphärischeres as in Gothic 2 or Mount & Blade would have been worlds better, easier to program and had the fans much more excited.
Gothic and Risen 1 live among others of the "anything goes" atmosphere. One can theoretically kill anyone, you can go anywhere in theory, you can literally collect all / steal / use, etc ... And the consequences of the player must then live and can make the game even possibly no longer finish. This atmosphere is sacrificed in Risen 3 to many ends unnecessary.
Budget default it can never get in touch with AAA titles like Skyrim Risen. So the makers should be very careful not to leave their niche genre and preserve the uniqueness of the series. Risen 3 is a good step in that direction.

More Dark-medieval atmosphere (without pirates, colorful elves fantasy and kitsch-magic), fights like in Mount & Blade or Gothic 2, two-handed sword / bows / shields and a higher level of difficulty -> the fans (at least I) will love it. So easy! Nevertheless: A 75% Gothic style game is still a very good game.

Explanations:
NPC = Non-Player Character.
DRM copy protection measures =.
DLC = extra game content for download
Steam = Largest Downloads and Games management program (Valve).
EA = games developer / publisher trying any good franchise to drive against the wall.
Ubicrap = Ubisoft. Games developer / publisher is only marginally better than EA.
Mount & Blade = medieval combat game series.
Gothic = best RPG series of all time: P