Sometimes Risen doesn’t feel like an RPG but more like a medieval fantasy simulation because of the dense and authentic atmosphere. One important factor to create believable worlds is the immersion and most people tend to forget that a complex or distracting UI can destroy much of the level designers work by reminding the user every time that he/she is playing a game. The interface of Risen on the other hand is both functional and minimalist at the same time since it only consists of a quickslot bar and two bars which display your health/mana at the bottom of the screen.

The second most important component for an organic world is the simulation of believable NPCs. Every NPC has its own daily routine and requirement which means that they will take a bite if they feel so and sit down if they are tired. Even the monsters take a nap at night in the woods which kind of leads to strange situation when you’re stumbling over a sleeping boar in the pitch dark night during a short stroll in the woods nearby.​