Gothic 1 Remake
Gothic 1 Remake
ABOVE
Spells range from simple fireballs to transforming yourself into a wolf and even a bug. Getting to that stage takes a lot of patience, though.
W ith any remake project comes the question of what should be preserved and what changed. That question is especially challenging for Alkimia Interactive’s Gothic revival. Piranha Bytes’ RPG was famous for its ambition and infamous for its unfriendliness – an intricate clockwork world that didn’t care if you were crushed between the gears. While Gothic’s unfathomable design rebuffed many, those who could navigate its idiosyncrasies often heralded its bold designs. This is most likely why Alkimia has opted for a (largely) warts-and-all overhaul – a commendable decision, albeit one that means, now as then, Gothic is a difficult game to love.
You’re literally thrown in at the deep end. Your Nameless Hero starts out as a prisoner, tossed down a ravine into the Colony, a massive open-air prison surrounded by a magical barrier. Beneath the barrier’s blue dome, a ramshackle society has developed, divided into three camps. These camps are what made Gothic interesting in 2001, and that largely remains true today. To the west, a libertarian consortium of bandits, rebels and mages conspires to escape the Colony. In the eastern swamps hides a religious sect that aspires to commune with a god via hallucinogenic drugs. Between them sits a harsh military dictatorship that maintains its power through a lucrative mining operation.