"Gothic" (2001) Game Review
One of the blueprints of what RPGs can and should be.
A lot of people are put off by the jank, difficulty, and dated presentation of Gothic. But I think it's a masterclass of RPG whose strengths have (barring its own sequel) never really been replicated to the same extent. Above all, two aspects shine the most.
Firstly the exploration is the finest I've ever encountered. Every foot of the world is full of stuff to find in a way that is not fed to you. There are no quest markers, the maps are actual paper maps, and there is so much to find off the beaten path from where any quest will take you. Forest caves and haunted ruins etc. often have little bits of environmental storytelling, finding them is a bit of a reward in and of itself, and you never know where stepping off the path into the deep woods will take you.
Second is the progression. The initial difficulty is harsh and you get your ass kicked from everything. The lack of level scaling makes the world incredibly dangerous, and the danger logically increases as you get into more and more remote areas. But this is offset by progression in both gear and stats feeling incredibly impactful, every weapon upgrade, stat boost, or (especially) set of armor feels hard won and massive. And then you gain a few levels and get some new gear and you go back and slay what was trouncing you before. This is the quintessence of RPGs that I feel a lot of modern games have lost with level scaling and a general fear of challenging the player.
On top of that the faction progressions are great fun, and the world is surprisingly reactive in ways that aren't immediately noticeable. The Colony is a unique setting which drips atmosphere in moments of quiet. The endgame can be frustrating and tedious at points, but ultimately gives you the chance to wreck shop and see how far you've come.
Warts and all, Gothic is an essential try for anyone willing to look past its rough first impressions and dive into a truly special RPG experience.
4.5/5
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