How do you find out if you are a potential Gothic fanboy? Condition #1: Do you only enjoy games on a mouse or controller? If so, then leave this review because Gothic requires plenty of keyboard action. Condition #2: Do you only enjoy games that lead you by the hand and don't kill you often? If so, then leave this review because Gothic is a challenging RPG that will allow you to explore anything at anytime and will not pamper you with a gradual increase in difficulty. Condition #3: Do you only enjoy RPGs that are turn-based or click-and-point? If so, then leave this review because Gothic is an "action-RPG" in the same mold of a game such as Morrowind and sometimes requires nimble reflexes and fighting strategy.
If you've passed the test, then welcome aboard to one of the smaller RPG communities in the gaming world, but that also has some of the most loyal fans you'll ever find. Gothic I (and Gothic II) will never find the mainstream appeal that a Square-Enix or Bioware product will, but if you enjoy the gameplay, it will be one of the most memorable RPGs you ever play.
The story in Gothic starts off with a bang. The hero you control is sentenced to the mining colony of Khorinis, a prison in which the convicts run the show. Years ago, the rich magic ore in the region had been heavily mined by prisoners to help the King fight in the Orc Wars. As the prison grew, the King ordered his magicians to cast a magical barrier around the mining colony that would prevent further escapes. Anyone can enter the magic barrier, but all who try to leave it die instantly.
Something went wrong however, and the barrier grew out of control and trapped outlying regions, including the mages and the King's guards. The prisoners revolted and took control and from then on, the King was forced to negotiate with them for his valuable ore. Your hero is sentenced to this mining colony, sent down with the usual supply of goods provided for the prisoners in exchange for magic ore, and forced to navigate the factions that control the magically sealed region. In the process, he discovers an enemy which threatens the entire world, and a destiny he never knew possible.
Gothic is not an easy game at all. The controls are admittedly clumsy and take a while to get used to, especially because the fighting is action-based. The world of Gothic is also challenging. Unlike other games that will slowly introduce your hero to powerful creatures, Gothic does not set any barriers and allows you to freely roam to dangerous Orc lands with a level one character if you choose to do so. Through trial and error, you will slowly learn of the creatures and lore in the prison colony, and it will also aid your play in the sequel which incorporates many of the same people and places.
The skill system in Gothic is simple but stimulating. You can choose the route of a warrior, archer, or mage with many additional paths mixed in. Skills such as pick locks, skinning monsters, sneaking, and acrobatics can all be learned at whatever pace you choose. As you gain experience by killing creatures or completing quests, you can pick whatever direction you would like to enhance your hero. You can master a weapon, increase a physical attribute such as strength or dexterity, or even learn a non-combat skill. The game almost plays like an offline MMORPG, and is addictive for anyone who ever got a kick out of the explore-fight-level-rinse-and-repeat mechanics of that genre.
The NPCs in Gothic help make it a classic game. Unlike some RPGs that allow you to enter houses in the middle of the night, kill people or other hostile actions without any type of reprisal, Gothic is a living, breathing world with NPCs who will react accordingly. The politics in the game make for an interesting story. Different factions make up the prison colony and your hero will have to decide which one he will join. This affects some of the skills and inventory he can access.
The game is also more mature than other titles and drugs, sex, and foul language are thrown in which gives it a realistic prison camp atmosphere. The game is very popular in Europe, and designed by a German company, so it's more open about mature topics, but not in the same vein as Rockstar Games which seems to only be in the business of shock value.
One of the more frustrating traits of Gothic is that it has several technical flaws and can be a buggy experience. The game will sometimes randomly crash and the clumsy controls can also contribute to your hero's early demise. Most of this is due to the fact that it was imported from Germany and never really found a quality American publisher. As a matter of fact, I think the publisher of Gothic I is no longer in business and does not support further patches. If some of this frustrates you, I would try Gothic II first, which fixes many of these common complaints and also has a story that doesn't require prior knowledge of Gothic I, although it does help.
If the game sounds like something you would enjoy, there is one small problem. It was a rare release in the North American market and is either difficult to find or valued high for a product that was only released a few years ago. Prices on Ebay range anywhere from $25 to $50 depending on the condition and box/manual. Expect to trade a high dollar item for this on GTZ if you find someone willing to part with it. If you do find a copy of this game, my advice is to save it because it is fun to replay every once in a while, and as it gets older, it will become more and more difficult to find.
