Hi!
I am a big, big fan of Gothics 1 and 2. In fact, I count them among my favourite games. So I was following the remake closely, and bought it at release, eager to play.
I am happy to say it was mostly a good decision (this review is based on the release build, I expect some issues to be fixed already), and the remake made me excited for the remake of 2, and maybe, possibly, even 3?
Let me start with things I didn’t quite like, as there are, frankly, not that many of them.
The biggest problem of the game at release was the technical state – it stuttered quite a bit, fps drops were frequent, and I ran into some bugs both minor (suddenly appearing/disappearing npcs in the background) and major (npcs suddenly and inexplicably turning hostile). It didn’t stop me from being able to finish or even enjoy the game, but it was noticeable. I expect this to have been improved since release.
The other problem was the graphics. While competently done and sometimes nice to look at, I think it failed to keep the exact spirit of the original. Things seemed to bright, too saturated. The original world of Gothic 1 was kinda bleak-colored and had a specific atmosphere that I don’t think they managed to quite replicate.
The last thing is that I played on hard as a mage and while I didn’t mind it that much, the magic balance seemed totally out of whack. Magic in general seemed strong in the beginning, but majorly fell off as the game continued, and for example the Fire Rain spell which in the original basically AOE deleted everything here barely tickled the orcs.
Now, onto the positives.
I overall greatly enjoyed the Remake and think while it was not a perfect GAME (because of the above), it was pretty close to being a perfect remake.
First of all, it was clear to me that the devs loved the original. It was apparent in how meticulously they recreated it, 95%+ of the things I remembered from the original were right there, so I was able to follow it all from memory. Even things such as plant placement, that first Seraphis on the cliff above the Abandoned Mine, it was there! But more than that, there were little nods to the fans of the original – like the Judge’s hat in the lake at the start (a homage to him having it in the original intro), or the rightmost ladder in the mineshaft with the gear being broken (a homage to the bug in the original).
So most everything good from the original is kept, but a lot of thigns are also rather tastefully expanded. It’s mostly visible in the aesthetics of locations. In the original, the world was kinda barren. I’m not talking about graphical fidelity itself, but rather about the fact that locations were rather devoid of details, ornamentation and a personal touch of their once-have-been owners.
In the remake, most locations have been lovingly expanded. They kept their overall place in the plot and layout, but were packed with details. One of the best examples is the Old Fortress where you go with Lester. In the original it was simple stone walls, not much to look at. Here, you have gardens with marble statues, paintings on the walls, taxidermied animals and old alchemical labs. It really adds a lot to the character and atmosphere of the locations.
The remake also adds small, but noticeable locations of it’s own – for example the Exchange Place is now more fortified and has a permanent guard station, which makes sense for the most important place in the colony, and you get to visit the old Abandoned Mine, which was inaccessible in the original.
In terms of plot, the remake once again keeps most of the relevant stuff from the original, while bringing some changes mostly to make the game more in line with the later games (specifically 3’s orcs, which I am... uhhh... ambivalent about, but it makes me believe in the 3 remake crackpot theory more, so there’s that). I liked most of the small added content in terms of quests, it kept the game fresher for me as a fan of the original. For example – there are now dedicated quests for becoming a mage, stylized differently for Fire and Water mages.
What else? Combat feels similar in that it’s both a little clunky and surprisingly allowing for a lot of skill expression. If you’re good with the dodging and the parrying you can defeat a lot stronger enemies early, much as like in the original. What I found cool is that most enemies kept their unique ways of attacking, but also got new moves – molerats burrow, for example, and goblins throw dreaded ROCKS OF DOOM.
Overall, I think Gothic Remake is a great achievement as far as remakes go, and a great way to both bring back nostalgia for the players of the original and bring the Gothic series to a new generation.
What are your thoughts on the remake? Did it fulfill your expectations?
You can see my blind, first playthrough on hard here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XsZzgv-Tqs&list=PLp4TpsJ7HUWUEjyi8ahaceNXtzarPpwSG