First launched in 2001, the original Gothic is one of those legendary RPGs that, even if you played it at the time, can feel a little dated by modern standards. In an attempt to help more people discover what makes it so special, THQ Nordic has enlisted Alkimia Interactive to build the Gothic Remake. At Gamescom 2024, I sat down for a look at the current build with community manager Timur Khodyrev and returning series composer and sound designer Kai Rosenkranz.
The Gothic Remake, they explain, is designed to act as a faithful recreation of the original game that long-time fans will love, but with some added bits and pieces. If you’re already deeply familiar with the first game, Rosenkranz notes that “everything is right where you are used to it.” That starts with some of the iconic locations on prison island The Colony, recreated to exacting specifications in Unreal Engine 5, and goes right through to the various items and such that you’ll collect throughout this action RPG.
Beyond that, however, Alkimia has worked to restore areas that didn’t make the cut originally. An early mine, for example, was planned and built in part for Gothic 1, but was never finished. Now, it’s been completed and included as a fully accessible area. The team has also greatly expanded upon the game’s latter chapters, which were less robust than the early parts of the game, and has built on systems such as swimming with more underwater interactions.
Combat has been modernized, along with the game’s progression systems, but maintains the concept of starting from nothing. At first, our demo’s protagonist Nyras has no combat prowess and is seen clasping a one-handed sword desperately with both hands, using animations captured from a team member with no knowledge of sword fighting. With a little training, he starts to get to grips (metaphorically and literally) with the weapon, and begins to hold and swing it with a little more confidence.
NPC behaviors and routines are being improved, too – and you’ll need the help, because with no on-screen quest markers you’ll have to rely on the information you get from those around you to complete your tasks. As with the original, you can expect a range of dialogue options and potential branching paths depending upon how you handle each situation.
There’s no date set for the Gothic Remake yet, although you can wishlist it on Steam. Rosenkranz estimates that, with the new additions, the 20-25 hour playthrough of the original version should now be expanded to beyond 30 for the core storyline, with potential for more than double that if you’re eager to explore absolutely everything it has to offer.
While you wait for it to arrive, fulfill your sense of adventure with the best open-world games. Or, if your gaming plate is already full, look ahead with us to the biggest and best upcoming PC games in 2024 and beyond.
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