We’ve said it before, but 2001’s Gothic doesn’t get the flowers it deserves for helping to shape the open-world RPG genre. Without it, games like The Witcher 3, Elden Ring, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance may not exist, and even if they did, would they have reached the same legendary status?
In case you didn’t play it first time round, Gothic is a brutal RPG about a criminal being thrown into a prison colony, trapped inside by a dangerous magical barrier and needing to survive among the bloodthirsty inmates that make up its population.
Players will need to work their way up the social ladder by improving their fighting skills, forming alliances with various individuals and factions, all while solving the game’s biggest mystery – how to escape.
A slow-burning adventure
The game made waves for its slow pace and lack of handholding, and while it’s not going to appeal to those who demand constant hack-and-slash action, those who enjoy dialogue-heavy games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age will find a lot to love.
While the Gothic 1 Remake is a full ground-up remake rather than just a remaster, it’s still incredibly loyal to the original. So if you played Gothic (2001), you’ll instantly know what to do the minute you arrive at the riverbank.
Gothic is the game you remember, just a much prettier version with some added fresh content, quality of life changes, and some other improvements surrounding some of the controversial aspects of the original. For example, female characters have now been fleshed out and have quests of their own. This is a very welcome change.
The Orcs, too, are not just mindless enemies any more. They now have a story and motivations to explore, which adds a fun new layer to the remake that the original game never had but really needed. The game also looks glorious, even on a base PS5. Sure, it’s not going to stand up against titles like Crimson Desert in terms of visuals, but it doesn’t really need to.
For returning players, this is the game you already know, just the best version of it. The jank is still there, but it’s almost charming. For example, combat starts rather clunky and a little boring. But that’s the point, your hero is a nobody and has never held a sword before. It’s only through growth and skill development that they become a master swordsman. By the end, your hero will be able to give Geralt a run for his money – and anyone in the colony that gets in his way.
From zero to hero
However, if you were expecting Gothic to be less obtuse this time around and add elements like a mini-map or quest markers, you’re going to be disappointed. The Gothic 1 Remake is just as uncompromising as it ever was – and do you know what? It’s incredibly refreshing.
This is where new players need to listen up; this is not Crimson Desert or Assassin’s Creed. You get a map, but it’s mostly useless, and you get a quest log, but it’s up to you as the player to really listen to NPC dialogue, follow up on clues, and find your own way. It can be a slog, but it’s so rewarding when things start to click into place.
The early hours of the game can be hard going as you learn the mechanics and find yourself endlessly running in circles around the Old Camp doing odd jobs for convicts. But as you start to become tougher and rise up the social ladder, this is a game that opens up like a flower, and you’ll find yourself struggling to turn it off.
We found ourselves staying up late as “one more quest” syndrome set in, and mapping out what we hoped would happen if we could encourage certain events as we schemed and cajoled our way to the top of the prison hierarchy. This really is the biggest compliment we can give Gothic, but it takes some time to get comfortable with the experience.
For example, it can be annoying when you need to find an NPC to progress a quest, but they’re not in their usual spot, or apparently, anywhere else. There’s no map to just instantly locate them. You either have to run around aimlessly until you find them, or just wait for a time later when they’re more likely to be back where they usually are.
Doing the time
This is going to alienate newer players who are used to games respecting their time and making things convenient for them. But then again, adding these mechanics would also feel like a betrayal of what makes Gothic what it is. So we can see the argument from both sides. We are interested to see what the developers add after launch, and if any modern gaming mechanics do get included based on player feedback – but we wouldn’t count on it.
Gothic is a game that wants players to engage with its world, take their time, talk to people, and see where the road takes them. It’s a deep experience where every interaction is a teachable moment and progression shortcuts risk diluting the adventure. Players need to remember, this is a prison drama first and an open-world RPG second. If you approach the game with that in mind, you’ll go far, Fish.
You also need to decide what you want out of the adventure; do you merely want to survive? To escape? Or do you want to take over the joint and live like a petty tyrant? That’s the fun of Gothic, and the game gives you lots of freedom when it comes to deciding how things play out. Just remember, it takes a long time to acquire this freedom and any semblance of influence. But you’ll see your decisions slowly starting to shape the world through a subtle butterfly effect.
The Gothic 1 Remake is exactly what we hoped it would be, a modernized take on an uncompromising classic that does exactly what the original did, just on modern hardware with some extras thrown in to delight long-time fans. This is the game that inspired many of the RPGs that we know and love today, so those who enjoy games like the Witcher owe it to themselves to try this experience – and stick with it to be truly rewarded.
Review code provided by the publisher.
"The Gothic 1 Remake is exactly what we hoped it would be, a modernized take on an uncompromising classic that does exactly what the original did, just on modern hardware with some extras thrown in to delight long-time fans. This is the game that inspired many of the RPGs that we know and love today, so those who enjoy games like the Witcher owe it to themselves to try this experience - and stick with it to be truly rewarded."
The Good
- Refreshing compared to modern RPGs
- A challenge that rewards investment
- Respects the original
The Bad
- Combat takes a while to feel fun
- Lack of modern mechanics will alienate some players
- Retains some frustrating elements from the original
