A remake of an old game is always a tenuous proposition, and there is always the chance that it will go very, very wrong. Thus, THQ Nordic attempted to test the waters before fully committing to a remake of its RPGGothicwith aplayable demo of what the game could be. After being released at the end of last year, enough feedback has been filtered in for the company to reach a verdict.
The originalGothicwas an action RPG that was praised for its environmental interactions, from decidedly important ones like cooking meat to increase its healing properties, to playing an instrument, which did not help stats at all. It was a solid enough game to become a trilogy, and nowTHQ Nordicis eager to find out if it could possibly become a trilogy again.
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THQ Nordic’s cautious approach was originally met with mixed reviews, and for good reason. It has been some time since theGothicseries put forth a full game, the last major one beingArcania: Gothic 4, which was a spin-off and not a member of the series proper. It also did not receive the best reception, which may have left a sour taste in the mouths of those who grew attached to the series. That taste seems to have vanished though, as theGothicremake demo has received enough praise and interest that THQ Nordic is going through with the creation of the full game.
There was certainly enough game given in the demo for players to make up their minds aboutGothic’sremake,2 whole hours of gamein fact.On top of that, the demo was aimed specifically at players who knew at least a little about the game or its developer, Piranha Bytes, as the only way to access said demo is to have downloaded one of the developer’s other games. This means that while the target audience may not be large, it is almost certainly reliable to pick up the game once released.
Aside from updated graphics, there are also some changes to the unique control scheme that was one of the original things that setGothicapart from its peers. Combat now bears a very close resemblance tothe ongoingFor Honor, almost uncomfortably close in fact. For something that was decidedly its own entity back in the day, it would be a shame to seeGothicturn copycat.
Gothic’s influences do not end withFor Honorhowever, as there are notable elements of theWitcherseries, along with what seems to be a smattering ofSkyrim. Consideringthe quality ofSkyrim’s main questline, and the fact that these would only be enhanced by influences from other RPGs of the same ilk, there is ample reason to believe that even if it turns out to be more divorced from its origins than fans would like,Gothiccould still be a good RPG.
