Gothic (video game)

Gothic is a series of computer role-playing games by Piranha Bytes, a German developer. The games are characterized by an open-ended game world in which the (unnamed) hero must initially choose sides among a set of opposed factions (each faction having its own set of side plots), then slowly return to a central plotline common to the entire game. Similar in many respects to The Elder Scrolls games (particularly The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, which was released the same year as Gothic II), the main character must complete quests and slay wild animals and monsters to earn skill points - used to increase basic attributes, improve skills, and learn trades.

The games place a special focus on the interactivity of the environment. For example, while anyone hunting wild animals can gather raw meat (an item that heals damage and can be sold) from them, this can be turned into fried meat (a much more effective curative) by making use of a stove or frying pan. Similarly, most of the activities other characters can be seen doing (playing musical instruments, stirring soup pots, etc.) can be done by the main character as well, though this rarely has a specific use in-game.

The Gothic games also have an unusual combat system which emphasises carefully timed combinations of strikes. The default control scheme in Gothic was disliked by many because of its almost exclusive use of the numeric pad (or arrow keys) of the keyboard and the necessity of holding down an action key and pressing movement keys to perform actions. However, the use of the alternative keyboard setting in conjunction with the mouse resulted in a more normal control scheme. In Gothic II the control system was revised to allow actions to take place with a single mouse click.

Both Gothic and Gothic II (its direct sequel) were received with moderate-to-high reviews in the US, but were overshadowed in sales by games made by more familiar firms receiving better marketing. The lack of polish the games showed (in terms of their drab color range, somewhat outdated graphics at the time of first release in the US, which was far behind the original German release, and a host of minor bugs) also diminished its sales. Despite this, the considerable gameplay (30+ hours per game), replayability (through following a different faction's path through the game), and highly detailed world helped maintain a small but intensely loyal fan base.

The World of Gothic

Gothic 1 takes place in the prison colony of Khorinis and Gothic 2 takes place in both worlds, adding lush forests and beautiful farms. In Gothic 1 there is a prison colony surrounded by a magical barrier to keep the prisoners inside. Somehow the Barrier expanded too much, swallowing the whole area. There are three camps, the Swamp Camp where weed harvesting acolytes pray for the Sleeper, sort of an reincarnation or important leader in the forces of Beliar. The Swamp Camp plays an important role in the game, because of the vicinity of the Orcs and most of the main quests take place there. The Old Camp, is the oldest camp in the colony and is owned by the ore barons that control the ore trade with the King. The King, who is in war with the orcs must trade with the ore barons in order to win the war against the orcs, making the Ore Barons the most richest and powerful leaders in the colony. There is a church of the Fire Mages that pray to the god Innos, the creator of all in the castle of the Camp. The Old Camp has one ore mine called The Old Mine, because it is the biggest and oldest of the mines. The New Camp, who got tired of the Ore Barons bossing around are mercenaries that get their food from inside the colony from the rice fields, instead of the outside world. The Water Mages, who pray to the god Adanos, the god of balance have their headquarters inside the camp and they gather ore from the Free Mine, trying to blow the Barrier with the power of the magical ore. The player can choose which camp to join but it only matters the beginning.

In Gothic 2, the Barrier has fallen and prisoners have flown through the pass to Khorinis, endangering the city of Khorinis. The nameless hero has been saved by Xardas the Necromancer from the ruins of the Sleeper, barely alive he must gather his strength and defeat the dragons. The colony was left without workers, forcing the king to send the expedition in to the Valley of Mines to get the ore. The Valley is overrun by orcs who took over the lands after the humans left and have besieged the paladins in to the Old Camp. The Old Camp has been burned down by orcs and only the castle remains. A large wall has been erected to the west side of the valley, deleting the Swamp Camp from the game. The New Camp has been abandoned also and covered in snow for some strange reason

Games

Gothic I, released in 2001
Gothic II, released in 2002 (review)
Gothic II: Die Nacht des Raben (Add-on, German), released in 2003
Gothic II: The Night Of The Raven (Add-on, English), released 2005 in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland (Gothic 2: Noc Kruka - official Polish title).
Gothic II Gold (Gothic II and The Night of the Raven expansion), released 2005 in North America
Gothic III, currently announced for 1st quarter of 2006 (with an English release supposed to follow only a month later), Polish version is expected to be ready in 3rd quarter of 2006.

External links

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