Gothic 1 Remake Review – SIDE QUEST SIMULATOR

Forgive my ignorance, but I had never heard of this series until THQ Nordic announced the Gothic 1 Remake in Unreal 5. Most games in this engine run like a royal slop-a-thon, so I was surprised to see this remake look and perform really well. Especially with its snazzy draw distance and Lord of the Rings-lookin’ fantasy fluff, it had me thoroughly impressed… That’s until chapter one began, of course.

Around We Go Again

I’m sure you’re well aware, but fetch-questy side activities don’t take long to become a monumental slog. And it really pains me to say this: the game wears them like a badge of honour. When I logged off of Steam the first time I played, I noticed that I was 10 hours in and just endlessly ticking off boxes, one after the other, so much so that the autopilot switch in my brain lost the plot. It was honestly difficult to tell whether it was fun or frustrating at times throughout the journey.

I’m well aware that the open-world, technically go-wherever-you-want design of the original is revered by many, but when such a large portion of quests have you marking things off a list, running between places like a glorified delivery boy, it does start to lose its charm. Now, don’t get me wrong, the game actively rewards you for exploring every corner of the map for quality weapons and items, and the NPC interactions can be a genuinely good time. Though overall, it’s just sooo… rote.

The combat doesn’t quite have that “wow factor” or *oomph* you’d expect from a modern-day production either. Think of the slam of Kratos’ axe, or the *ka-blam!* of a Resident Evil gun and how satisfying they are. Gothic 1 Remake simply isn’t on the same level. And look, I understand the main character is just some guy, not a mythical Greek god. But when a fire magic blast sounds like an average tennis serve… it can’t help but feel lacking.

Another One Bites the Dust

At the same time, the game nails parts of its presentation. Being a literal nobody who can get one-shotted by a molerat, while everybody treats you like a mug at first, definitely screams “gothic”. And because you can’t just slap on a quest tracker, or have every single map marker displayed at the touch of a button, it does force you to use your noggin and fully pay attention to each word being said. Outside of some basic quest and NPC info, you gotta figure it out yourself, buddy.

Though I’d be remiss not to mention the occasional glitches and bugs that could actually be pretty funny, or extremely frustrating, like not being to attack in the heat of battle. Yaaaay. That said, the way the world’s inhabitants move and interact like a living ecosystem is nothing to scoff at. If some guy’s bothering you in the Old Camp, you can just pay for protection money and let them kick his butt instead. Or how about transforming into an animal like Banjo Kazooie, then going to town? And the fact that you can join three different camps for entirely unique skills, questlines and outcomes, does a lot for the replayability factor.

How you approach certain missions can turn into several different results as well. And I got to give a big shout-out to the lockpicking minigame too: it’s surprisingly addictive once you get the hang of it. On that note, if you were hoping for a more advanced blacksmithing or policing system of the same quality as KCD2, don’t hold your breath. If you commit a crime in a guard’s line of sight, they’ll just rough you up a little, take some of your gear, then send you on your merry way. That’s about it.

Decision

Despite never playing the original, I can absolutely see why this series has such a devoted following. The world feels alive, your choices matter, and the game isn’t afraid to treat you like an actual participant, rather than a tourist following a million different markers. The atmosphere, camp system, exploration and flexible quest design all help create an RPG that feels refreshingly old-school.

Unfortunately, that same old-school design is also where my lion’s share of frustrations come from. Far too many quests boil down to running errands and jogging back and forth across the map until your brain slips into zombie mode. Combat lacks the impact and satisfaction I’d expect from a modern remake too, and the occasional bugs can range from funny hahas to outright rage. Still, when Gothic 1 Remake is firing on all cylinders, there’s something undeniably special about it. The feeling of starting as a complete nobody, carving out your place in a hostile world, and slowly becoming faster and stronger through exploration and perseverance is something many modern RPGs struggle to replicate. Long-time fans will enjoy this, though newcomers might want to proceed with caution.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PC

Average

A faithful and atmospheric RPG with excellent world-building and replayability, held back by repetitive quest design, underwhelming combat and a few frustrating technical hiccups.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by THQ Nordic. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.