Preview: Gothic
Genre: Action/RPG/Adventure
Release Date: March 2001 (Germany), North American publication pending
Developer: Piranha Bytes
By Cindy Kyser
Sneak Peek
I got my first look at Gothic during the E3 show in 2000. It was still in the early stages of development, but it showed enough potential to pique my interest. Now, almost 18 months later, the game has been released in Germany and continues to receive accolades from the European press. The development of an English version is well underway, and negotiations continue for a U.S. publishing deal. When a playable demo arrived at JA+, I jumped at the chance to see how Gothic had turned out. This is actually an English translation of the opening segments of the game, with travel restricted to a subset of the total geography.
Ore for Orcs
In terms of background, the kingdom of Myrtana has been united under the rule of King Robar. Only the Orcs have refused to acquiesce, and they have waged a continuous war against the human population. This long-standing conflict has taxed the resources of Myrtana, and the kingdom requires a constant supply of metal to keep its soldiers armed. To guarantee ore production, the king has established a penal colony as a permanent labor force for the mines. When his magicians attempted to encase the colony in an “invisible fence,” something went wrong and all were trapped inside. The inmates gained control of the prison, and the king’s needs are now only met through negotiation.
The story opens as you are dropped into the penal colony, as a new prisoner. Prior to your incarceration, you agree to take a sealed message to the trapped mages. As you begin to explore and meet colony residents, it becomes apparent that this will be a much harder task than you imagined.
An Audio-Visual Feast
Gothic is a dark world, with dreary architecture that feels like a prison. But among the decay of abandoned mining operations, you will encounter streams, trees, and flowers–all beautifully detailed in terms of color and design. The game is visually impressive with dramatic scenery and realistic effects for lighting, water, weather, etc. It is played from a third-person “over the shoulder” perspective, in the style of Tomb Raider.
The developers have done an outstanding job on the audio aspects of Gothic. The music and ambient sound effects combine to enhance the mood of the game and make it more pleasurable to play. In a departure from my usual “silence is golden” tradition, I kept the sound on throughout the demo and did not grow tired of it. While some character voice-overs are better suited to the Cartoon Network, I was impressed with the quality of the dialog. When a game is translated into English, the conversations are often stilted and unnatural. This is not the case with the Gothic preview, and Piranha Bytes is to be commended for the smooth transition between languages.
You use a combination of mouse and keyboard commands to navigate. For those with less-than-stellar hand-eye coordination, this takes some getting used to. However, the end result is an interface that is much more comfortable than one based purely on key combinations. Conversations are directed by choosing from a list of questions or responses. As you discover information or are assigned quests, an in-game log is updated for those who choose not to take notes.
The Warrior Guy
Gothic is best described as a traditional RPG with adventure and action elements. In the demo, your character is predefined as the basic “warrior guy” with few possessions or skills. You earn experience points by killing things and accomplishing mini-quests and/or running errands. Instead of a “paper doll” interface, Gothic uses an inventory system that will be familiar to adventure gamers. You have inventory items, grouped by type, that can be selected and used.
In addition to inventory, you must also manage your health and avoid death-by-stupidity or death-by-encounter-with-beast. I admit that I did not progress far enough to see how experience points are applied. Thus, I cannot report on the degree of control you have as you develop individual attributes or on what mechanisms are in place to facilitate character growth.
Aligning with the Stars
Where Gothic has the most potential to shine is in the impact of character alignment with various “camps” within the penal colony. In some traditional RPGs, the concept of alignment feels like a hypothetical construct. Although you may choose to align with “neutral good” or “lawful evil,” the results are often hard to identify. In Gothic, the imprisoned have grouped into factions: the Old Camp, the New Camp, and the Psi Camp. Each has unique membership requirements, power structures, and codes of conduct. In the early stages of the demo, it becomes clear that you will need to make key decisions as to your future in the colony. The characters that you encounter discuss the pros and cons of different alliances and courses of action. They promise that the path you choose will directly impact your prison experience. Thus, your choices have tangible outcomes, and the possible variations provide a great opportunity for replayability.
Consider the Possibilities
Overall, Gothic promises to be an intriguing game that blends the best of action, role-playing, and adventure. For those who are willing to step outside of the boundaries of a traditional adventure, I would highly recommend keeping an eye out for the English version of this game. Everything I have seen in the preview version makes me believe that this is a game I will not want to miss.
