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.
