Gothic 1 Remake Is Faithful to a Fault, But Maybe That’s What Its Target Audience Wants [Preview]

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There’s also the weird decision of making this demo “a standalone experience” with no proper narrative hook that sells the casual crowd on the actual game that’s supposed to be launching later this year. Yes, I’ve been able to visit a few areas that are key to the full Gothic journey, but the demo ultimately feels like a tech showcase rather than an actual chunk of the game. Of course, no tech demo actually runs for more than a few minutes and even lets you take on several quests and tinker a fair bit with the systems, but the very nature of this preview makes me wonder what the real state of the game is this late into development.

“It is important to note that this experience does not feature the intended progression, freedom, simulation, and immersion that the full game will provide,” the press release states. If so much of it doesn’t resemble the actual game, developmental phase aside, maybe it will do more bad than good?

Personally, I didn’t have a great time with the demo. Some extra UE5-powered sheen aside, the most modern game it resembles is The Witcher 2… which isn’t exactly what you want from an expensive remake set to come out in 2025. Movement is sluggish; combat feels a tad too slow even by Gothic standards; and all the graphical glow-up can’t hide the fact that it’s all restricted by the early 2000s level design that has been painstakingly recreated.

Regardless, some of Gothic’s unique, slightly off-beat soul shines through the rust: For the most part, the setting still feels refreshingly oppressive, and there’s a commitment to letting players figure things out for themselves and not filling the screen with markers. I don’t think, at this stage, that it’s enough to make up for how bland everything else can be, but perhaps the aforementioned
hardcore old-school RPGs” crowd will appreciate the return to this style of game design.

There’s also the slight possibility of the full game landing a critical hit with its retelling of the original story, which directly dealt with the themes of penal labor and rebellion against a decaying monarchy. But that’s just speculation and wishful thinking, as this demo offers none of that beyond some expository dialogues from prisoners who have seen better days.

God knows I can put up with “janky” combat systems and unforgiving worlds which tell players to adapt or perish, but there has to be more juice to Gothic 1 Remake (plus some proper responses to feedback) by the time it releases to convince me and RPG enjoyers without nostalgia for the veteran seriesto return to the Khorinis mines.

Gothic 1 Remake will release at some point in 2025 on PC (Steam & GOG), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.