63 Hours Played – Gothic Difficulty
I played 63 hours of Gothic 1 Remake on Gothic difficulty, completed most of the side quests, explored as much of the map as I could, and played as a Fire Mage.
Overall, I have mixed feelings.
The first 40–45 hours are fantastic. The atmosphere is incredible, the music is great, exploration is rewarding, and I loved the feeling of starting as a nobody and slowly becoming stronger. Chapters 1–4 were some of the most enjoyable RPG gameplay I've had in years.
One of my favourite mechanics was how dynamic the world felt. Early on I could lure Minecrawlers out of the mine to attack guards, wait until the guards got knocked unconscious, steal their gear and sell it for extra ore. I loved little mechanics like that. Sneaking into houses, stealing items, exploring hidden caves, towers and secret areas made exploration genuinely rewarding.
Unfortunately, Chapters 5 and 6 completely changed my opinion of the game.
I played as a Fire Mage and finished the game with 115 unused LP because the game never tells you there's a cap on training mana. I deliberately saved my LP expecting to spend it on higher mana and higher circles of magic later, only to discover I couldn't.
Even worse, I encountered what appeared to be a progression bug. Despite reaching Chapter 6, I was never able to learn Circle 5 or Circle 6 Magic. The game even gave me a Circle 6 rune that I couldn't use because I was never allowed to learn Circle 6. Spending an entire playthrough building a mage only to never unlock the strongest spells was incredibly frustrating.
The bugs didn't stop there.
NPCs fell through the floor, characters got stuck, Gomez just sat on his throne instead of properly fighting back, and during the ending all the sound completely disappeared for around 30 seconds.
The ending itself was probably the biggest disappointment.
After investing 63 hours I expected a satisfying payoff, maybe seeing the barrier collapse, some aftermath, or at least a proper setup for Gothic 2.
Instead... it just ends.
Crafting also feels unfinished.
I spent the entire game collecting herbs, food and ingredients because I assumed they'd become important later. Instead I finished with huge stacks of plants and food that had almost no purpose. Cooking is almost pointless because the meals restore so little health that they're irrelevant by the late game. Alchemy is also frustrating because the game never tells you what ingredients are used for. There should be a glossary showing what every plant can be used for once you've discovered it. Otherwise you spend hours collecting plants without knowing whether they're useful or not.
Lockpicking was another disappointment. I expected improving lockpicking to make difficult locks easier. Instead it mostly just lets you make more mistakes. Even worse, many locks feel almost impossible to open. I spent 20–30 minutes on some individual chests and doors trying different combinations, only to get nowhere. Then, if you finally do manage to open a difficult lock, the reward is often just some bread, meat or a handful of ore. There's simply no gratification for the time and effort invested.
The map also needs major improvements. You should be able to place unlimited markers and write notes directly onto your map. Throughout the game I kept finding caves, Shadowbeasts, locked chests and places I wanted to return to later, but you can only place one marker of each type. In a game built around exploration, that's a huge missed opportunity.
The economy also feels strange. Early on I was constantly broke. Then by the end I had over 11,000 ore, but almost nothing meaningful left to spend it on except potions. I spent around 7,000 ore buying health and mana potions because I expected a huge final battle.
The problem?
I barely needed them.
The final section simply wasn't difficult enough to justify all that preparation. On Gothic difficulty I expected the ending to really test everything I'd built over 63 hours. Instead most encounters were straightforward once you understood the mechanics, and I finished with piles of unused potions and resources.
Several skills also feel pointless. Diving, fist fighting and some hunting skills simply don't provide enough value for the LP and ore they cost.
The biggest disappointment is that the ending changes how I look at the whole game. It's similar to what happened with Game of Thrones for a lot of people. The first 80% was outstanding, but the final chapters left such a weak impression that it's the part you remember most. After spending 63 hours with the game, that's not the feeling you want to walk away with.
Despite everything, I still enjoyed the game overall. The world, atmosphere and exploration are excellent, and that's exactly why the ending disappointed me so much. It starts as one of the best RPGs I've played in years, then loses momentum right at the finish line.
I will buy Gothic 2 Remake because I genuinely love the world and the core gameplay.
However, if Gothic 2 Remake released tomorrow, I wouldn't buy it on day one. I'd wait at least six months, maybe even a year, until I knew the major bugs had been fixed. There's nothing worse than paying full price for a game, investing 63 hours into it, and then having the experience ruined by bugs and progression issues towards the end.
Overall: 7/10.
The first four chapters are brilliant. The final two chapters are buggy, rushed and ultimately disappointing. That's a real shame because, with a polished ending, this could easily have been one of my favourite RPGs in years.
