After four hours with the Gothic 1 Remake, the experience is chaotic. I arrived at the Outer Camp without a map, weapons, or money, accompanied by two bugged mole rats that follow me without attacking. The problem: the game interprets that I am in combat, preventing me from speaking with any NPC. Thus, the remake preserves the friction of the original 2001 RPG, where nothing is given away.
An engine that maintains old-school design ⚔️
The remake replicates the original's mechanics: obtaining a map requires buying it at a high price, learning to pick locks requires getting lockpicks and a stolen ring, and finding people involves asking around from mouth to mouth, since the quest log only gives vague clues. There are no tutorials or markers. Current technology clashes with a design that forces the player to explore and remember, without shortcuts. Bugs, like the one with the rats, are part of the chaos.
My pet rats and the social veto in the camp 🐀
Now I have two mole rats as companions, but the game considers them active enemies. Every time I try to talk to a blacksmith or a merchant, the system screams combat and everyone runs away. It's my own entourage of pets that ruin any social interaction. If I wanted to feel like an outcast in the world of Gothic, I have succeeded. At least they don't bite me, although they won't let me buy bread either.