Gothic 1 Remake Preview: A Respectful Take on a Classic with Some Issues

Gothic 1 Remake is the long-awaited remake of the cult RPG that captured the hearts of millions of players over two decades ago. For many of us, Gothic is not just a game but an entire era, memories of the first steps in the RPG genre, the dark world under the magic dome, and the Nameless Hero who became a symbol of freedom and struggle. THQ Nordic's unexpected decision to reinterpret the classic stirred both excitement and skepticism among fans of the series.

The main stumbling block was the choice of developers. The original creators from Piranha Bytes declined to remake the first Gothic, focusing instead on the ELEX series. Consequently, the project was handed over to the newly formed Alkimia Interactive studio. Although the developers are well-versed with the key features and principles of Gothic, the small team size (only 45 people) and lack of significant experience raised doubts among players until the demo release.

We couldn't skip the demo and played it in one go to share our impressions and analyze what the new authors managed to achieve and what still needs work.

The Gothic 1 Remake demo is a separate prologue from the main game, where we play as Niras, a new character who has just arrived in the Colony. It's worth noting that this is not the classic Nameless Hero from the first part, but his story allows us to see the world through the eyes of a newcomer. Despite the prologue being very short, it successfully fulfills its main task: introducing basic mechanics, atmosphere, and giving a hefty dose of «Copium» to all skeptics who didn't believe until the end that Alkimia Interactive would succeed. Literally, by the fifth minute of exploring the prologue, we realized that Gothic 1 Remake is the same Gothic, just in a new, not very successful, wrapper.

Every corner of the demo is steeped in nostalgia. Characters, architecture, and mountain landscapes, slightly reworked but recognizable music—all evoke pleasant memories of the first adventure in Khorinis. Menus, sounds, character swaying, even NPC gestures during conversations—carefully transferred from the original. Despite the very small size of the demo, we were able to appreciate the dialogue system, search for loot in caves, explore the boundaries of a small location, cook food, and fight goblins, scavengers, and meat bugs. Fighting humans didn't go well; the hero is too weak, and the local combat system heavily relies on parries.

Gothic has always been a game where you shouldn't rush. And the remake demo emphasizes this. The hero's movements are slow, as in the original. Animations are not the most impressive, and responsiveness leaves much to be desired. Running, turning, climbing stairs, even picking up items—all implemented with a slow frame rate and lack of clear impact. At first, it was annoying because we are used to the dynamics in modern third-person RPGs. But this game design feature cannot be called a drawback or a relic of the «old school». Gothic has always been about immersion, exploration, and feeling part of the world. And this is present here. Similar sensations are given by the recent Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, where absolutely every action is accompanied by prolonged animation.

We tested the combat system not only on local fauna but also on ordinary people. And even Dark Souls didn't punish so harshly for the slightest mistakes in parrying. The combat system, which was uniquely inconvenient in the original, has been reworked in the remake, though the essence remains. Left-right strikes, thrusting and slashing attacks, blocks, and dodges—all remain in place. Moreover, in the settings, you can choose the classic control from the original to immerse yourself in nostalgia completely.

However, the new combat system in the demo feels slightly clumsy and unresponsive. Strikes are delivered slowly, and dodges and counterattacks seem unintuitive. You can certainly hit an enemy, but performing spectacular pirouettes like in the developers' demonstrations is unlikely. Perhaps it's a matter of habit, but we would like to see a more stable and flexible combat system.

On the other hand, archery has become significantly more enjoyable thanks to manual aiming. However, you won't be fighting for long with ranged weapons — in the demo, they deal too little damage, and the enemies are too «tanky».

Exploring the world is still enjoyable as ever. There are no mini-maps, no markers — you're expected to remember locations and navigate the terrain yourself. This brings back the sense of discovery that was present in the original.

The developers managed to convey the mood and atmosphere of the original from a game design perspective, but the visual aspect is another matter. The graphics have undoubtedly become modern: locations are detailed, grass and trees sway in the wind, and light filters through the foliage. However, let's be honest — the Unreal Engine 5 has become quite overused. Many games on it look the same, and Gothic 1 Remake at first glance doesn't stand out with a unique style or art direction. The environment is a jumble of objects and textures, where interactive items can easily be mistaken for decorations. Certainly, the overall picture looks attractive, but from a game design standpoint, it raises questions.

A simple example: at the very beginning of the location, we struggled to understand where to go next. The first section is a continuous mountain formation, and only by intuition can you guess that you can climb one of the rocks to continue your journey. The climbing system feels secondary due to repetitive animations. We would like to see more variety in animations upon release so that repetitive actions don't hinder immersion. Additionally, there are too many movement restrictions in the demo. In the original, you could sneak into almost any corner of the location, shortening quest durations with successful jumps to hard-to-reach places.

The color palette and overall style also somewhat contradict the spirit of the original. In the first Gothic, the sky beyond the dome was gray with lightning, creating an atmosphere of hopelessness. Here, everything looks too cheerful and colorful. Perhaps this was done intentionally for the prologue, but we doubt it.

The developers retained a minimalist HUD, allowing for full immersion in the gameplay. However, some interface elements, such as the diamonds next to icons in the inventory, seem unnecessary and distracting.

Character models are done at a decent level, but their animations, like those of the main character, are excessively sharp and wooden. The dialogue system remains almost the same as in the original, lacking dynamism. It would be more convenient if the developers added numbering for response choices, so you wouldn't have to click on phrases with the mouse.

The text written by the scriptwriters seemed too simplified. The phrases lack liveliness and emotion. It feels like we're watching communication between two robots with pre-prepared lines. Perhaps this is a localization issue, and the actors couldn't convey the emotions of the original text. We hope for a good implementation of dialogues in the full version.

The artificial intelligence, which the original game was famous for, couldn't be fully assessed in the demo. But judging by all the situations available in the demo, it clearly needs refinement and polishing.

In terms of optimization, everything is more or less decent. On high settings in FullHD resolution, the game runs stably. There are no lags or frame drops. However, there are already complaints online about poor performance on medium settings in 4K, but we couldn't verify this. The only disappointment was the lack of an option to adjust mouse sensitivity. The default values were too high.

Judging by the demo, Gothic 1 Remake is a bold and generally correct reimagining of the classic. The game can evoke a sense of nostalgia in fans while offering newcomers a fresh perspective on an RPG that is outdated in many aspects, yet retains key elements of game design. Despite issues with visuals and animation flaws, it's clear that the creators at Alkimia Interactive are trying to preserve the spirit of the original and respect the legacy of the late Piranha Bytes.

For «fans of Gothic», the demo is an opportunity to once again immerse themselves in a beloved world and provide feedback to developers on how to improve certain mechanics and the visual component. Simply fill out a special form after playing and share your impressions. For new players, it's a chance to get acquainted with one of the best RPGs in the industry. We hope that the developers will take player feedback into account and refine the aspects mentioned above. Then we will get a worthy remake that will resurrect the series from the ashes and give hope for a reimagining of the second part. The full version release is planned for this year.

P.S. For those who are already playing the demo or are just about to, a small tip: at the very beginning, don't forget to dive to the bottom of the lake by the waterfall — a pleasant surprise awaits you there!