Gothic Preview

Snake Pliskin meets Gandalf the Wizard.

Once sentenced to the harsh prison world of Gothic, there is no escape from a living death in the darkness of the mines. Precious goods are dropped in exchange for the hard-won ore, making the mines all that stands between the prisoners and certain death. Control of the mines is key, and makeshift ore barons battle with runaway mine slaves and apocalyptic cultists for dominance over the labyrinths. To survive, you'll have to choose your friends and enemies carefully in this upcoming action/RPG from Piranha Bytes.

Gothic is a promising adventure set in a detailed 3D world populated by hostile creatures and tightly organized factions of prisoners. The world of Gothic is a dynamic one, in which events that occur during the course of play alter the world itself as well as the relations between the various factions of NPCs.

Players will choose from four character classes: Warrior, Thief, Magician, or Psionic. Each character type possesses different abilities and experiences different perspectives, dialogue, animations, and locations. Gameplay will include plenty of jobs to perform, objectives to complete, and puzzles to solve.

Much thought was put into the actions and motivations of the more than 200 NPCs and monsters. Each living creature encountered within the game has its own routine of waking, sleeping, and social interaction. Monsters, like their human counterparts, may cooperate to achieve their desired objectives. Most creatures have been scripted with the ability to see, hear, and smell. Those who have only one or two of these senses have developed them to acute levels.

With this kind of AI running amuck, it is impossible to survive in Gothic without allies. Making allies and maintaining good relations will be challenging, as NPCs have very good memories and will recall a previous act of treachery. They also won't hesitate to sound the alarm if they happen to witness a hostile act committed against one of their own.

Gothic boasts simple game controls which will allow players to become immersed in a virtual world while using less than a dozen keys. Lower end system requirements and self-explanatory gameplay should make Gothic particularly user friendly. The grim storyline and unique NPC and monster scripting give Gothic the potential to provide a unique, absorbing and entertaining gaming experience.

You'll be able to judge for yourself whether Gothic lives up to its potential when it comes up for parole this summer for the PC.