Is the Gothic 1 Remake a Gothic Revival or a Gothic Ruin?

thesixthaxis.com:

The original Gothic games played an important role in the history of PC RPGs. Pioneering the RPG subgenre affectionately nicknamed ‘Eurojank’, their immersive worlds and open-ended style attracted a legion of passionate fans. While the third game in the series saw a change of emphasis, titles such as Risen and Elex continued the legacy. It was therefore a huge disappointment when longtime developers Piranha Bytes closed down in 2024, just one of a number of victims of the Embracer Group’s irresponsible purchasing spree.

Fortunately, the legacy of Piranha Bytes games can still be seen in the indie scene and particularly through the long-awaited release of a full Gothic 1 Remake by Alkimia Interactive. Having now been hands-on with the first playable demo – available today via Steam Next Fest – I can spill the beans on how it holds up to the original, both in terms of nostalgia and more recent memories of the game.

The original Gothic saw you follow the journey of the iconic Nameless Hero as he was thrown into the magical prison known as The Colony, in which prisoners are forced to mine for precious ore to supply the Kingdom of Myrtana with weaponry to fight off the invading hordes of orcs. This is such a classic fantasy story that still has resonance some 24 years later, but the real draw of the game was the freedom it allowed you in your adventure.

Gothic holds a special place in my own memories, but having replayed it in part recently it is clear where the ‘jank’ part of the subgenre came from. Gothic’s controls were an acquired taste at best and the ease with which you can venture off the path and meet instant death is a far cry from the handholding approach of more modern titles. My main hopes for the Remake were for it to improve the former, but still maintain the challenge of the latter and the demo goes some way to demonstrating that this has been achieved.

Rather than offering the start of the game itself, the demo takes the form of a prologue with a separate