Gothic 3

After the struggle for survival in the mining colony (Gothic I), the battle with orcs invading the island of Khorinis (Gothic II), and discovering that Khorinis hides much more and much older dangers than the orcs (Gothic II: Night of the Raven), the time comes for the third part of Gothic series, which takes you to the mainland. The world presented in Gothic III for PC consists of three major realms: the Varrant desert, the frozen land of Nordmar, and Myrthana set in European-like medieval atmosphere. The world is roughly four times bigger than the one offered in Gothic II with Night of the Raven add-on.

The war with orcs, which flared up in the second part of the series, came to an end - humans suffered a total defeat. All cities of Myrthana came under control of orc troops, humans were enslaved or agreed to a dishonoring work for the occupier, while king Rhobar with a handful of loyal paladins took refuge in the capital city of Vengard, covered by a magical barrier; very similar to the one that surrounded the prison colony in the first game. The protagonist, as usually accompanied by his faithful companions: Lee, Lester, Gorn, Milten, and Diego, approaches the shore of Myrthana only to engage in a fight with orcs. His further actions, however, are no longer limited in any way. He can fight for liberation of Myrthana alongside with royalists hiding in the woods, join with orcs and work for them to strengthen their position, or ally with the desert-dwelling assassins.

Just as in the previous games, the player cannot create a hero, however, character development was significantly expanded. Sword fighting was made significantly easier, as compared with the game’s predecessor, thus losing a lot of possibilities offered so far. On the other hand, you can now learn to fight with two swords. Apart from melee combat you can train your character in archery or magic.

The latter is somewhat different in Gothic II for PC. The rune magic that the protagonist was using previously, was annihilated by Xardas the necromancer, and now spells are based on ancient knowledge that the player is able to learn gradually – however, it all comes down to using standard set of spells, ranging from a fireball to rain of fire.

However, the biggest advantage of the third part of Gothic series seems to be the extensive design of the world, consisting of 20 cities and human settlements, the largest of which remind the capital city of Khorinis. A visually varied world goes hand in hand with rich flora and fauna, and the day-night cycle, which determines the behavior of all living things. About 600 missions await for the player, as well as many not-so obvious choices that are in accordance with general freedom. You can learn such crafting skills as blacksmithing, alchemy, or cooking. The biggest downside of the game is its poor technical state, which resulted in a series of patches published shortly after the release.

Last updated on August 14, 2015