Gothic 3
Review
What a pity that Jowood chose to release it in this state...
by Sergio Brinkhuis
reviewed on PC
Learning Points
Gothic 3's skill system is a bit of an odd duck in the world of RPGs. Gaining levels is done in the same way as every other RPG; kill bad guys, solve quests, get experience points up to a certain number and you have gained a level. But where most RPGs let you simply let you assign points towards certain skills or traits, Gothic 3 uses Learning Points. These can be 'spent' to gain proficiency in traits by asking a skilled person to share his knowledge with you. People skilled in disciplines such as hunting, thievery, alchemy and fighting can be found everywhere in the game, but while they aren't exactly scarce, you do need to find them first. The advantage there is that you are usually running around with Learning Points for a while before you spend them, which gives you some time to think about what it is exactly that you need most.
The skill tree itself isn't huge but it does have enough variation to keep you entertained for a while. Some of the more straightforward skills include opening locks of various difficulty, wielding large weapons, using ranged weapons more effectively and mastering swordfighting and blocking. Less obvious, and therefore a lot more fun, are skills that help you talk your way out of difficult situations or dual-wield swords. Learning Points can also be used for increasing your character's stats such as strength and endurance, so you will have some difficult choices to make in this game.
Combat
Gothic 3's combat system is simple - perhaps a bit too simple - and has one quirk that makes it a little difficult to control what you are doing. Magic isn't that different from what we're used to in the genre and anyone who has played similar games in recent years will quickly be familiar with this part of the game. Fighting 'looks' familiar too, but it really isn't.
You see, your actions are queued (there seems to be a maximum number of actions that can be in the queue but I have not figured out how many yet), meaning that every action you start -will- be carried out. The game tries to lure you into turning melee fights into clickfests but this will come back to haunt you. The combat system will automatically select your next target for you and finish its 'queue' of clicks on that target. You may still not see the problem, but if I tell you that on numerous occasions, friends will fight by your side and that there is no protection from damage done by and to friends, you probably will begin to see the picture. Another issue that springs from this way of handling your mouseclicks happens when there is a fire nearby; the game will interpret a 'wild click' as you wanting to sit down and roast some meat. While your character does look like an ice-cold dude when he sits down to prepare his food in the midst of 6 Orcs that are trying to murder him, it is inconvenient to say the least.
Follow me! (through this wall!)
If there is one thing that Piranha Bytes have shown they can do, it is completely immersing the player in the game world. Myrtana is comprised of beautiful landscapes, artfully crafted towns and splendid looking castles. Everything simply looks fantastic and nothing looks out of place.
The musical score further enhances this, and it should. The music used comes straight from Lord of the Rings and it worked wonders there too. The music that clues you to the fact that you are under attack sounds threathening - just the way we want it - but unfortunately doesn't always start on time. The developers have also spent a great deal of time on the voice acting. While it is full of cliches, it works just fine and every conversation you will have is fully narrated.
7.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
