Gothic II

Gothic II Paladin

Here we go again. Another RPG, that aims to rob you of all your spare time, leaving you as a wizened old man before all its quests are completed. The question is if you really need to waste your time on yet another medieval fantasy universe, when the sun is shining like mad outside. Only one answer is valid... Yes. Oh yes.

I’d heard a lot of good things about Gothic II, and I have meticulously been checking trailers and previews during the last six months. My expectations were huge, and that may be why my initial reaction was disappointment. The game’s interface, which is of course the first thing you encounter, seemed old-fashioned and cumbersome, and could only be accessed via the keyboard.

This is a shame, since first-hand impressions are lasting for all of us. And the fact that Gothic II contains other similar problems before you can get to the core of the game obscures how great it really is. Regardless, it is worth it to persevere. It certainly does help that Gothic II is one of the most graphically impressive games we’ve ever come across.

Mother Nature at her finest

The countryside is SO nice

The game picks up right when its predecessor ended. However, you don’t need to have played the first one to appreciate the sequel. When the game begins, you find yourself in the tower of the wizard Xardas, which has been built on the island of Khorinis. The locals are frightened by recent orc attacks, and the presence of the King’s peacekeeping troops, who are besieging the city in an effort to keep the critters at bay, aren‘t helping matters much. This is what the story looks like initially, but you’ll quickly learn that matters are nowhere near as simple as that.

The moment you leave Xardas’ tower, you will encounter an incredibly lifelike natural vista, with rolling hills, dense forests and lots of thickets. The view distance is the most impressive aspect, since it lets you look far and wide, often several kilometers. You will see places with hills and valleys that differ with several hundreds of meters in height, and everything will be dressed in so many different kinds of plants, that a botanist could spend a lifetime cataloguing them. This amazing level of detail ensures that Gothic II will keep surprising you from beginning to end.

Nobody’s perfect

These people really hates you, if you don't join them

The game does have its share of errors, though. Most of the houses in the game lack doors, and sometimes you’ll encounter German sentences, that haven’t been translated. Furthermore, you’ll need some time to get the hang of the cumbersome controls.
But fear not; the game will quickly draw you irrevocably into its world, and give you a level of freedom, the like of which none of us have seen since Morrowind. The island of Khorinnis is smaller than Morrowind, though, so you’ll be able to get on with your quests somewhat quicker. This is by no means an indication that the game is small – you’ll still be discovering new places even after 50 hours of playing time.

The game requires you to choose one of three careers at the onset. You can aim to follow the King, and become a Paladin, you can become a mercenary, or you can use your sorcerey powers as a wizard. You’ll get to carry out a few assignments at first, before you decide what to become, which is a great detail because once you choose there’s no turning back. Some of the areas in the game will only be open to a certain character, and NPC’s react to you in different ways depending on your class, so choose wisely.

The power of words

Stealing is fun

Your choice of career won’t be the only thing that affects how the game plays out. Your choice of words when communicating with the denizens of Khorinnis is of equal importance. This further improves the feeling of freedom within Gothic II, and makes the experience even richer. Every single sentence in the game is spoken by good actors, you won’t have to read your way through it. It also makes the game very lively, which is an aspect that the developers have really focused on.

The game also has a cycle of day and night, which is brought to life by the powerful graphics engine. The inhabitants of Gothic II follow this cycle perfectly. The market will close at night, and the bars and brothels will be filled with patrons. Most people will return to their beds at midnight, and they won’t be happy if you come knocking at their doors while they're taking 40 winks. There are, however, distinct differences between when everybody goes to bed and gets up in the morning. And during the day, you can observe guards carrying out their daily watch duties. The world really seems bustling and alive.

Kill the smelly ones!

Sit

The strenghts of your enemies in Gothic II vary wildly, in contrast to many other games. You will quickly come across some foe that will deck you in a single blow. When you stray from the roads, you will find that the wilderness is infected with goblins, rats, orcs and things far more horrible. Things that live only to rip you your throat and beat you to death with it. You will quickly learn that some areas of the deep forests are far more dangerous than others.

Prepare yourself to be scared senseless by the near-perfect sound effects of the game. The screams of certain enemies will haunt you for nights on end. Your opponents will also drive you mad by the use of tactics. Some attack in packs trying to surround you, while others hunt you down on their own. You need to learn their weaknesses, because even when you’ve leveled up a few times, simple enemies will still give you grief.

Play your part

The only way out is by ship

The actual roleplaying part of Gothic II is quite simple. Your inventory can hold unlimited items, for one thing. There are basically eight skills for you to develop during the course of the game, some of which only need to be updated once, such as lock picking. The simplicity of this makes the game more accessible to less experienced players.

I’d say that Gothic II has at least 50 hours worth of gameplay with each character, so if you want to see it all, you’ll be clocking in at 150+ hours. Bye bye social life! (Again? Now that I've just managed to stop playing Morrowind? –Ed.) In my opinion, Gothic II really gives Morrowind a run for its money. It’s clearly the best RPG I’ve played this year. Once you’ve gotten past the controls, a great storyline and a solid gameplay experience await. No RPG fan should miss this one.

Translated by Jonatan A. Allin (neonwolf)