Gothic

Gothic is a single-player action role-playing game for Windows, developed by the German studio Piranha Bytes. It first launched in Germany on March 15, 2001, followed by an English North American release on November 23, 2001, and a Polish release on March 28, 2002. Gothic was well received by critics, earning aggregate scores of 80% on Game Rankings and 81/100 on Metacritic. Reviewers praised its story, deep interactions with in-game characters, and graphics, while criticizing its difficult control scheme and high system requirements.

The Hero completes quests and defeats wild animals and monsters to earn skill points. These points are spent with the right teacher to raise core attributes, improve skills, and learn trades. Some skills have only one level (such as Sneaking and Acrobatics), while combat skills—one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons, bows, and crossbows—have two proficiency levels. If the Hero chooses the Mage path (or joins the Swamp Camp), he can learn the Circles of Magic. There are six circles in total. Core attributes increase in steps of 1 or 5 points, starting at 10 and normally capping at 100, though potions can push past the cap. A major focus is environmental interactivity. Hunting provides raw meat that can heal and be sold, and cooking it on a stove or frying pan turns it into grilled meat that restores much more health. The Hero can also perform many everyday actions seen among NPCs—playing instruments, stirring soup, urinating, and more—though aside from forging weapons, these activities have little impact on gameplay. The player chooses which camp to join. Later quests become more linear and faction differences shrink, but one key distinction remains: Swamp Camp members cannot become full mages, as they are limited to four of the six magic circles. In exchange, they gain access to magic earlier.