Gothic is an established franchise that has been charming us since 2001, when a daring and different RPG was released, a game which featured the Nameless Hero as the protagonist. But because the producers were German, Gothic was first released in its native country, while the English edition only got on the store shelves at the end of the same year.
Despite this, the new approach was a success, even if it was somewhat difficult for novices. Piranha Bytes tried something new and were rewarded for it, despite the fact that the first Gothic was not without its share of problems and had a hefty learning curve. In 2003 Gothic 2 saw the light of day, and the game was more accessible for those who weren’t masters of RPGs. It was followed by the Night of the Raven expansion that brought many new things to the table.
Unfortunately, Night of the Raven also had to be expected for more two years by the non-German fans, because the English version was not available until Jowood released the Gothic 2 Gold Edition. Grumpier fans or those who didn’t really want too much of a challenge complained about the increased difficulty, which tended to become exasperating here and there if one did not properly choose his skills, but the more hardcore fans were very satisfied with the new adventures.
In 2006 the third incarnation of Gothic was released, anxiously waited for and with a huge potential, but in the end it proved a disappointment. Not as a whole, but it wasn’t what it could (and should) have been. But even with all the problems, the franchise was a successful one and was very appreciated by a lot of gamers.
Unfortunately, Piranha Bytes had some disagreements with Jowood and gave up on the series, so the Austrian publisher passed on the work into the hands of the Indians of Trine Games. Being stressed by the short time that they had for development (or so they said), they decided it was for the best to just recycle instead of creating something new. Obviously, an expansion set in the same realm as the original game is supposed to have a lot of common elements with its predecessor, but unfortunately in this case there is only a massive copy – paste that doesn’t justify the work of the producers and the rush to release the game.
