Gothic is definitely the game that has meant the most to me as a gamer.
First let me bring you into the setting with a quick summary;
The kingdom is being attacked by orcs. (Orcs are really big and mean in this game so this is serious trouble...) Luckily the king has access to magical ore, which his army is completely dependent on to continue fighting back against the orcs. Yet despite the ore the orcs keep pushing back the kings army. He realises that the ore mines must be protected and so he calls for a group of powerful magicians to create a magic barrier around the mine. However something goes very wrong during the creation of the barrier, and the entire mining colony becomes trapped inside a magic dome where you can enter but never leave.
The prisoners working in the mines use the opportunity to rebel, and succeeded. The entire mining colony is now run by the convicts, and as a result the king is forced to negotiate with them. He sends luxury wares (Wine, Cheese ect.) and women in exchange for the ore. He also, however, starts using the mining colony as a prison. Practical seeing as how nobody can can pass through the barrier (and survive), and of course the mines don't work themselves. You start the game being sendt into this magical dome for some unknown crime.
In the very beginning you meet Diego, a "shadow" from the Old Camp. He has come to introduce you to the colony and tells you the basics of the three camps you will find within the colony:
The Old Camp:
The Old Camp is run by the ore barons who trade ore for goods with the outside world. They are in control over the biggest ore mine in the colony. This means that the old camp is the biggest camp, with the most influence in the colony. The old camp is also the home of the fire mages.
The Classes available in the Old Camp are:
- Shadows: Thieves, Scouts and the like. Some with more influence and responsibility in the camp.
- Guards.: Soldiers, Officers and Thugs. Responsible for keeping the order in the Old Camp.
- Fire Mages: They are the advisers to the ore baron and are on the top of the hierarchy in the Old Camp, next only to the ore baron Gomez himself.
The New Camp:
These rogues and mercenaries have, with help from the water mages, set up their own camp away from the rule of the ore barons. Having acquired a mine of their own, they intend to gather as much ore as possible and detonate it to destroy the barrier.
The Classes available in the New Camp are:
- Rogues: Mostly the same as the old camp shadows, only a bit rougher around the edges.
- Mercenaries: They protect the watermages and are responsible for the peace and safety in the New Camp.
- Water Mages: They are the leaders and visionaries of the New Camp and mostly reside in their chambers overlooking the camp.
- The Sect Camp: The Brotherhood, as they call themselves, consists of the free minded prison colonists. They have denounced the traditional gods for an alternate one which they refer to as the sleeper. They believe this new god will show them the way to freedom. They do however maintain trade with the other camps in form of swampweed, a hallucinogenic plant that is smoked. The Gurus are the spiritual leaders of this camp.
The Classes available in the Sect Camp are:
- Novice: The novices are the working bees of the camp. They work the fields and mashers and take lessons from the Gurus.
- Templar: The templars are the esteemed knights and protectors of the sect camp. They keep the dangers of the swamp at bay. Some also campaign in the old camps mine, killing the dangerous minecrawlers to extract a secretion from their mandibles to use in their religious rituals.
Note that the classes are more career choices and you will have to work your way up in each camp.
I really enjoyed taking my time exploring the world and especially getting a feel of the camps and the different characters. The world feels very much alive and I would recommend everybody to really take the time to explore the camps and listen to what the characters have to say as it is the fundament for the mood and the story. The game is reasonably difficult and you will have to save often, but if you get into the habit of saving before attempting anything difficult it won't represent any problem.
A major strength of the game is all the small things that make it an immersing experience. For example, if you kill a wolf, there is no chance that it will drop a jeweled longsword. You will however be able to take meat off the wolf and fry it for food. Or even learn to skin it and take it's teeth for a trophy. This kind of detail combined with interesting, memorable characters, a beautiful open world and daily routines for every npc sucked me into the game like no other game since has been able to do.
In fact I probably ended up playing Gothic something like 300 or 400 hours before i switched computers. (which made gothic unavailable for play until they released the downloadable international version not long ago) Even now, seven years since i first played the game i still love going back to the mining colony.