Really, really good stuff here. Some headscratcher problems with the controls (simply extinguishing torches vs. sticking them in the ground), but on the whole,
this really does feel like Gothic did back in the day.
That
fortunately also extends to a rather awkward combat feel, as in the original, that got better by training and entailed a real feeling of progress. So thumbs up for that.
I did already manage to do the thing that really riled me up in the original though – accidentally hurt a friendly party, which of course couldn't be convinced that I didn't really mean it. Now I did manage to kill the dude (unresponsive as I spiked him with arrows), but as he was a quest giver, he got up to his feet again and again and eventually slayed my royal ass.
I'm okay with that though. That's kind of the Gothic feel, right? I've recently completed the incredible Creatures of Ava, and boy does this game have "rough edges" aplenty. I'm convinced we'll have a plethora of bugs in the Gothic Remake too. But also a traditional save system. So basically, save often, save in many slots, and you'll be fine. Hopefully. Just like old times.
Can't be worse than Gothic 3, right? ;)
Here's the big downer though:
The demo does send my graphics card into a frenzy though, regardless of my settings, and that's really worrying. Seems like it simply doesn't scale down very well. No idea how to confirm whether the final product is significantly more optimized. I'm not playing this if the graphics card fans are at 80% all the time on 'medium' settings.
CMiq: If the actual full game doesn't pull a KCDII at the last hour by fucking around (too much) with established characters, lore or overall tone we're looking at the much needed remedy to all these infantilising purple-coloured with any-and-all-edges-sand-papered-away turds that have been stinking up the AA(A) RPG space as of late.
Speaking of
turds that are stinking up the game space ... for the sake of your own health, please get a new hobby and let people enjoy fantastic games like "go a teensy bit woke, go massive fucking success" Kingdom Come II. The counterculture has only started. What's coming, you brought on yourselves.