Distinct factions, zero-to-hero character progression, and nights so dark you’ll trip over every rock or skull-headed bird you come across; I can see why Gothic is called a “cult classic”.
Although I’ve never set foot in the famous Valley of the Mines in the original Gothic — it was released in 2001, after all — knowing that it formed the inspiration for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of my all-time favorite games, makes me more than a little curious about the upcoming Gothic Remake.
When I got the chance to see a hands-off demo at Gamescom, plus the chance to speak with the developers from Alkimia Interactive, it put me in the perfect position to judge whether you should keep this upcoming RPG on your radar, even if you’ve never played the original Gothic.
Should I start by stating the obvious? Yes, compared to gameplay videos of the latter, Gothic Remake looks infinitely better than the original, and it has all the textural detail and ambient lighting you’d expect from a modern RPG, with realism and darkness clearly forming the dominant themes. Although the dark forest shown in the demo almost felt a tad too dark, the developers told me that you’re not really supposed to be out at night anyway, as you will get lost and/or eaten by the local fauna — better find a sleeping bag!
Daytime, on the other hand, reveals a gorgeous medieval realm. I can’t call it a vibrant world, for the color tones stick to earthy greens, grays, yellows, and reds, but it’s steeped in gloomy atmosphere. Even better than the color scheme, however, is the dramatic use of lighting; there’s a lot of contrast, with rays of yellowish sunshine falling through the trees and illuminating old ruins. If dark medieval fantasy worlds are your thing, you’ll feel right at home here.
There is but one visual aspect that broke my immersion, and it has to do with one of the aggressive reptilians encountered in the woods. I can’t blame the developers, as they’ll understandably want to stay close to the original enemies, but the tiny T. rex threw me off. To see a highly realistic world, so clearly based on medieval Europe, turn into a surprise Jurassic Park, was a bit of an adjustment for me. As the individual design is pretty damn cool though — with the dinos wearing skulls on their heads — I daresay I can get used to it.
Speaking of creatures, one of the highlights of Gothic Remake’s gameplay was the demonstration of the transformation scrolls, which allow you to take the form of a rat, lizard, one of those dinosaur scavengers, and more. Use them to fight, reach areas that are otherwise off-limits, or blend in with your new peers. To make matters more interesting, other species will react to your species as well; for example, smaller creatures may run away from you if you turn into a wolf.
Of course, Gothic Remake includes plenty of swordfighting, archery, and magic-wielding, whereby a skill point system allows you to create the build of your choosing. The two-handed warhammer sure looks intimidating, but based on the character demos I’ve seen at Gamescom, I’d say the mage gets the coolest animations — can’t beat a rain of fire in a grim forest — and (also very important) the fanciest clothes. Although you might want to keep the fire spells in your pocket if you’re trying to be sneaky; weather conditions and time of day will affect your visibility.
When the wildlands in the demo were swapped for a bustling mining town, I was delighted to discover that all NPCs — and there were a lot of them — could be interacted with, which is exactly the sort of thing that makes a world feel alive. The developers promised me that their dialogue options, as well as their reactions to the player and their daily routines, are always related to their role.
The thing that really got my RPG-loving heart beating faster, however, was the promise of faction gameplay, whereby the faction you choose will greatly influence the story. Mind you, they won’t necessarily be that impressed by you as you walk in the door — in Gothic Remake, just like the original, you start out as a nobody. This might make it a bit harder to find your way through the first part of the story, but personally, I consider that far more rewarding than starting as a hero from the get-go.
After the demo, I asked the developers about the challenges of doing a remake, as opposed to a brand-new game. “What’s easier about remakes is that the vision is already there,” the game’s developers say. “But there are many expectations from people who played the first game.”
The goal is not just to make an old game accessible to a new audience, Gothic Remake‘s developers tell me, but to find the right balance between honoring the original and improving upon it.
“People say they love this game, but it’s really the memory of the game they are talking about, not the actual game,” they said. “What that means is that we should recreate how Gothic feels, and let people experience that again. It must have modern standards.”
As a result, Gothic Remake is more than just a visual upgrade. Combat has been improved, many vertical ladders have been swapped out in favor of proper staircases, quests have been expanded upon, and you’ll get to immerse yourself in orc culture, which wasn’t possible in the original.
“One important thing we needed to improve was the quest flow and story,” the developers explain. “The original Gothic has several flaws, like plot holes and things that just don’t make sense. We made some changes to fix that.”
Although I’ll be missing out on the nostalgia, there’s not an army of scavengers that can stop me from playing Gothic Remake when it arrives. That may sound a bit dramatic, but this demo was enough to convince me; not only do I love the sound of a highly detailed medieval world with more than a healthy dose of magic mixed in, but I’ve been promised steep character progression, choices that matter, and a high degree of freedom. Sign me up.
Gothic Remake is scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X in early 2026.
