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Plattform: PC Veröffentlicht: 10.12.2021

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Preis Update 23.12.22

"Die Chroniken von Myrtana: Archolos" ist eine kostenlose, Total-Conversion-Mod für Gothic II: Gold Edition. Sie beinhaltet eine völlig neue und offene Welt, ein verbessertes Skillsystem, überarbeitete Gameplay-Mechaniken und eine komplexe Story.

Dieses Projekt ist eine Hommage an einen der besten RPG Klassiker aller Zeiten. Es soll alle Hardcore Fans der originalen Gothic Trilogie, aber auch neue Spieler auf ein weiteres Abenteuer im Königreich Myrtana entführen.

Features:

Professionelle Sprachausgabe
Komplexe und geschichtstreue Hauptstory mit vielen Wendungen und Geheimnissen
Über 60 Stunden Spielzeit
Über 170 verschiedene Quests mit verschiedenen Lösungswegen
Über 200 verschiedene Zufallsereignisse
Vielschichtige Charaktere mit glaubhaften Hintergrundgeschichten und persönlichen Zielen
Eigens komponierter und atemberaubender Soundtrack
Neues Craftingsystem u.A. Alchemie, Kochkunst und Herstellung magischer Spruchrollen
Neues Wirtschafts- und Skillsystem basierend auf 20 Jahren Spieler-Feedback
Umfangreiches Reisesystem mithilfe von magischen Teleportern, Booten oder Söldner-Karawanen
Mehr als 100 neuer Rüstungen und Waffen mit einzigarten Designs

WELT
Brich auf nach Archolos, eine massive Insel östlich des myrtanischen Festlandes und erkunde eine noch nie gesehene Region voller Weingüter, Bauernhöfe und Dörfer, die bisher nur in Gothic I Erwähnung fanden.

Besuche die imposante Hauptstadt Archolos und verirre dich in den gepflasterten Straßen der bislang größten Stadt in der Welt von Gothic.

Auf Archolos wirst du die Gelegenheit dazu haben, in die tiefsten Minen der Insel vorzudringen, das idyllische Adanos Kloster zu besuchen, in einer der Tavernen ein kühles Bier zu genießen und den neusten Gerüchten der Stadt zu lauschen sowie viele spannende Orte zu erkunden, deren Geheimnisse nur den mutigsten Abenteurern zu Teil werden.

GESCHICHTE
Unruhen ziehen durch das Königreich Myrtana, ein Reich, dessen Grundfeste durch die Wirren des Krieges erschüttert wird. Erlebe die Ereignisse, welche den Grundstein für die originale Gothic Handlung gelegt haben und werde Zeuge davon, wie die Erschaffung des Minentals Menschen fernab vom Festland beeinflusst hat.

Setze ein Zeichen in einer brutalen Welt, in der jede deiner Entscheidungen einen Einfluss auf das Umfeld und auf die Menschen hat, die dir auf deiner Reise begegnen.

Spiele als Marvin, einem jungen Mann, der vor dem drohenden Krieg in seiner Heimat nach Archolos flüchtet. Leider ist auch die Insel nicht das, was er erwartet hat. Reiche Händler, die stets nach mehr Gold trachten, engstirnige Diener Königs Rhobars II, die alle Gesetze vollstrecken, sowie massive Flüchtlingswellen, die ebenfalls auf der Suche nach einem besseren Leben sind, nehmen ihm die Illusion von einer idyllischen Insel. Marvin ist gezwungen, einen Weg zu finden, um in dieser Welt voller Verrat, Opportunismus und gegensätzlicher Interessen zu überleben.

Minimum
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CPU: Dual-Core 2.0 Ghz CPU
GFX: 256 MB DirectX-compatible GPU
RAM: 2 GB RAM
Software: Windows 7
HD: 6 GB available space
DX: Version 8.1
LANG: Englisch, Deutsch, Polnisch

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 / AMD Phenom II
GFX: NVIDIA GTX 680 / AMD R9 280X
RAM: 4 GB RAM
Software: Windows 10
HD: 6 GB available space
DX: Version 11
LANG: Englisch, Deutsch, Polnisch

Deutsch (5)
Englisch (24)

503 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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9010 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 29.04.22 19:38

Diese - kostenlose - Mod ist besser, als alles was ich die letzten 10 Jahre für Geld gespielt habe.
Habe mich beim spielen wieder gefühlt, wie beim ersten Mal Gothic 1 und 2 spielen.
Die Atmosphäre die vermittelt wird ist einfach großartig.
Die Quests - es gibt für fast jede Quest mehrere Lösungsmöglichkeiten - sind sehr gut gemacht und extrem stimmig.
5/7 will play every year

167 Produkte im Account

1 Reviews

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4838 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 30.01.22 13:34

I really don't know what to say after finishing this game... A must play for every fan of the Gothic series!

235 Produkte im Account

84 Reviews

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179 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 15.01.22 14:21

Perfecto = Good Old School Shit... !!! Better, then all **** New Generations Boring and **** Open World RPG Games!!!
With Millions on Dollar Budget...

10 / 10 Points...

rgr&out

91 Produkte im Account

1 Reviews

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4211 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 08.01.22 14:11

What a great f'in game. Can only recommend to everyone who is interested in good RPGs. Also, Gothic is love <3

646 Produkte im Account

50 Reviews

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4449 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 07.01.22 07:11

Lass uns Wildschweine jagen gehen.

173 Produkte im Account

6 Reviews

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5051 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 01.05.22 14:51

Yes. It's nostalgia. If you loved Gothic 1 and 2, you will love this as well, regardless of the fact that it's 20 years old. It's still the same clunky eurojank you love. Just make sure to install the Direct3D mod and it's working flawlessly. Only advice I can give is to save scum - save often and rotate slots, as sometimes the save corrupts and you don't want to lose your progress since there's no autosave (unless there's a mod for that as well).

147 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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4596 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 30.04.22 20:42

Playing thru this game, I got the same feeling of enjoyment and excitement as When i played thru Gothic I and II. Thank you for making my life a little better.

63 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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3623 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 23.04.22 17:31

Absolute gold! Gothic 2 back at it's finest - the story, quests, NPCs, improved mechanics, everything. I feel like I've gone back in time. You can feel how much the creators care about it and the attention to details.

60 Produkte im Account

4 Reviews

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11042 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 23.04.22 16:40

This was one of the best gaming experiences I have ever had and the best Gothic experience in the last 19 years since the release of Gothic 2: Die Nacht des Raben. This is Gothic 3 that never was. This game looks and feels like it was created by Piranha Bytes of G1-G2. I spent 180+ hours exploring the island of Acholos, killing monsters, uncovering secrets, falling in love with world of Myrtana again. This game allowed me to travel 20 years back in time, when I was young and was spending endless hours playing G1 and G2 and talking about it with my friends. If you played Gothic or Gothic 2 and loved them, don’t hesitate, and install this game immediately — you will love it too for sure. If you didn’t play G1 or G2 — well, try this game anyway. It has outdated graphic (for modern games, of course), a little but clumsy controls and gameplay, but the story, characters, the world are amazing, and once you overcome the first few hours, you will love it too. This game is a hidden gem, don’t miss it.

3071 Produkte im Account

180 Reviews

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7227 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 21.04.22 11:56

True gothic awesomesauce with extra flavor of crafting, cooking, fishing, harvesting, transcribing, big ass city, alot of world verticality, union compatible. A must for every PB fan.

97 Produkte im Account

4 Reviews

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2063 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.04.22 09:15

Feels more like Gothic than anything that Piranha Bytes has produced in years. If this was released 20 years ago as an official game/expansion it would fit right in. Amazing job and i hope the devs make more stuff like this.

910 Produkte im Account

9 Reviews

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7732 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 15.04.22 11:43

Calling this just a mod would be serious understatement. This game offers so much new and thought out content which takes everything that was good about Gothic series and brings it to a higher level. If you ever enjoyed Gothic games this one is a must to play.

+ New story on a new Island, rewarding exploration
+ Lot of in-game cutscenes, random encounters, quests
+ Meaningful decisions with long term consequences
+ Polish dabing has a very high quality
+ Soundtrack mixing old and new professional tracks
+ Serious, hilarious, facepalm inducing and spooky moments included

- Due to heavier script reliance this game can softlock sometimes

97 Produkte im Account

3 Reviews

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1612 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 05.04.22 17:44

Never did I imagine I would still get to play one more Gothic. Thank you! While Piranha bytes are still struggling to grasp what made their Gothic-games great, not only did you manage to reproduce the OG feel, but you expanded on it in so many meaningful ways (more complex crafting, more balanced combat, more intricate quests) that I dare say this might even be the ultimate Gothic experience.

219 Produkte im Account

11 Reviews

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4909 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 03.04.22 19:45

Is it the best Gothic mod?
Yes, however calling this game a mod should be punishable. Let's be honest. They can't call it a separate game but If I was Piranha Bytes - I would make it happen. This is MUCH MORE than a mod.

If is the best Gothic?
Yes. I'm serious. Hands down it does everything that we loved about Gothic games and then makes much more more without breaking the golden formula.

But there is more.
Archolos is the best RPG game I've played since Divinity Original Sin 2.

462 Produkte im Account

5 Reviews

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7588 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 02.04.22 07:09

Absolutely stellar from start to finish. Its almost an insult to label this as a mod when this project has more content than 90% of what's being released today. I'm almost inclined to call this a full fledged game because of the sheer amount of love and devotion put into making this project, Making it feel as authentic as possible, Excelling the authentic part to lengths that has truly put a new sense of faith into me in terms of modern gaming today and where its at today.

An authentic Gothic experience from start to finish.

Every single quest and encounter had a meaning and with interesting narratives behind each and every single moment that really made you forget that this is a mod. From the moment you arrive to the island of Myrtana as a refugee, escaping the ravages of war, Things dont go as planned. Setting off with your brother towards the first town, As soon as you arrive you instantly feel comfortable in terms of how the games pacing is laid out. Gothic 1-2 had an amazing way to help pace the player along in a way that made you feel like you were genuinely becoming stronger and the interacting or reactions you've had will ultimately effect you in some way or another. What Chronicles Of Myrtana does that's so exceptional is the way they make returning players of the Gothic universe feel respected with how the lore and story is being laid out and the pacing along the way that kept me engaged the entire way through. You can feel how much the developers love the Gothic universe and how much effort they put into making even the most hardcore fan of the series question if this isn't some sort of lost game that was never released. If Chronicles of Myrtana released without anyone knowing where or who made it, people who are fans of the series would absolutely be convinced that this is some sort of lost Gothic game we never got. Of course that's not the case but that's just a testament to how authentic and all around stellar of a job the creators of this project have done.

Rewarding, Difficult and strategic combat.

When speaking about the combat within the original Gothic titles its no secret that they way combat is managed can be a bit dated or rough around the edges but personally, and this is completely just my opinion but i felt that the combat within this game is actually quite strategic. Granting the fact that Chronicles Of Myrtana is heavily more balanced then in the original, Vanilla releases of Gothic 1-2, but with how the combat is used by your WASD keys (depending on your keybindings) and after balancing the combat, I personally feel like its challenging in a positive way. Once you start leveling your selected weapon skill to a certain point, the combat starts to flow exceptionally more fluent and the engagements start feeling way more fluent in how you swing your sword or shoot your cross bow. While playing i never felt like i was being cheated but if i died in combat i would always notice why i died and what i need to do to proceed. Whether it be because im fighting something or someone whos way higher lvl than me or its because of my own mistakes by not back dodging or blocking at the right times. I personally get a souls vibe when engaging in combat, I know thats a controversial thing to say but i really had that vibe whenever i was strategizing how i was going to kill two Shadowbeasts or any other high lvl enemy. Combat is rewarding, fun and exciting with a multitude of ways to go about your plan of attack.

World building & level designing at its finest.

The number one thing that sucked me into the Gothic universe was the world design. The first time i played Gothic 2, which wasn't that long ago, I was late to the crpg party so i never got to experience these games when they originally came out but when i got my first gaming PC back in 2014, The first group of games i wanted to play were all the PC games i never got to play back in my console age before my first gaming PC. I remembered one game in particular, and the vision is still vivid in my mind of when i was young and would go to the electronics section at Kmart and look at all the PC game boxes because i thought the boxes looked really cool. One of the games i remember looking at was Gothic 2. Looking at the back of Gothic 2's big box and seeing the screenshots, wishing i could play that game but back then i was playing Morrowind on my original Xbox, The game that got me into rpgs. Fast-forward to when i got my first gaming PC and one of the first games i played was Gothic 2 and still, to this day, the world building within Gothic 2 is probably one of the best worlds in any video game of all time and Chronicles Of Myrtana is just as grand and spectacular as if the original world designers from Gothic 2 had made it. The amount their is to explore can be overwhelming in the best way possible. I would explore around the furthest most obscure points and would constantly run into content. I would run into random events and gear that you would completely pass by if you didn't go out of your way and explore and none if it felt forced upon me. I never felt like i had to go out and do more quests but instead would genuinely be interested in the content i ran into. Each location had its own identity so you never felt like you were running in circles. I know ive said this enough already but i cant praise enough with how much effort that was put into the world of Myrtana.

A genuine, respectful, CANON story.

If you've played through any of the Gothic titles, even if you never fully finished a Gothic title from start to finish, I'd be hard pressed if someone felt like Chronicles Of Myrtana cant be considered canon given the amount of effort put into making it feel exactly that. I have no problem stating that this is my first Gothic title that ive fully finished all the way to the end credits and I'll go as far to state that Chronicles Of Myrtana is the PERFECT starting point into the Gothic series. Gothic 1-2 are fantastic titles and are two of some of the greatest RPG's of all time but you'll need to mod it for it to feel as smooth and as fair as Chronicles Of Myrtana is which can be done but if you're not someone whos experienced with modding older games with community patches and the like but you still wanna experience and see for yourself if the Gothic series is actually all that in a bag of chips or not, I would highly suggest starting with Chronicles Of Myrtana since all you need is a copy of Gothic II and then its a simple steam install like any other game. That alone makes me lean towards Chronicles Of Myrtana being the ideal game in the series to start with because if you dont enjoy Chronicles Of Myrtana then you wont enjoy Gothic 1 or 2 either. Besides being mores assessable to get into if you're a more casual player whos not use to modding games into a more playable state, The story sets up Gothic 1 quite nicely and give alot more back story behind the Valley Of Mines.

One of the best games ive played in decades.

Im still floored that every day fans of the series made this game. Im hoping we see more players take the gaming industry by the throat and we see more series with more die hard fans that notice the success with Chronicles Of Myrtana and decide to make that leap a programmer or a software engineer or maybe you have a favorite game that you would like to see more out of whatever series. This shows that it can be done and be a HUGE success. We as the player need to project developers like the folks who made Chronicles of Myrtana because those are the people who are making games as a true passion. Its no easy feat to keep a player engaged with your story for 100+ hours, keeping them engaged the entire way through. This was one extraordinary ride.

78 Produkte im Account

7 Reviews

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3778 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 27.03.22 10:28

That's the real Gothic 3

156 Produkte im Account

7 Reviews

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5913 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 26.03.22 18:15

Incredibly addictive. Incredibly well made. Incredible game by all the standards of most current products for some reason called a modification.
You know, the situation around Archolos reminded me of Enderal for TES 5. Except that Skyrim is no match for Gothic.
What do I mean... Guys, if you have even a drop of love for Gothic, you have no right to miss this masterpiece. Play it a bit and you'll see why the heck I've played 60~ of hours and barely finished the first third of the game.

58 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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7186 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 22.03.22 18:19

Oh man where do i start. I don't usually write reviews but for this i feel like i have to. The gothic series are my favourite games ever so i might be a bit biased but make no mistake this is a whole game not a mod. These people bless their souls took all the things that made the first 2 gothics and improved everything. The crafting is improved in every way, the quests are plenty and fun and you have more ways then 1 to finish them, the city is huge and i like the fact that you really have to work your way into every zone, even as you level up and gain power the enemies scale up and can still hurt you if you are not careful. I like the fact that when you advance in chapters you get more quests in every zone and they make use of them even when you reach the final chapters, some mobs respawn after some time passes even if you don't advance a chapter so the world never seems completly dead, random bandit encounters as time goes on, you find quests even in the wilds the lore is preety solid and so on. I realy cannot do it justice how good it is. I never ever felt i was playing a mod it felt like another chapter in the world of Gothic we love. If you liked this series you HAVE to play this.

76 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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4187 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.03.22 17:15

An astonishing achievement, to be able to create an expansion which truly stands on par, with the original game 20 years after its release, both spirit- and quality-wise. It feels very natural, organic, detailed, and like a lovechild, to one of the most significant CRPG franchises.

184 Produkte im Account

1 Reviews

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10887 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 26.01.22 17:13

I haven't heard of it before its release and didn't have much expectations when I installed it, but I have to say it is the best game I have played in quite a while. The developers have achieved an incredible result or re-creating the same *feelings* you had playing the first two Gothic games 15+ years ago. It serves another reminder how the open-world design philosophy that is already a couple decades old still delivers the experience that is superior to the most of modern 'quantity-over-quality' AAA titles that offer vast yet generally very shallow worlds.
Nonetheless, this game appears bigger than both G1 and G2 and yet follows the best parts of its design paradigm - including narrative, design&progression, lore, locations building, economy - so closely that one could feel as if it was made by the series' original creators.
For a fan project one has to mention the great effort that was put in the voiceover and it surely adds a lot to the atmosphere, as well as the all the great music that was made specifically for this mod.
Compared to the original it is certainly much more plot-driven game, and as such it delivers the narrative that is genuinely engaging and fits well into the lore of the original games. By the finale there are very few loose ends, and quite a few pieces fall in their places in a fairly interesting way. A few arguable design choices follow from this plot-oriented approach though: e.g. unreasonable abundance of not just immortal, but totally invincible NPCs, and a number of scripted 'blocks' gatekeeping certain progress.
The quests are generally quite original and enjoyable, sometimes witty in a spirit of the original games, and the world made of primarily quite unique locations is an absolute pleasure to explore.
All in all, having such a volume of such high quality experience for free is close to a pure miracle. My hat off to the mod team and looking forward to their new projects!

743 Produkte im Account

11 Reviews

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8435 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.01.22 11:24

The RPG of the year 2021. Forget all those fancy AAA or even AA productions. This is a mod for a 20 years old game and its amazing. The Polish voice acting, the awesome Gothic 2 gameplay loop, the remastered OST, the atmosphere, the quest design, the world design, the story. As a Gothic fan, this was AMAZING. This mod being free is pretty much a crime. It being set in the months before Gothic 1 also adds a lot. Immersive, powerful and just plain fun, I loved every minute of this.

407 Produkte im Account

1 Reviews

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5858 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.01.22 10:48

As a lifelong Gothic fan, oh what an incredible journey TCoM:A was. No doubt, this is the best Gothic-inspired [strike]mode[/strike] game out there, a true GOAT contender in the Action/RPG genre of the past decades. The only game since The Witcher 3 that I burst out in a standing applause the very moment credits rolled. Thanks to everyone involved in the development, I had a blast.

238 Produkte im Account

7 Reviews

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7179 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.01.22 01:40

Шедевр

555 Produkte im Account

52 Reviews

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4865 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 08.01.22 21:28

Gothic was like an unrefined gem with a glimmer of magic inside.
Gothic 2 refined the gem, making it easier to appreciate the beauty, but losing some of it's spark in the process.
Archolos is like putting that gem into a ring made of magic ore and recharging it with enough power that it shines like never before.

+ just like in the original the world changes between chapters, but here some changes also happen within chapters after your decisions (e.g. merchant setting up a new shop after you help him)
+ fixes to game mechanics, which were never intuitive (e.g. you no longer have to save permanent buffs until the endgame to get the most benefit)
+ Archolos as a city is incredible - it's much bigger than Khorinis, while at the same time being about as dense in terms of meaningful content
+ the island in general is as dense with well-planned locations as the original. This is something that Gothic 3 did not get right. Or even Returning. Elex seems to have completely missed the memo. Risen came somewhat close I guess, but it pales in comparison to Archolos
+ quests can be done in different ways, sometimes it's not stated even in your journal that it's a possibility
+ there are many questlines that can continue later on when you decide to visit old locations/characters
+ NPCs are often re-used in different quests and entire questlines so it does not seem (like in many games...) as though they were created specifically for a single purpose. It never gets to the level of Diego/Gorn/Lester/Milten/etc, but the original had two games to develop the friendships though.
+ all of this and much more contributes to the immersion factor - the original Gothic games were kings in immersive game worlds - Archolos continues their heritage
+ quests are very good, including the main quest and characters are generally also well-written
+ economy - incredible for first ~30% of the game - it was very tough and I counted every gold coin in Silbach. Afterwards it was still fun and I never got to a point of having nothing to spend money on, but it did get too easy
+ dubbing is fantastic (I speak Polish, but I recommend to have it on for everone)

+/- quite grounded main quest - both G1 and G2 were about defeating ancient evils with ancient artifacts, while Archolos is more about people and politics
+/- stays true to source material - I honestly see it as canon. The problem is that the game doesn't really expand on the world that much and doesn't do much new - it's more about rearranging in terms of lore
+/- only two guilds to choose from, but well done
+/- difficulty - difficult at the beginning, quite easy later on - partially because I have too much experience in the franchise and know how to min-max

- sometimes it crashed or bugged out in various ways - in particular I think the game became unstable each time at around 3-4h playtime session - save often, at multiple save slots. It's a lot more stable than Returning, that's for sure.
- there are a of couple doors (not that many though) that were just props - this really should have been avoided
- inventory management became painful, especially reading documents - each time you pick something up it gets randomly placed in your inventory and you have to look for it - and there is quite a lot of notes to read
- this is my personal pet peeve - no children. I get that there were none in the Colony, but in medieval Khorinis and Archolos they should be very common, otherwise it hurts immersion

In 2021 I was very impressed with Enderal. Well, I think I may be even more impressed with Archolos now (but I always preffered Gothic to TES though).

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1157 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 24.12.21 18:50

GotY 2021

The best Gothic since NotR. Has the feeling and gameplay of good old Gothic 2. I'm also positively suprised by the quality of the dubbing, attention to details, improvement over original mechanics, and so on. I haven't played such a good RPG for I don't know how many years...

The only negative is that it crashes sometimes, and does require some additional stuff to be installed to run well on modern systems, but it's definitely worth the hassle.

Highly recommended!

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405 Reviews

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7396 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 21.12.21 01:27

Oh... my... GOD!!!
~Janice

Back in 2001, a young German team Piranha Bytes released their first game – Gothic. And it was a blast. Right after its release, it became the biggest competitor to latest installment of legendary Wizardry and even rivaled The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. In other words, it was the brand new IP (it wasn't that uncommon back in the days, but still), which ended up fighting the biggest names on market. Sounds unbelievable, right? And yet, that's the truth. And there's a good reason for that.

See, Gothic was a unique beast. And I'm not talking about its unique controls that may take some time for the new players to learn (those are cool, but way too unorthodox). I'm talking about the fact that it did everything in its own unique way. See, there were three things about Gothic. First – it was a fully 3D open world game. And even though open world games existed for many years at that point, unlike things like The Faery Tale Adventure or TES, the world of Gothic had signature “handmade” feeling. Every single NPC, every single monster and every single item was placed into the game for a reason and it was hard not to notice that. Sure, Gothic was pretty small even by old standards, but that certain feeling sure made it to stand out. Which leads us to our second thing.

And the second thing was the fact that everything in Gothic had purpose. It doesn't sound like it makes much sense but it actually does. See, Gothic always had that certain survival element. But not in that annoying modern way where you grind for survival. The world of Gothic was ruthless and unforgiving, but it only made things in game more desirable. In Gothic there wasn't much place for grinding. And as the result – your only way to survive was... to be an ass and do your best to obtain as many things as possible in any way you can.

Every slice of meat, every coin, every freakin' apple. It all counted. It was a game, in which you were supposed to beat people for food, while the more desired thing was a shiny new armor. Sure, there was still some place for moral choices (even though the game was mostly about action, it was still RPG), but it's exactly because of how much you treasured the in-game items, those felt so good and satisfying. Which leads us to our final thing. See, Gothic was one of those games that tried to simulate the society. Every NPC there had their own lives. People in game used to wake up, go to work, eat and so on. And since, like I already said, everything there came with a great “handmade” feeling, such an approach felt especially impressive.

Naturally, Gothic II was number one game in my waitlist. And in a way, it didn't disappoint. The world, for example, became way bigger, but unfortunately, it also brought some problems with it. While Gothic 1 was more limited, it also felt more polished, while sequel... Like I said, it was good, but also a bit too confusing at times (even finding the right trainer was a serious problem here and there), way too unpolished and also seriously buggy. Then again, it was the last Gothic game that was good. Just because right after it the series started to fall apart and ended up as a complete joke (first rule of Gothic club – you do not talk about ArcaniA). So, personally, I just accepted the fact that my beloved series is long dead and will never return. Recent demo of Gothic 1 remake was a pretty nice proof of that since to me it was clear that people who worked on it didn't have any idea about what used to make the original game so cool. Guess what? I was wrong.

Not about that crappy demo. But about the fact that series is dead. Because here come some awesome Czech guys and their mod. And yes, technically, The Chronicles Of Myrtana is a mod. Technically. Because you'll never get “just a mod” feeling from it. Not even once. Sure, it'll require you to have Gothic II in your Steam library (no need to install it, you just need to have it on your account), but all in all TCoM is the whole new Gothic game. It's pretty much as big as Gothic II, it's fully voiced (only in Czech and Polish at this point, but still, the original Czech audio is at least as good as in the official games), the writing feels totally right and keeps the same exact balance between deep atmosphere and a unique humor aftertaste, the world is surprisingly balanced, there's a lot of quests (most of which can be solved in different ways), while the new features? It's hard not to love them.

See, TCoM team loved the originals. And therefore knew how to preserve the original old school feeling. TCoM won't try to make your life easy. You'll still need to walk a lot, remember things and take notes in real life, but at the same exact time it offers some things that just make things to feel... again, I can't say “easier”, but... more natural, I guess. For example, if you'll save enough money, you'll be able to get yourself an expensive version of map with some basic markers on it. No interactive crap, just some markers. There are also more ways to travel now too and they're really smart. I can't believe it, but the guys actually added more quick travels, while keeping the original exploration feeling. It doesn't sound good, but trust me, it just works (I'm not Todd Howard, you can trust me, lol). In the big city there's also a fantastic “guide” option, which will cost you money (remember, money here is hard to make), but will help remembering streets layout. Finally, I just must say “thank you” to people who worked on journal. Quest descriptions here are superb. There's more, but you've got the idea. TCoM is exactly like Gothic II. Only better.

Yes. Better. And I can't even believe it myself. Even the story here is fantastic. Remember how Gothic II was a bit over the top here and there? Remember the ending, which was a bit too “ha-ha”? TCoM feels more like the first Gothic. Which always had better atmosphere and better written characters. Talking about characters, by the way. I really want to spoil you some things, but I won't. Let's just say that re-playing previous games before starting with this one is actually a very good idea. Because the ending here? It's a pure “OMG!” for all the fans out there. This game (yes, I refuse to call it a mod)? It's a fantastic present to everybody who care about the original characters from Gothic 1-2. Finally, as a cherry on top there's a non-linear ending. You know, Fallout-like one. Seriously, guys. We've got Gothic II. With Fallout-like ending. Which makes all the choices in game (that will also make a huge impact on the last two chapters) to feel unbelievably good. No, seriously. I'm almost 40 years old, and yet I squealed with joy like a little girl.

I was unable to stop playing TCoM until I was done with it. It's the best Gothic game. And not since the second, but since the first one. Because yes, after finishing with it, I must say that this game? It's better than Gothic II. You loved Gothic 1-2? Stop reading this review and download TCoM. NOW. And yes, it's completely free. Because Christmas miracles do happen. Happy Holidays. If you're a new player, some quests would feel a bit too confusing for you due to some unique gameplay mechanics (TCoM assumes that you've played the previous games), but since it's a good idea to re-play those before starting with this one anyway... Anyway, I'm shutting up. Like I said, TCoM is the best Gothic since... you know... Gothic and your arguments are invalid. Dixi.

310 Produkte im Account

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2057 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.12.21 12:55

Absolutely fantastic.
Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos is a fan creation, a prequel to all the Gothic games. It's pretty much a standalone game, with probably more content than any of the 2 first Gothic games.

It takes place on the island of Archolos, we're playing as Marvin, young refugee trying to find a peaceful life together with his brother Jorn, after their Island is in danger of being attacked by Orcs. That's the beginning of the storyline. At first plot may seem (imo) to be rather uninteresting and it doesn't really promise a grand adventure, but the further it goes the more interesting it gets with quiet a few twists. Definetly a step up from base Gothic 2 which kinda boiled down to just saving the world. The island itself is very similar to Khorinis, in it's atmosphere and places you're going to visit. Of course all of them are built from ground-up and are fantastically designed. The main city of the island especially is a sight you should be hyped for. Overall I'd say every location is very interesting and the only advantage Gothic 2 has over this mod is Jarkendar. Though personally, I didn't find [spoiler] Vardhal to be very interesting. It started out very cool, with this giand underground cave but it quickly turned out to be rather uninteresting bunch of halls and corridors, although with a cool boss fight. [/spoiler].

Archolos is also home to a lot of interesting characters and factions. People on the island are written well and their dialogues (fully voiced in Polish, with the quality ranging from very good to ok, which is absolutely amazing for a fan made mod) are fitting, very Gothic styled obviously. Quests are very well built and usually have few ways to finish (some in a truly Immersive Sim way!), even boring fetch quests are much better than a lot of quests in other games. There are hundreds of new items, weapons and armors. Some new animations which help build a wonderful lively world where every npc has some routine they tend to and tasks to do. Something, which Gothic was one of the best games at, this mod polished even more.

Finishing the game took me around 45 hours (played offline a bit), but if you want to do every quest and visit every nook and cranny of the island it will easily take those 60+ hours.
Overall this might be one of the best fan made creations for a game I had a pleasure to play. Fantastic stuff, great job Chronicles Team!

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3288 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.12.21 04:19

They made me collect weeds and grapes, this is gothic all right

348 Produkte im Account

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3276 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 19.12.21 10:03

it's a better gothic than gothic

The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos

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Steam Nutzer-Reviews

An authentic Gothic experience from start to finish.

Rewarding, Difficult and strategic combat.

World building & level designing at its finest.

A genuine, respectful, CANON story.

One of the best games ive played in decades.

Oh... my... GOD!!!
~Janice

The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos

Sammlung

Über das Spiel

Systemanforderungen

Steam Nutzer-Reviews

An authentic Gothic experience from start to finish.

Rewarding, Difficult and strategic combat.

World building & level designing at its finest.

A genuine, respectful, CANON story.

One of the best games ive played in decades.

Oh... my... GOD!!! ~Janice

Oh... my... GOD!!!
~Janice