Arcania: Gothic 4 Review For PS3

As a gamer that doesn't traditionally follow PC titles (besides my timeless affair with StarCraft), I was unfamiliar with the Gothic series. This European role-playing game franchise features a nameless hero who fought all sorts of evil. The games let players slay monsters, seek out quests, cast magic and tackle all the classic RPG tasks that we know and love. But the Gothic games haven't been as popular here in the United States as they have been in Europe. The new developers of the Gothic legacy,Spellbound, are hoping that will change with Arcania: Gothic IV, the latest in the series. 

Arcania is scheduled to hit both the PC and the 360 on October 12th, with a PlayStation 3 version to launch some time after. The developers at Spellbound hope to address a lot of the issues with previous Gothic games and refresh the brand name. This includes refining the combat system, highlighting a new main character, and more. As with many tragically short RPG previews, I could only play Arcania for so long before my time was up. But from what I saw, this could make loot collectors happy.

Arcania takes place approximately ten years after Gothic 3 and features a new nameless hero. The original hero of the Gothic series has gone on to rule the land, but a powerful demon has corrupted his mind and now the lands of Argaan are threatened by his influence. Arcania's star is a young shepherd that belongs to a quiet fishing village. The hero starts off his grand adventure with a very simple quest: pass three trials to earn the hand of his beloved Ivy. 

These trials, which Charles has covered in previews of Arcania,serve as in-game tutorials which help acquaint the player with the basics of combat. Arcania is a third-person, action-oriented RPG, so you'll have to stay on your toes if you want to survive. All actions play out in real time and the hero has access to three different attack types at any moment: a melee attack, ranged attack and a spell. 

This combat system seemed to work nicely and adding a bit of action to the deeply satisfying mechanics of an RPG is always good fun. The spells that the hero actually learns come in three different varieties: fire, frost, and lightning. Although it might seem like this is a limited selection, the magic of Arcania evolves as you apply skill points to it (these skill points are earned when the hero gains levels). So the basic fire spell is different than a fully powered fire spell, as it deals more damage, acquires corrosive effects and can even hit multiple enemies in a large area. 

I'm a huge fan of magic in RPGs, so I was originally disappointed to hear that there were only three main schools of magic to train in. But I was relieved to hear that there are scrolls and runes the hero can use that also cast spells -- just in different ways. For example, there's a special running rune which can be used to boost the hero's speed. 

The first battles in Arcania are very basic, button-mashing affairs because the semi-harmless molerats the hero fights aren't exactly the most cunning of warriors. But once you progress into the game, golems, trolls and other beasties will put up way more of a fight, demanding plenty of dodges, well-timed potions and powerful spells in order to best them. 

Using ranged weapons also seemed fun, as the player needs to hold down a button to draw back the arrow and increase the force of the attack. Small indicators light up underneath the attack cursor to show how far back the arrow has been pulled, and players even score extra damage for hitting an enemy's head. This mechanic contributes to the excitement of battle and even makes Arcania feel more like a third-person shooter.

As fun as these battles were, I really enjoyed the small details that the developers included. When equipped with a fire spell, for example, the hero's hands are wreathed in flame. This can actually be used to light dark dungeons or guide players in the dead of night, as the world of Arcania has a full day/night cycle. I was also pleased to learn that there are very few loading screens in Arcania, making environmental traversal a more seamless experience. And almost everything you see in the world can be visited, which makes exploring all the more enjoyable. 

Also, every corpse in the world is persistent. If you kill some goblin at the beginning of the game, you can come back 20 hours later and he'll still be there. Sweet! 

Arcania: Gothic IV doesn't run as smoothly as I would have liked, but this could just be due to the preview build I was playing. There were also some sketchy character animations here and there and a few minor glitches, but nothing game-breaking. Even if these issues are present in the final retail copy of the game, the expansive world of Arcania could make up for the technical setbacks. And with a 30 hour main quest and 10 to 20 hours of side quests, Arcania should keep RPG fans busy for a nice long time. Stay tuned for our review of Arcania in the coming months.

Source: ign.com