This game broke me. If for some reason you still wanna try it out, use my link on GoG: Arcania on GoG: cutt.ly/WBl2VSs Follow me on socials, for no good reason at all: Twitter: twitter.com/c_4_g Instagram: instagram.com/c_4_g_/ Discord server: discord.gg/pfaPRnv5GW
Broke me as well. Imagine getting the speed rune at the end of the game. This was goddamn horrible. It will burn in the pits of hell together with Bound by Flame.
i wish i never touched this game what a piece of shit it was and its a sequel to gothic three more like a bad spinoff that should never have been made.
remember trying crossbows and finding out that they are super op? no aim sway and no arrow drop, much higher damage compared to bow. so what do you do? skill into crossbows... until you find out they FORGOT to put in vendors for bolts and you don't find a single one either...
This is so damn funny because in the original Gothic you also get limited ammo throughout the game. This was later resolved im Gothic 2 (idk if it's after Notr) where you can buy infinite ammo since they respawn in the merchant's inventory after each dialog. And this is why Gothic 2 is the best game in the series.
Maybe bolts are rare because crossbow is OP. If crossbow is OP and you have infinite arrows, the mechanics is broken. Pretty much what you tried to do, invest in crossbow to be OP.
I could not complete the game simply because it was boring (also I made the same mistake as you and choose "Gothic" difficulty). Game had some potential as a spin-off light-RPG set in Myrtana, but I think what it killed was - surprise - JoWood and their typical attitude for releasing games too early. Oh well. However, I really liked looks of items, especially of weapons and armors.
My dad bought this for me when I was little because he thought the title sounded similar to our last name, and I had not a single memory of it other than that, so I managed to find this. I can now say I was abused as a child.
Even though it's (clearly) not the best RPG out there, I kinda like Arcania and come back to it from time to time for a playthrough. As Gothic 1-3/Risen 1/Elex games are more of a "carefully explore and watch for early-mid game encounters cause you are super-weak" type of games, Arcania is on the opposite side filling the role of just a mindless power-fantasy when you just want a chill playthrough. And since the setting is in Gothic universe it makes it all the more enjoyable. Also I really like how in this game hybrid classes are the best way to play. Melee by itself can be pretty boring and tedious when fighting multiple enemies, but if you add on top of that freezing/lightning spell for CC the game becomes MUCH more enjoyable. You can freeze 1-3 enemies from range and then kill them one by one as they defrost, or hit them with chain lightning and they will take extra damage while being stunned. You can also do such combinations with bow/crossbow and fire spells obviously, although fire spell is the best as a main damage spell for a more dedicated mage build.
@@pharaohsmagician8329 I tried to play Risen 2 back in the day but I dropped it after less than an hour and never came back - the combat and general theme of this game put me off too much. Haven't played Risen 3 because of this, since I like to play games chronologically. Maybe some day I will play and finish both of them but I doubt it.
@@eccer For me it might have been easier to get into this game initially because: 1. I got it basically for free since it was attached to the gaming magazine I was buying back in the day. 2. I haven't played any other Gothic games before Arcania (I did play Risen 1 around that time though) so I had no hard feelings towards the plot/how the game played. 3. Even now, years after the first playthrough and having played a lot more RPGs (and PB games especially Gothic games) I still like it for what it is. It may not be perfect, but it still has a lot going for it (visuals on PC, combat and how weapons/armor look like in this game are better than in Gothic 1-3, at least in my opinion). The story, lack of the truly open world, no factions or meaningful choices and no way to kill any NPCs compared to Gothic games are the obvious downsides, but still not enough to put this game below 7/10 for me.
I know right I love Two Worlds 1. I have Morrowind on my cellphone and it runs great and has great Bluetooth controller support, and some people have Oblivion on their phones too. So I'm hoping eventually I can play Two Worlds on my phone too that is like the best cellphone game for when you only have 15 minutes to play or something
Nah you made the worst mistake of your life not playing it don't let others who are blinded by nostalgia from the previous games affect your experience of the game I swear this Gothic community is just like the elder scrolls community all the old timers set and criticize skyrim abt it not being as good as the older games it's ridiculous this is a good game you missed out on I assure you doesn't matter if it's not as goof as the older games it doesn't have to be
No, it's actually pretty cool. Just go in with no expectations. I've never played anything in the series and just randomly found this one and loved it.
To be honest I realy enjoy playing Arcania, its a bad Gothic, but its not that bad as a game, my biggest mistake was playing on GOTHIC difficulty just as You, but armor designs were pretty nice, weapons too, and I loved the music, music was very good imo. Ending was the biggest dissapointment unfortunaly, and invisible walls... MEH
I think it's absolutely hilarious how the main characters disapproving step-father can be found LITERALLY everywhere! It's like the protagonist has some sort of living psychological nightmare 🤣
Just like in gothic 3 dlc MC developed severe schizofrenia and psychosis. Forsaken Gods and Arcania are truly masterpieces when it comes to mental horrors beyond comprehension
For me, Risen 1 is the worthy succesor of Gothic 2. I enjoyed it as much as G 2 and it felt like the same game but in a different part of the world and a different character. After so many years I still consider G2 and Risen 1 the best games I ever played. I can add to those Witcher3 and Dragon Age Origins. I still dream to play one day a visual remaster of G1/2 or to play a new Gothic game properly done. Arcania was impossible to finish, I really tried, several times :)
Exactly the kind of game I seem to like (baby gamer here, only ever played Hogwarts Legacy, my first gmae ever, Witcher 3 and now almost done with my new game + run, Level 98, still the 2 DLC to replay, especially eager for...well both, maybe Blood and Wine a bit more, just a bit, because of Regis). Anyways, looking forward for more amazing RPG's, I especially love medieval fantasy, but I've got some sci-fi and suspens/horror on my growing list too🎋 Any recommendations would be welcome. (kingdom come deliverance is already on my list, with Mass Effect, OuterWorlds, and quite a handful of others. Beside my favorite preference, I'm quite eclectic)
I think You will love Archolos: Chronicles of Myrtana. It's a mod for Gothic 2. A prequel so to speak. The ratings are super high for this one and it brings the old nostalgia and magic back. You will not regret my friend :)
I played it once and had a decent experience. 5/10 Game, just good enough to keep me interested & not quitting it. It doesn't earn the name „Gothic“, but I can't understand the extreme hate this game experiences.
Legit one of the first rpgs i played as a child. I think its decent when you dont know much about video games. To this day the box is serving me well as a monitor stand.
The American vs European color palette options were there so that they could appeal both to the OG Gothic fans and give the game a more of a Valley of Mines depressed feel, but also to new western audiences who were more familiar with games like Oblivion and World of Warcraft. Well anyway, they failed on both fronts and apparently colors really weren't the problem there.
I didn't experiance any bugs while playing the game when it released on PC and I had quite a good time playing it, it has good story. Frankly I don't get the hatred it gets, it does NOT deserve it.
I remember playing the demo when it still had the Gothic title and being extremely angry that it wasn’t actually Gothic. It’s funny you posted this video because I was thinking about Arcania a couple of days and how bad it is right after learning about the Gothic 3 community project
The cutscenes worked for me when I played through this last year on PC... I liked the way a lot of the locations looked, like the cities or castles and swamp tree. But other than that the game is by no means an open world, it is more of a linear path. Don't have many other positive things to say about it. And I'm legit insane it seems, I killed every enemy and did every quest. Didn't play the DLC though.
Lol, I actually loved Arcania Gothic 4 - the story was solid and while the graphics were dated, the lighting itself was actually incredible. I loved the day and night cycles and if you set your tv properly, the night is actually super dark, and makes for some very unique, compelling moments in exploration and combat. The music was also some of the best music I've ever heard in a fantasy game - actually waaaaay better than the music in BG3.
I didn't play it in 2022. I'm playing it in 2024. And finished it with a Platinum Trophy. It was a good time, cutscenes missing and all. Find the cutscenes on TH-cam.
The only thing I love about Arcania to this day is the weapon (and some armor) designe. For me it just look like perfect merge of fantasy and practicality. The weapons aren't oversized, they don't look goofy and they look like they could be used perfectly fine in real life (most of them). Apart from like KCD no other RPG game with better looking weapon comes to my mind..
Hi everyone, Gothic fan here. Fell into Arcania trap earlier on this year as I never had a good enough pc earlier and I can tell you this : total waste of money, I had more fun actually buying and installing this game before I actually turned it on. If there is any other computer game I could compare it to it would be the Shrek video game. Actually i played Shrek as a kid on a bloody ancient fat Toshiba laptop and had more fun then. Arcania just makes you travel from one place to anther picking up objects and going through some battles. No open world feel at all, no feel of being independent no feel of choice for the Character play through. Actually for some reason I remember having more fun playing Shrek as the missions were high paced and required some type of dexterity, you know jumping and dogging. I wish there was some type of refund system for games bought on steam as many companies just have a infinite stream of money that they don't even deserve. People keep on buying this game based n the face they really love Gothic.
For me the best part from the game was the combat if you use magic of course. The three spells (yes that's all spells that you really get) give you some mix ups in combat scenarios, not sure if an enemy has a weakness to it or is resist it like the fros Golems. Even though the shock spell is by far the best one you stun an enemy and after some investing in it you can kill most enemys at low health.
Arcania is a good game its just Nostalgia is a powerful drug and tends to get the best of some I'm not saying it's better then the older games but it's a good game in my opinion
I remember leading up to release, the devs teased a dynamic weather system and how the player could use spells to control the weather /day night cycle and affect gameplay…lol
There is a lore reason, why Orcs in Gothic 3 were so different from the Orcs in Gothic 1 & 2 and Arcania: The Orcs in Gothic 3 are from the "north", they are far superior in every way in comparison to their relatives from the "south" which are the Orcs in Gothic 1 & 2 and Arcania. So you can't really compare them to be honest. Or in other words: Southorcs are dumb, Northorcs are intelligent.
I got this game on 360 back in the day, and for some reason I just cannot fathom, I loved it. Like, really loved it, calling it the best RPG I'd played since Oblivion.. I can't even remember why I loved it so much.
im play this game in 2023 and i like it...im play every gothic,risen,archolos,etc and not change my mind about the game. Yes the game have pro and cons like any game, but they delete the thief system we see in the others games, you can open any chest in front of any guy and not one doing nothing.
Being a big fan of Gothic3, I managed to contribute making some art for Gothic4: Arcania, and even getting my name in credits. Ever since, I have discovered and was unable to forget how utterly, shitstainly toxic the Gothic "loud fan" community can be. Especially as Arcania's existence unified the previously divided camps of G1-G2 lovers (who bashed G3) and G3 lovers. Now they all could hate something else. ArcaniA itself? I played it, I enjoyed it and completed it on release. I had fun and it pretty much gave me a (simplified action'y) Gothic experience. Minus the open world and minus the clunky controls. It was worse than G2/G3, but better than Risen2/3, so there is that. I never replayed it, but neither did I replay most of PB or TES games. So anyway, if you reader ever said something vile toward Arcania and especially its devs - up yours and grow the f up.
Everyone knows that every game has shortcomings or failures, whether old or modern. The only fairest thing among all games are the moments when you have fun and entertainment with them. That's what matters.
What is a surprise about this game are the voices in the spanish version (spanish from Spain, I don't know about the Latino voices). The game really has very good voices in the spanish version, you can recognize them from famous movies or TV Shows.
The fighting and graphics were better than in any other gothic game, besides that i would agree! Graphics also aged very well! But for sure you need more than graphics and good fighting to create a good game.
WHY i should no play Gothic 4? it is related to Gothic, don't listen to people who tell you otherwise, it is sequel to Gothic 3, MC from Gothic 3 is King in Gothic 4 (one of endings in Gothic 3), Beliar eventually got him that's why we have new character
I remember back in the day the graphics in this game looked pretty good. Honestly speaking, it still looks good for its time of release. Unfortunately that's all the positive im gonna say about this ''try'' at creating a gothic game :D
i play this game when a have a covid two years ago and platinum it on ps4..it was a chore and remember it that ps4 version didnt have cinematics like no intro no nothing when you kill last boss..game just ends,it amazing that developers didnt fix that
You played Arcania a second time!! You are a hero. I still remember playing this mess and how much i hated it and didn't want to finish it. Eventually i did finish it and still remember it as one of the worst gaming experiences of my life.
I played it about 7 years ago and had a very good time. It was my first Gothic game. I had no bugs on PC. Also, I put the language in german because I was learning that language, and I didnt got all of the dialogs. I enjoyed the cheese of "using a lot of repeating assets", "this asset here makes no sense" and all that. And about how you play it? You are in an area, then you kill all the animals/enemies there (retreating to heal if needed). Done? Then do the missions and go to the next area to repeat.
Frankly the only thing i remember about this game is me: running forward ignore everything i could, do not exlore, do not stray from the path, just get it over with.
I played arcania and arcania fall of shetariff also. They aren't great like the gothic series but you can play them only for the curiosity of the story line!
Wow I'm so happy this video was uploaded! One of my favourite games ever is TWO WORLDS 1 and I've always been looking for a game similar to its MMO style but have never found one. A few years ago I tried Gothic 4 Arcania and couldn't really get into it despite the really cool intro and decent combat, I didn't like how it just teleported you to the mainland after the village attack, like it was all bright and sunny and then 15 seconds later all rainy and gloomy and zero cutscene of being on a ship traveling, it was just so jarring and the mainland bored me so I didn't even explore it and stopped playing but I might try again. Then I tried Risen 3 becuase I heard the guys who made the supposedly perfect RPG Gothic 1 to 3 made the Risen games but the combat in Risen 3 was so bad and unpleasant to play I couldn't even get past the first hour. I think if I tried again on easy difficulty I might like it more but it was just the most janky unfun combat I've ever played in an RPG it felt clunky in all the bad ways while Dark Souls 2 combat has been described and I agree, as clunky in all the good ways. I feel like instead of a combat swing animation the games development was based around trying to realistically swing the playrver models hand to attack, idk it just sucks. I only played Risen 3 but I have the second one downloaded because this week I wanted to play Risen 2 and Gothic 4 Arcania and see if I can ever find a game that's as fun as my beloved Two Worlds 1. So I really lucky you uploaded this and a nice good length too. I love these RPG overview channels. I know Risen isn't the topic of this video but since it was made by the team who made the "good" Gothic games I hope someone can give me tips to make my playthrough of Risen 2 and 3 more enjoyable! I heard the first game has the best combat though.
Yo Mate if u want to dive into some pirana bytes games id highly recommend u to play gothic 2 or risen 1. Mind sound strange to start with the second but i think its just an easier start into the series as gothic 1 rly has some old game problems. It was also my first game of the series and is to this day my absolute faforite game of all time. Try to ignore the shabby graphics and get rdy for a ride :)
It becomes so much funnier if you imagine the same guy running off screen, quickly changing clothes, and running back as fast as possible to be a new character.
I played this game a long time ago, brought it because of the cool cover with no clue what Gothic was so I was like "this is an okay linear game" and then I played Risen
Well I actually finished the game twice. It could be wayyyy better but if you say it is just an aRpg it works just fine. Yeah the thing they tries it to make it a Gothic 4 works really against it. Other than that it is not as bad as people say it is.
Cool video, but I must say that it is not that bad. You shot yourself in the foot several times. First mistake was not playing it on PC. I had no glitches on PC, all cutscenes were OK, enemies didn't teleport, etc. Second mistake was skipping exploration. On one hand you talk about having low damage, on the other you show footage where you use weak weapon. Late game weapons apply pretty strong elemental DoTs that solve your problem. You also need to buff yourself with best equipment and potions. And lastly you should have played as mage, ranged, or some hybrid. Pure melee is boring. I played this game twice so far, first as a mage, than as archer. Surprisingly, the archer was more fun. There is a skill that lets you deal 4x damage if you shoot enemy before he spots you. This means you almost 1-shot most enemies in the game, so it creates interesting gameplay, since you need to be aware of your surroundings. You know, like a hunter. Magic seems to be designed around 3 main classes. Electric magic has good CC, very useful for melee characters. Frost magic was most useful when I was playing ranged character, slowing everyone down to give me more time to shoot. Fire magic is main damage spell for mage character, it has very strong AoE when fully upgraded. I still advise people to try this game if they didn't play it yet, even when so many people say it should be forgotten. A lot of people enjoyed it, so who knows, maybe it is just the right game for some new player.
Too Late, I finished it last weekend. Gothic difficulty made the fights at least somewhat fun and playing a hybrid fighter with support spells worked great.
I remember buying Arcania years ago when it came out. Could barely run it on the laptop I had. When I had gotten a proper PC, I was well-shown to just how it was not Gothic despite how much it tried to use characters like the Nameless Hero. The biggest sin from a gameplay standpoint from all I can remember was how I couldn't even hurt one NPC who would not let me go through a gate despite the fact he was some simple looking peasant and the gate could of just been climbed over. And even outside of that, combat just felt forgettable. Even though Gothic 3's combat was just click to win, it at least had major battles in orc occupied cities going for it in liberating them or clearing out rebel bases. The only thing I'd probably give it credit was having orcs that kinda tried to look like the classic orcs in being hunched and Diego being in the game. Even then, those aren't really high points.
About soundtrack, actualy music of Stewark and it's surroundings is one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. I also liked the city itself very much.
I played the original Arcania (Gothic 4) in 2010 on PC right after release and I don't remember any bugs or issues you have encountered in your review. I bet the newer ports for PS4 and 5 and also for PC (steam and GOG) are badly optimised which caused those bugs. That's why I always try to play the original release, because you never know what can go wrong with newer versions of the game that you get on steam, GOG or ports on newer consoles. Afterall who would even port a 12 years old game that's not even a AAA title? Overall I have Arcania in good memory, really liked the game, but I never treated it as a successor of the Gothic franchise and kept my expectations low.
You shouldn't play it in 2022 Just as no one should've played it in 2010 As someone who completed the base game(yes I hate myself that much) I know what I'm talking about Now... I don't remember much what the game was about or much of any other details I do remember though how it made me feel And I do not wish that feeling on any other fellow gamer, especially a Piranha/Gothic passionate fan
I LOVE the first two gothic games. I like the third. I played this and it ignited a burning eternal hate for it. I completed it, but i didn't have fun.
Dude, have you played less known Gothic mods? I'm playing Dirty Swamp right now and so far it's pretty great. Also planning to try Legend of Ahssun. Archolos of course is great but you covered it already.
I got this game when it came out on Xbox thinking this is actually Gothic 4. Man this experience felt like a fever dream, I finished it but I can't tell you anything about the game. Edit: made the comment before watching the video and now I'm laughing because my man said the exact same thing.
I remember when the game was released first warning sign was option "turn PRG elements" set to OFF by default .. Second thing - I managed to skip part of the game (quarantine town) and the game didn't recognized that. Yeah. That was bad.
Honestly, It actualy kind of seem like developers, or at least some of them, were fans of gothic saga with all the little forgotten fatcs referenced in the game. I mean, who remembers Lord Dominique? That guy was mentioned in gothic 2 - his shield was one of relics along with holy hammer in monastery, but most people don't remember him. Or old orc speech that is referenced in the fall of settariff - gah-lug as the crawler. I remember there beeing more. It honestly seems like there were some fans of gothic in the development team, but they were weighted down by the corporation's goals and guidelines. Maybe not many of them, but at least some.
I unfortunately got the game before they removed the Gothic 4 subtitle lol. I remember getting so pissed off because I was looking for this recipe to craft a certain piece of armor, only to find out the item I needed wasn't even in the game.
fam, when I tortured myself to play this I got to the end and saw the recipes for the best weapons in the game were just littered around some random cave, alongside the exact materials you need to craft them, except the bow recipe required 999 of some special wood... I knew the devs had already given up by that point.
I played it some time ago and the only good moment I had in the whole game was when I met that one guy in the cliff city that I think sold statues of gods or something and you have a small philosophical debate about lore and his opinions on gods of Gothic. That's the only positive moment I remember from the whole game, such a pity how that game turned out.
i read a article early this year in a german magazine where they force on of the collueges to playthrough all gothic games and he total broke under arcania. i remember that he wrote the he had to watch silly out of nowhere cutscene and that it was almost hell on pc because it dosent natively run with the retail version anymore.
I got this for ultra cheap on PSN for my ps5....i love those bad western RPGs lol... I finished two worlds 1 and this should not have so much of a problem
I played this game a few years ago (because at the time you needed a super high-end computer to be able to run it, even several years later, it's ridiculous) but I remember enjoying it. I played on pc, maybe that's better in the end (nowadays).
I must be honest, the quality visual is good ( nice graphics ). I dont like to spam any atk in games, but look like a trending for the new games ( most new ones ) like Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring. The Gothic combat is not so bad. The idea is not spam atks and wait the right time to atk and combo is very good. We can see the natural combat evelution in Elex 2.
I played with primarily melee weapons and the crossbow I found it super annoying I couldn’t see any real ending to killing off the demons I hope maybe someday Ill be able to make my own medieval game just to fix what they did wrong in Gothic 4
I played this back in like 2015 with the xbox 360 version....It was hard at first cause it was on gothic. But the bow just did everything, and the last boss was glitched.
Nah I actually had so much loot in this game. My gear was very high level, but then I traveled to a volcanic area where I was unable to leave. I tried for probably around 2 hours trying to get out but never ended up being able to. I quit and never looked back
This was on PsNow. Not sure if Now even still exists but if it does its on there so if you have Now you can try it free. Its not that bad, honestly. Feels similar to the old Dragon Age.
I think when this game stands for itself w/o any connection to Gothic - your conclusion would've sound different. Whenever a game has any kind of relationship with/to Gothic the expectations are way to high. I'm about to find it out, it's installing right now.^^ (Can't even remember what kept me from playing this when it came out.)
I think Arcania's biggest mistake is the whole revenge plot, and all the other design choices come from that decision. Gothic has never been about revenge, but about fixing the world. And I think this premise leads to much better world building.
I remember my child self's immesurable hype for it, checking the websites with look of the new monsters and being amazed at effects from trailers showing highest level of magic. Was only 13 or 14 and it was still the biggest disappointment in my whole 2 first decades of living.
This game broke me. If for some reason you still wanna try it out, use my link on GoG:
Arcania on GoG: cutt.ly/WBl2VSs
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Broke me as well. Imagine getting the speed rune at the end of the game. This was goddamn horrible. It will burn in the pits of hell together with Bound by Flame.
i wish i never touched this game what a piece of shit it was and its a sequel to gothic three more like a bad spinoff that should never have been made.
Played it recently... becouse i did not finish back in the day. But yeah its a bad game, but i had fun ending it.
Arcania haters, due 1 guy with a loud mouth
@@krzysztofmilanski9679 yarrrrr matey : )
remember trying crossbows and finding out that they are super op? no aim sway and no arrow drop, much higher damage compared to bow. so what do you do? skill into crossbows... until you find out they FORGOT to put in vendors for bolts and you don't find a single one either...
Amazing... just amazing. In all the wrong ways.
This is so damn funny because in the original Gothic you also get limited ammo throughout the game. This was later resolved im Gothic 2 (idk if it's after Notr) where you can buy infinite ammo since they respawn in the merchant's inventory after each dialog. And this is why Gothic 2 is the best game in the series.
@@stellarknight04 But in Gothic 1 the merchants have an arrow stock of ~10.000 thats way more than you need to complete the game as an archer
I think it's a genius way to balancing the combat gameplay 🤣
Maybe bolts are rare because crossbow is OP. If crossbow is OP and you have infinite arrows, the mechanics is broken. Pretty much what you tried to do, invest in crossbow to be OP.
I could not complete the game simply because it was boring (also I made the same mistake as you and choose "Gothic" difficulty). Game had some potential as a spin-off light-RPG set in Myrtana, but I think what it killed was - surprise - JoWood and their typical attitude for releasing games too early. Oh well. However, I really liked looks of items, especially of weapons and armors.
We DEFINITELY need a Forsaken Gods retrospective! :)
Just got published!
My dad bought this for me when I was little because he thought the title sounded similar to our last name, and I had not a single memory of it other than that, so I managed to find this. I can now say I was abused as a child.
😂😂😂
Even though it's (clearly) not the best RPG out there, I kinda like Arcania and come back to it from time to time for a playthrough. As Gothic 1-3/Risen 1/Elex games are more of a "carefully explore and watch for early-mid game encounters cause you are super-weak" type of games, Arcania is on the opposite side filling the role of just a mindless power-fantasy when you just want a chill playthrough. And since the setting is in Gothic universe it makes it all the more enjoyable.
Also I really like how in this game hybrid classes are the best way to play. Melee by itself can be pretty boring and tedious when fighting multiple enemies, but if you add on top of that freezing/lightning spell for CC the game becomes MUCH more enjoyable. You can freeze 1-3 enemies from range and then kill them one by one as they defrost, or hit them with chain lightning and they will take extra damage while being stunned. You can also do such combinations with bow/crossbow and fire spells obviously, although fire spell is the best as a main damage spell for a more dedicated mage build.
Same.
Did you play Risen 2 and 3 and can you give me tips for them? Or your opinion?
How people can casually "just" have a playthrough a game, still baffles me. Especially a game like this....
@@pharaohsmagician8329 I tried to play Risen 2 back in the day but I dropped it after less than an hour and never came back - the combat and general theme of this game put me off too much.
Haven't played Risen 3 because of this, since I like to play games chronologically. Maybe some day I will play and finish both of them but I doubt it.
@@eccer For me it might have been easier to get into this game initially because:
1. I got it basically for free since it was attached to the gaming magazine I was buying back in the day.
2. I haven't played any other Gothic games before Arcania (I did play Risen 1 around that time though) so I had no hard feelings towards the plot/how the game played.
3. Even now, years after the first playthrough and having played a lot more RPGs (and PB games especially Gothic games) I still like it for what it is. It may not be perfect, but it still has a lot going for it (visuals on PC, combat and how weapons/armor look like in this game are better than in Gothic 1-3, at least in my opinion). The story, lack of the truly open world, no factions or meaningful choices and no way to kill any NPCs compared to Gothic games are the obvious downsides, but still not enough to put this game below 7/10 for me.
Arcania and Two World would be a great match if games could date
I would play the everliving hell out of their offspring!
I know right I love Two Worlds 1. I have Morrowind on my cellphone and it runs great and has great Bluetooth controller support, and some people have Oblivion on their phones too. So I'm hoping eventually I can play Two Worlds on my phone too that is like the best cellphone game for when you only have 15 minutes to play or something
two worlds is better compared to this
Two worlds is way better then Arcania
I played TW2 and was fine. I'll try then Arcania.
I recently thought about going back and playing this again, so I'm glad you made this video and saved me the trouble (and the nerves)
Nah you made the worst mistake of your life not playing it don't let others who are blinded by nostalgia from the previous games affect your experience of the game I swear this Gothic community is just like the elder scrolls community all the old timers set and criticize skyrim abt it not being as good as the older games it's ridiculous this is a good game you missed out on I assure you doesn't matter if it's not as goof as the older games it doesn't have to be
Nostalgia is a powerful drug ...
No, it's actually pretty cool. Just go in with no expectations. I've never played anything in the series and just randomly found this one and loved it.
To be honest I realy enjoy playing Arcania, its a bad Gothic, but its not that bad as a game, my biggest mistake was playing on GOTHIC difficulty just as You, but armor designs were pretty nice, weapons too, and I loved the music, music was very good imo. Ending was the biggest dissapointment unfortunaly, and invisible walls... MEH
Same , I had a lot fun playing it just thinking it was gothic was mistake
I think it's absolutely hilarious how the main characters disapproving step-father can be found LITERALLY everywhere!
It's like the protagonist has some sort of living psychological nightmare 🤣
Just like in gothic 3 dlc MC developed severe schizofrenia and psychosis. Forsaken Gods and Arcania are truly masterpieces when it comes to mental horrors beyond comprehension
For me, Risen 1 is the worthy succesor of Gothic 2. I enjoyed it as much as G 2 and it felt like the same game but in a different part of the world and a different character. After so many years I still consider G2 and Risen 1 the best games I ever played. I can add to those Witcher3 and Dragon Age Origins. I still dream to play one day a visual remaster of G1/2 or to play a new Gothic game properly done. Arcania was impossible to finish, I really tried, several times :)
Exactly the kind of game I seem to like (baby gamer here, only ever played Hogwarts Legacy, my first gmae ever, Witcher 3 and now almost done with my new game + run, Level 98, still the 2 DLC to replay, especially eager for...well both, maybe Blood and Wine a bit more, just a bit, because of Regis).
Anyways, looking forward for more amazing RPG's, I especially love medieval fantasy, but I've got some sci-fi and suspens/horror on my growing list too🎋
Any recommendations would be welcome.
(kingdom come deliverance is already on my list, with Mass Effect, OuterWorlds, and quite a handful of others. Beside my favorite preference, I'm quite eclectic)
I think You will love Archolos: Chronicles of Myrtana. It's a mod for Gothic 2. A prequel so to speak. The ratings are super high for this one and it brings the old nostalgia and magic back. You will not regret my friend :)
I played it once and had a decent experience. 5/10 Game, just good enough to keep me interested & not quitting it. It doesn't earn the name „Gothic“, but I can't understand the extreme hate this game experiences.
Legit one of the first rpgs i played as a child. I think its decent when you dont know much about video games. To this day the box is serving me well as a monitor stand.
The American vs European color palette options were there so that they could appeal both to the OG Gothic fans and give the game a more of a Valley of Mines depressed feel, but also to new western audiences who were more familiar with games like Oblivion and World of Warcraft. Well anyway, they failed on both fronts and apparently colors really weren't the problem there.
There is an interesting action-RPG called Venetica. Would love for you to take a look at it one day.
Noted!
I didn't experiance any bugs while playing the game when it released on PC and I had quite a good time playing it, it has good story. Frankly I don't get the hatred it gets, it does NOT deserve it.
One mans trash is another mans treasure sums up this game. Back in the day I enjoyed playing it.
I remember playing the demo when it still had the Gothic title and being extremely angry that it wasn’t actually Gothic. It’s funny you posted this video because I was thinking about Arcania a couple of days and how bad it is right after learning about the Gothic 3 community project
What community project do you mean?
@@cheddarcheesecake9683 check out his previous video “Gothic 3 might finally be completed” I think was the title from a few weeks ago
The cutscenes worked for me when I played through this last year on PC... I liked the way a lot of the locations looked, like the cities or castles and swamp tree. But other than that the game is by no means an open world, it is more of a linear path. Don't have many other positive things to say about it.
And I'm legit insane it seems, I killed every enemy and did every quest. Didn't play the DLC though.
It's easy to find fault, but I remember playing the Atari 2600. You've got to be thankful that things are better.
I loved this game along with Risen 1, 2 and 3, Two Worlds 1 and 2.
fuck yeah!
I got hooked with this game, expecting nothing turned out to be one of my favorites, has a special charm for me, ill replay it soon
Lol, I actually loved Arcania Gothic 4 - the story was solid and while the graphics were dated, the lighting itself was actually incredible. I loved the day and night cycles and if you set your tv properly, the night is actually super dark, and makes for some very unique, compelling moments in exploration and combat. The music was also some of the best music I've ever heard in a fantasy game - actually waaaaay better than the music in BG3.
For me i got almost 0 bugs on my old rig and i genuinely had fun with this game...its fun with all its flaws
Nice video, it COMES SO QUICKLY 💀
I enjoyed playing that game 10 years ago. And I want to play it again. I don't understand all the hate it receives!
One of the Gothic games ever made
I didn't play it in 2022. I'm playing it in 2024. And finished it with a Platinum Trophy. It was a good time, cutscenes missing and all. Find the cutscenes on TH-cam.
The only thing I love about Arcania to this day is the weapon (and some armor) designe. For me it just look like perfect merge of fantasy and practicality. The weapons aren't oversized, they don't look goofy and they look like they could be used perfectly fine in real life (most of them). Apart from like KCD no other RPG game with better looking weapon comes to my mind..
Hi everyone, Gothic fan here. Fell into Arcania trap earlier on this year as I never had a good enough pc earlier and I can tell you this : total waste of money, I had more fun actually buying and installing this game before I actually turned it on. If there is any other computer game I could compare it to it would be the Shrek video game. Actually i played Shrek as a kid on a bloody ancient fat Toshiba laptop and had more fun then. Arcania just makes you travel from one place to anther picking up objects and going through some battles. No open world feel at all, no feel of being independent no feel of choice for the Character play through. Actually for some reason I remember having more fun playing Shrek as the missions were high paced and required some type of dexterity, you know jumping and dogging. I wish there was some type of refund system for games bought on steam as many companies just have a infinite stream of money that they don't even deserve. People keep on buying this game based n the face they really love Gothic.
For me the best part from the game was the combat if you use magic of course. The three spells (yes that's all spells that you really get) give you some mix ups in combat scenarios, not sure if an enemy has a weakness to it or is resist it like the fros Golems. Even though the shock spell is by far the best one you stun an enemy and after some investing in it you can kill most enemys at low health.
Arcania is a good game its just Nostalgia is a powerful drug and tends to get the best of some I'm not saying it's better then the older games but it's a good game in my opinion
@@Gems56 What are you even talking about? This game is bad.
I remember leading up to release, the devs teased a dynamic weather system and how the player could use spells to control the weather /day night cycle and affect gameplay…lol
There is a lore reason, why Orcs in Gothic 3 were so different from the Orcs in Gothic 1 & 2 and Arcania: The Orcs in Gothic 3 are from the "north", they are far superior in every way in comparison to their relatives from the "south" which are the Orcs in Gothic 1 & 2 and Arcania. So you can't really compare them to be honest. Or in other words: Southorcs are dumb, Northorcs are intelligent.
Thanks for your vid’s and channel! I enjoy a fellow rpg lovers takes!
Hope your feeling better 👌🏾
What a shame, it's like an alpha build for a good game.
I loved the little skit you did in the intro! It reminds me of Durmin Paradox.
I got this game on 360 back in the day, and for some reason I just cannot fathom, I loved it. Like, really loved it, calling it the best RPG I'd played since Oblivion.. I can't even remember why I loved it so much.
I had a similar experience back then. Probably excitement since it was one of the first „modern“ Rpgs i played
That short sketch at 1:00 was pretty funny not gonna lie xd
im play this game in 2023 and i like it...im play every gothic,risen,archolos,etc and not change my mind about the game. Yes the game have pro and cons like any game, but they delete the thief system we see in the others games, you can open any chest in front of any guy and not one doing nothing.
Being a big fan of Gothic3, I managed to contribute making some art for Gothic4: Arcania, and even getting my name in credits.
Ever since, I have discovered and was unable to forget how utterly, shitstainly toxic the Gothic "loud fan" community can be.
Especially as Arcania's existence unified the previously divided camps of G1-G2 lovers (who bashed G3) and G3 lovers. Now they all could hate something else.
ArcaniA itself? I played it, I enjoyed it and completed it on release. I had fun and it pretty much gave me a (simplified action'y) Gothic experience. Minus the open world and minus the clunky controls. It was worse than G2/G3, but better than Risen2/3, so there is that.
I never replayed it, but neither did I replay most of PB or TES games.
So anyway, if you reader ever said something vile toward Arcania and especially its devs - up yours and grow the f up.
Everyone knows that every game has shortcomings or failures, whether old or modern. The only fairest thing among all games are the moments when you have fun and entertainment with them. That's what matters.
i did play it in 2023 and did like it
What is a surprise about this game are the voices in the spanish version (spanish from Spain, I don't know about the Latino voices). The game really has very good voices in the spanish version, you can recognize them from famous movies or TV Shows.
The fighting and graphics were better than in any other gothic game, besides that i would agree! Graphics also aged very well! But for sure you need more than graphics and good fighting to create a good game.
WHY i should no play Gothic 4? it is related to Gothic, don't listen to people who tell you otherwise, it is sequel to Gothic 3, MC from Gothic 3 is King in Gothic 4 (one of endings in Gothic 3), Beliar eventually got him
that's why we have new character
I dont know I remember having fun with it on the 360 but i never played Gothic 1-3
Are you still planning to do a video on Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods
Yup! Soon.
I remember back in the day the graphics in this game looked pretty good. Honestly speaking, it still looks good for its time of release. Unfortunately that's all the positive im gonna say about this ''try'' at creating a gothic game :D
i play this game when a have a covid two years ago and platinum it on ps4..it was a chore and remember it that ps4 version didnt have cinematics like no intro no nothing when you kill last boss..game just ends,it amazing that developers didnt fix that
You played Arcania a second time!! You are a hero. I still remember playing this mess and how much i hated it and didn't want to finish it. Eventually i did finish it and still remember it as one of the worst gaming experiences of my life.
I played it about 7 years ago and had a very good time. It was my first Gothic game. I had no bugs on PC. Also, I put the language in german because I was learning that language, and I didnt got all of the dialogs. I enjoyed the cheese of "using a lot of repeating assets", "this asset here makes no sense" and all that.
And about how you play it? You are in an area, then you kill all the animals/enemies there (retreating to heal if needed). Done? Then do the missions and go to the next area to repeat.
Frankly the only thing i remember about this game is me: running forward ignore everything i could, do not exlore, do not stray from the path, just get it over with.
I played arcania and arcania fall of shetariff also. They aren't great like the gothic series but you can play them only for the curiosity of the story line!
Once again you're just making me miss Gothic 3. xD
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how hot C4G is, like hooow?
@1:10 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater: Outskirts of Arcania
Wow I'm so happy this video was uploaded! One of my favourite games ever is TWO WORLDS 1 and I've always been looking for a game similar to its MMO style but have never found one. A few years ago I tried Gothic 4 Arcania and couldn't really get into it despite the really cool intro and decent combat, I didn't like how it just teleported you to the mainland after the village attack, like it was all bright and sunny and then 15 seconds later all rainy and gloomy and zero cutscene of being on a ship traveling, it was just so jarring and the mainland bored me so I didn't even explore it and stopped playing but I might try again.
Then I tried Risen 3 becuase I heard the guys who made the supposedly perfect RPG Gothic 1 to 3 made the Risen games but the combat in Risen 3 was so bad and unpleasant to play I couldn't even get past the first hour. I think if I tried again on easy difficulty I might like it more but it was just the most janky unfun combat I've ever played in an RPG it felt clunky in all the bad ways while Dark Souls 2 combat has been described and I agree, as clunky in all the good ways. I feel like instead of a combat swing animation the games development was based around trying to realistically swing the playrver models hand to attack, idk it just sucks.
I only played Risen 3 but I have the second one downloaded because this week I wanted to play Risen 2 and Gothic 4 Arcania and see if I can ever find a game that's as fun as my beloved Two Worlds 1. So I really lucky you uploaded this and a nice good length too. I love these RPG overview channels.
I know Risen isn't the topic of this video but since it was made by the team who made the "good" Gothic games I hope someone can give me tips to make my playthrough of Risen 2 and 3 more enjoyable! I heard the first game has the best combat though.
Yo Mate if u want to dive into some pirana bytes games id highly recommend u to play gothic 2 or risen 1.
Mind sound strange to start with the second but i think its just an easier start into the series as gothic 1 rly has some old game problems.
It was also my first game of the series and is to this day my absolute faforite game of all time.
Try to ignore the shabby graphics and get rdy for a ride :)
Woot! Iv played through Arcania but i never knew it was a Gothic game...
It becomes so much funnier if you imagine the same guy running off screen, quickly changing clothes, and running back as fast as possible to be a new character.
I CANNOT be the only person that liked this game.
More power to you my man. I saw a couple of more comments from people who enjoyed Arcania.
I played this game a long time ago, brought it because of the cool cover with no clue what Gothic was so I was like "this is an okay linear game" and then I played Risen
At least it made a great subject for a review 12 years later. Also, censoring yourself with the sound for quest in Skyrim was very funny. 🤣
Well I actually finished the game twice.
It could be wayyyy better but if you say it is just an aRpg it works just fine.
Yeah the thing they tries it to make it a Gothic 4 works really against it.
Other than that it is not as bad as people say it is.
Cool video, but I must say that it is not that bad. You shot yourself in the foot several times. First mistake was not playing it on PC. I had no glitches on PC, all cutscenes were OK, enemies didn't teleport, etc. Second mistake was skipping exploration. On one hand you talk about having low damage, on the other you show footage where you use weak weapon. Late game weapons apply pretty strong elemental DoTs that solve your problem. You also need to buff yourself with best equipment and potions. And lastly you should have played as mage, ranged, or some hybrid. Pure melee is boring.
I played this game twice so far, first as a mage, than as archer. Surprisingly, the archer was more fun. There is a skill that lets you deal 4x damage if you shoot enemy before he spots you. This means you almost 1-shot most enemies in the game, so it creates interesting gameplay, since you need to be aware of your surroundings. You know, like a hunter.
Magic seems to be designed around 3 main classes. Electric magic has good CC, very useful for melee characters. Frost magic was most useful when I was playing ranged character, slowing everyone down to give me more time to shoot. Fire magic is main damage spell for mage character, it has very strong AoE when fully upgraded.
I still advise people to try this game if they didn't play it yet, even when so many people say it should be forgotten. A lot of people enjoyed it, so who knows, maybe it is just the right game for some new player.
Too Late, I finished it last weekend. Gothic difficulty made the fights at least somewhat fun and playing a hybrid fighter with support spells worked great.
I remember buying Arcania years ago when it came out. Could barely run it on the laptop I had. When I had gotten a proper PC, I was well-shown to just how it was not Gothic despite how much it tried to use characters like the Nameless Hero. The biggest sin from a gameplay standpoint from all I can remember was how I couldn't even hurt one NPC who would not let me go through a gate despite the fact he was some simple looking peasant and the gate could of just been climbed over. And even outside of that, combat just felt forgettable. Even though Gothic 3's combat was just click to win, it at least had major battles in orc occupied cities going for it in liberating them or clearing out rebel bases. The only thing I'd probably give it credit was having orcs that kinda tried to look like the classic orcs in being hunched and Diego being in the game. Even then, those aren't really high points.
About soundtrack, actualy music of Stewark and it's surroundings is one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. I also liked the city itself very much.
Love your videos. Get excited every time I see a new one come out 😂
I played the original Arcania (Gothic 4) in 2010 on PC right after release and I don't remember any bugs or issues you have encountered in your review.
I bet the newer ports for PS4 and 5 and also for PC (steam and GOG) are badly optimised which caused those bugs.
That's why I always try to play the original release, because you never know what can go wrong with newer versions of the game that you get on steam, GOG or ports on newer consoles.
Afterall who would even port a 12 years old game that's not even a AAA title?
Overall I have Arcania in good memory, really liked the game, but I never treated it as a successor of the Gothic franchise and kept my expectations low.
You shouldn't play it in 2022
Just as no one should've played it in 2010
As someone who completed the base game(yes I hate myself that much) I know what I'm talking about
Now... I don't remember much what the game was about or much of any other details
I do remember though how it made me feel
And I do not wish that feeling on any other fellow gamer, especially a Piranha/Gothic passionate fan
I LOVE the first two gothic games. I like the third. I played this and it ignited a burning eternal hate for it. I completed it, but i didn't have fun.
Dude, have you played less known Gothic mods? I'm playing Dirty Swamp right now and so far it's pretty great. Also planning to try Legend of Ahssun. Archolos of course is great but you covered it already.
I liked it as much as two worlds, bound by flame, etc.
arcania gothic 4 was an amazing adventure with great map design
I got this game when it came out on Xbox thinking this is actually Gothic 4. Man this experience felt like a fever dream, I finished it but I can't tell you anything about the game.
Edit: made the comment before watching the video and now I'm laughing because my man said the exact same thing.
I remember when the game was released first warning sign was option "turn PRG elements" set to OFF by default ..
Second thing - I managed to skip part of the game (quarantine town) and the game didn't recognized that.
Yeah. That was bad.
Honestly, It actualy kind of seem like developers, or at least some of them, were fans of gothic saga with all the little forgotten fatcs referenced in the game. I mean, who remembers Lord Dominique? That guy was mentioned in gothic 2 - his shield was one of relics along with holy hammer in monastery, but most people don't remember him. Or old orc speech that is referenced in the fall of settariff - gah-lug as the crawler. I remember there beeing more. It honestly seems like there were some fans of gothic in the development team, but they were weighted down by the corporation's goals and guidelines. Maybe not many of them, but at least some.
I unfortunately got the game before they removed the Gothic 4 subtitle lol. I remember getting so pissed off because I was looking for this recipe to craft a certain piece of armor, only to find out the item I needed wasn't even in the game.
fam, when I tortured myself to play this I got to the end and saw the recipes for the best weapons in the game were just littered around some random cave, alongside the exact materials you need to craft them, except the bow recipe required 999 of some special wood... I knew the devs had already given up by that point.
I played it some time ago and the only good moment I had in the whole game was when I met that one guy in the cliff city that I think sold statues of gods or something and you have a small philosophical debate about lore and his opinions on gods of Gothic. That's the only positive moment I remember from the whole game, such a pity how that game turned out.
i read a article early this year in a german magazine where they force on of the collueges to playthrough all gothic games and he total broke under arcania. i remember that he wrote the he had to watch silly out of nowhere cutscene and that it was almost hell on pc because it dosent natively run with the retail version anymore.
I got this for ultra cheap on PSN for my ps5....i love those bad western RPGs lol... I finished two worlds 1 and this should not have so much of a problem
And to think I almost bought this game for $3.99 in the PlayStation store…lol
I played this game a few years ago (because at the time you needed a super high-end computer to be able to run it, even several years later, it's ridiculous) but I remember enjoying it. I played on pc, maybe that's better in the end (nowadays).
I must be honest, the quality visual is good ( nice graphics ). I dont like to spam any atk in games, but look like a trending for the new games ( most new ones ) like Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring.
The Gothic combat is not so bad. The idea is not spam atks and wait the right time to atk and combo is very good. We can see the natural combat evelution in Elex 2.
How about making a retro review of Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines?
I played with primarily melee weapons and the crossbow
I found it super annoying I couldn’t see any real ending to killing off the demons
I hope maybe someday Ill be able to make my own medieval game just to fix what they did wrong in Gothic 4
this game have beautiful armors and weapons though
As a lifetime gothic series enjoyer, I am very ashamed that this game was Gothic 4
I actually like this game it wasn't the greatest but something about it played beat it plus expansion
This was a fever dream for me I don’t remember it looking like this
Question. Is there mods that will make the game actually good?
I played this back in like 2015 with the xbox 360 version....It was hard at first cause it was on gothic. But the bow just did everything, and the last boss was glitched.
God damn look at those guns...💪
Nah I actually had so much loot in this game. My gear was very high level, but then I traveled to a volcanic area where I was unable to leave. I tried for probably around 2 hours trying to get out but never ended up being able to. I quit and never looked back
This was on PsNow. Not sure if Now even still exists but if it does its on there so if you have Now you can try it free. Its not that bad, honestly. Feels similar to the old Dragon Age.
"Was is really that bad"
Floats down a mountain
😎
I think when this game stands for itself w/o any connection to Gothic - your conclusion would've sound different. Whenever a game has any kind of relationship with/to Gothic the expectations are way to high. I'm about to find it out, it's installing right now.^^
(Can't even remember what kept me from playing this when it came out.)
I think Arcania's biggest mistake is the whole revenge plot, and all the other design choices come from that decision. Gothic has never been about revenge, but about fixing the world. And I think this premise leads to much better world building.
I remember my child self's immesurable hype for it, checking the websites with look of the new monsters and being amazed at effects from trailers showing highest level of magic.
Was only 13 or 14 and it was still the biggest disappointment in my whole 2 first decades of living.