Arcania: Gothic 4

 PC
User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 473 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 473
  2. Mixed: 145 out of 473
  3. Negative: 261 out of 473
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  1. agotmanov
    Oct 24, 2010
    3
    As a fan of Gothic 1, 2 and (somewhat) 3, I didn't enjoy the game. From the start, it was failing one by one all expectations I had for a game promoted under "Gothic" brand. Among the major disappointments:

    1) The hero is a wuss. Gothic games are traditionally built around rugged, self-reliant, morally ambiguous character. In Arcania, the character is a pathetic simpleton, whose life    As a fan of Gothic 1, 2 and (somewhat) 3, I didn't enjoy the game. From the start, it was failing one by one all expectations I had for a game promoted under "Gothic" brand. Among the major disappointments:

    1) The hero is a wuss. Gothic games are traditionally built around rugged, self-reliant, morally ambiguous character. In Arcania, the character is a pathetic simpleton, whose life ambition is (you gotta be kidding me) is to get married. Also featuring charming looks of a stereotypical junior office manager. 2) The dialogs are a rip-off. RPG computer game is not supposed to be exactly a work of high art, but *dialogs are supposed to make sense*. Characters in Arcania drivel. Dialogs in the game are built from trivial statements, repetitions and linearity.

    3) Limited freedom. For example, in Gothic it was possible to attack any NPC in the game, usually with dire consequences (e.g. the whole town population became hostile). Psychologically, it makes the player feel responsible for his actions, which is an important part of game atmosphere. In Arcania, you are unable to harm NPC, unless he or she was specifically designated as hostile by the game. 4) Character development is a sham. It could be a minor point, if the game was good otherwise. For example, recent Mass Effect 2 also has a greatly simplified character development, but it is still a great RPG. For Arcania, however, it is yet another nail into the coffin.

    5) Poor performance on Windows XP. The saying is that the game was optimized for DX 11. On WinXP, with minimal configurations, it looks much worse than, say, Risen and runs slower. This problem is *not* fixed by the first performance patch (distributed shortly after the release). Probably, it will get better with subsequent patches. However, until then I strongly recommend against using the game under Windows XP.

    Don't get me wrong, though. The game is not all bad, it is just a huge disappointment for most of the old Gothic fans. If you are new to the series, you may like it. The graphics is awesome and the combat system is not bad at all. If you are a fan of Gothic series, try something else. Risen is real good unless you have played it already.

    In general, Arcania seems like a step towards casual gaming, of which I strongly disapprove. It's certainly a bad idea to make a casual game from an epic, atmospheric RPG such as Gothic. Good casual games are many, good RPGs are scarce. Now it's one less.    … Expand
  2. Heis109
    Oct 27, 2010
    5
    5/10 - Pretty sucky. Graphically, its very nice. But with all the work that was put into making it look nice, and feel like a solid RPG...why couldn't more time have been spent on creating good dialog? What point was there using the "choose your answer" dialog techinque when 90 percent of the time there was still just one way to go? The conversation was ridiculous in places, and mostly5/10 - Pretty sucky. Graphically, its very nice. But with all the work that was put into making it look nice, and feel like a solid RPG...why couldn't more time have been spent on creating good dialog? What point was there using the "choose your answer" dialog techinque when 90 percent of the time there was still just one way to go? The conversation was ridiculous in places, and mostly uninformative since there weren't many side-quests, and none related to the main story (which was a confused tale of revenge gone boring). Very unlike the "free roaming walk around" game it was supposedly going to be. I feel like they tried to have it both ways, and ended up creating a game that is basically linear but is wearing a "go anywhere" disguise. The disguise doesn't hold up though, because there are clear barriers to every new area you encounter. As you progress through the game you can see on the map how they are divided up. It's certainly not the Oblivion style experience it was billed as. Also...way to get lazy about terrain, guys. There are dozens of places in each zone that appear to be accessable to your character, but are not. For example, there are lots of low laying rocks along the edge of a 'zone', and beyond them is more grass or water (which if you even get so much as waist high in, you die like you've been sunk in a vat of acid - stupid!). These superficial barriers keep you in, while tantalizing you with the illusion of a bigger world. When you try to jump over the rocks that should be a simple 'hop up and off you go', you find yourself sliding sideways on nothing, keeping you safely in the current zone. It's super disenchanting and another reason why the game feels so linear. There are many other issues with terrain that I could point out, but you get the point. Shoddy work, on such a beautiful canvas. Another thing that marred this game are that so many of the little details are left unpolished - here I'm thinking of how many times I've missed whacking an enemy because you can just walk straight through them while attacking, ending up behind them, facing the wrong way. This happens to me often while playing. I hate it, a lot. Also, the "Sneak" skill... Wow. What a waste. You can already steal absolutely everything in the game with no consequences (NPCs are hardly interactive at all in this game), and the only other reason to use it would be to sneak up on enemies. However, that flies out the window since there is no benefit to doing that. No bonus damage for a sneak attack or anything of that sort. Total crap! So, if you don't mind having it rain on you while you're indoors, sliding across rocks like you're riding a hot butter knife surf board, or missing your enemy half the time if you choose melee fighting - this game might be for you. I give it a 5, because its totally not worth 50 bucks. It's a throwaway game in my opinion...good for a few minutes of distraction, since that's probably about how long it'll take you to finish it.… Expand
  3. Scorio
    Mar 24, 2011
    5
    Arcania is not a bad game. It's quite solid. Nice graphics, solid RPG elements, nice animations, combat is ok although too easy. Overall it's... solid. Not disastrous but nothing spectacular either. The main problem with Arcania is that it's supposed to be Gothic but feels nothing like it. As a fan of the first two Gothic games, from the first steps in the game I realized this isn'tArcania is not a bad game. It's quite solid. Nice graphics, solid RPG elements, nice animations, combat is ok although too easy. Overall it's... solid. Not disastrous but nothing spectacular either. The main problem with Arcania is that it's supposed to be Gothic but feels nothing like it. As a fan of the first two Gothic games, from the first steps in the game I realized this isn't Gothic. The fun dialogs are gone, the feeling is gone, the goofiness that was apparent in the Gothic series is gone. Basically all that made Gothic so great is gone. Summation: fans of the Gothic series.. .don't expect anything. I actually recommend avoiding it. First timers in the Gothic world, feel free to have a play, but if you want the REAL Gothic go for the first and second part.… Expand
  4. dbrown1986
    Jul 28, 2011
    6
    Arcania. The newest installment in the Gothic series produced by JoWood exclusively, deviates quite far from the classic adventures that are apparent in the first three games. It seems that without Piranha-Bytes at their side, JoWood is not performing well and is slowly killing off the Gothic series with a plethora of bad sequels (Forsaken Gods and now Arcania). While the game has many aArcania. The newest installment in the Gothic series produced by JoWood exclusively, deviates quite far from the classic adventures that are apparent in the first three games. It seems that without Piranha-Bytes at their side, JoWood is not performing well and is slowly killing off the Gothic series with a plethora of bad sequels (Forsaken Gods and now Arcania). While the game has many a new features that fully complement it, there are still many things lacking or otherwise cut from the final production. First, THE PRO'S: You'll find that a wonderful new musical score, that complements the environments and certainly provides a good setting is present. Dialogue is somewhat well-performed for some of the NPC's. The Graphics are a shave close to that of some of the next gen style that is apparent these days. JoWood has included a WoW-Like quest-tracking feature as well as detailed direction in the quest lines. The inventory system is suppurb! The story is somewhat well fasioned. THE CON'S: Repetitive model use. Some dialogue is very shrill and annoying. There are numerous graphical glitches that are still apparent everywhere (Alpha Masking & Displacement), the quest lines and story are too linear and the story still cuts quite a huge deviation through previous canon throwing out a great deal of Gothic's history. The character development is too undercut and linear not opening up a lot of options or balance. OTHER NOTES: *Retail version does not load through Steam, which prevents the use of the Steam Overlay. X-Fire works fine however. *It handles being Alt + Tabbed. Final thoughts: Worth the time, but I would wait until the price tag goes down.… Expand
  5. Satyrion
    Jan 14, 2012
    6
    This game it not as bad as they say but its still not among good RPG like mass effect and dragon age. When i first started this game i really loved it, the graphic was great and it ran okay on high settings for my laptop. The story was just not there and i simply played the game for the graphic and game play alone. The game is always very linear which is something i enjoy compared to openThis game it not as bad as they say but its still not among good RPG like mass effect and dragon age. When i first started this game i really loved it, the graphic was great and it ran okay on high settings for my laptop. The story was just not there and i simply played the game for the graphic and game play alone. The game is always very linear which is something i enjoy compared to open world RPG's. However the games has some performance issues for many people and the leveling and skill system is boring and it is way to easy. I only died once thorough the whole game which took me 17 hours to beat… Expand
  6. Sirik_Matak
    Sep 8, 2014
    5
    It is not a good game.
    "Average" defines it well. Average combat, average world structure, average character development, bad crafting, a somewhat good plot.
    It misses a ton of features one could expect from a Gothic game.

    But it's still playable and has moments on its own.
  7. Atech66
    Oct 17, 2012
    8
    I liked the game itself and had very few issues, beautiful graphics.. somehow the dlc didnt work wortha **** graphics were totally fubar missing ocean missing armor crazy.
    If you can get it onsale its a decent buy
  8. SKYRIM101
    Mar 18, 2011
    7
    Gothic 4 is a good solid game and if released say 3-4 years ago would make headlines, but unfortunately it has been released now, and with an outdated engine and fightings system it just fails in comparison to the elite's. although there is a good solid story here so i give Arcania a 7
  9. Yerczeys
    Oct 12, 2015
    4
    This game was just bland. Our hero was completely disinteresting, the plot was pretty mundane, the dialogue was stiff and uncomfortable, and the world was vanilla flavored fantasy. The combat felt decent and the game had a good length to it, but it certainly wasn't an exciting romp. I don't recall anything about the game that I absolutely hated, nor can I think of anything I reallyThis game was just bland. Our hero was completely disinteresting, the plot was pretty mundane, the dialogue was stiff and uncomfortable, and the world was vanilla flavored fantasy. The combat felt decent and the game had a good length to it, but it certainly wasn't an exciting romp. I don't recall anything about the game that I absolutely hated, nor can I think of anything I really loved. It was just boring. So I guess if you're looking for a cheap and easy game to whittle away some free hours you might as well give it a go. Just don't expect much.… Expand
  10. CoolDadTx
    Aug 27, 2012
    6
    This game is really Gothic in name only. It is nowhere near as hard as the previous games nor does it use the level up system of previous games. Overall I found it a really, really easy game especially compared to previous versions. Honestly it wasn't challenging at all. I died once the entire game. This is certainly not the Gothic we love.

    The story is pretty good but the combat    This game is really Gothic in name only. It is nowhere near as hard as the previous games nor does it use the level up system of previous games. Overall I found it a really, really easy game especially compared to previous versions. Honestly it wasn't challenging at all. I died once the entire game. This is certainly not the Gothic we love.

    The story is pretty good but the combat is so simplistic it doesn't even deserve to be called an RPG. It is more like an action RPG. If you just pound on the mouse button you're going to win every battle with little loss of health. Every time you hit somebody it stuns them so I went through most battles, including the final boss, without them so much as taking a swipe. This is really sad because early on you learn about blocking and breaking blocks but they are useless skills.

    The skill system is pretty simplistic too compared to previous games. At level up you just add a couple of points to a handful of skills and you're done. No real room for creating unique characters. You become overpowered early on such that most of the game is a complete yawn fest.

    The monsters are interesting until you realize they all do the same thing: hit you with a weapon, cast a spell or shoot you with something. Even the boss battles are nothing more than them hitting the ground to knock you over. There was so much potential here...

    The biggest gripe I have with the game is its poor travel system. You have access to teleporters but they are really just to get you back to where a quest is due. You have no control over where they go nor can you use them to speed your way through the world. Expect to do a lot of running, which is dog slow. Even worse is that in the main city you'll find that there are wooden walls set up to prevent you from reaching your destination without having to run all the way around the city. This is invisible walls at their worst. Often you can see the very goal you are trying to get through but a wooden wall blocks the way. Evidently a sword swing hero can't climb over a wall or just break it down. This means you'll be doing a lot of backtracking.

    Overall this is not a real Gothic game. They simplified everything to the point of being too easy and boring. Eveything that made Gothic a good series, such as the unforgiving combat, is gone. In its place is an action RPG that is mediocre on its own but a real letdown for the Gothic series.    … Expand
  11. StalRPG
    Jan 21, 2012
    8
    very good action rpg. Visuals are great (except too much npc clones). The combat system is very dynamic. Only bad points, too much linear and too much invisible walls everywhere, french voice recording is horrible.
  12. marzippan
    Jan 21, 2012
    9
    One of the most beautiful action rpg (nicer than the xbox version). The combat system is dynamic, environment, vegetation and characters are beautiful.bad points : too linear, too much aliasing, crap cinematics.
  13. ElPitooo
    Aug 3, 2014
    6
    Average game at best, story is quite good, quests are sometimes pretty good with some choices, but mostly they are only type bring me something, kill something, in the half game started to be only linear. But you could find some good and amazing things- characters from older Gothic games and dialogues with them ( especially with Gorn), amazing locations ( for example Tooshoo), amazingAverage game at best, story is quite good, quests are sometimes pretty good with some choices, but mostly they are only type bring me something, kill something, in the half game started to be only linear. But you could find some good and amazing things- characters from older Gothic games and dialogues with them ( especially with Gorn), amazing locations ( for example Tooshoo), amazing music and great graphics, especially rain effects.… Expand
  14. Sysgen
    Apr 22, 2012
    6
    Far into the game as I write this. Eventually the desire to continue wanes when immersion is broken due to the callousness to which this RPG as been constructed. Speaking directly to Spellbound Entertainment, I really couldn't care less what your budget is and I don't care about the perilous finances of your now bankrupt publisher. When you undertake a project like this and dress itFar into the game as I write this. Eventually the desire to continue wanes when immersion is broken due to the callousness to which this RPG as been constructed. Speaking directly to Spellbound Entertainment, I really couldn't care less what your budget is and I don't care about the perilous finances of your now bankrupt publisher. When you undertake a project like this and dress it with the same repeating carbon copy npc's then you have no right to undertake such a project. It's a crime against the art of game development and shows no respect for your audience. I really want to continue. I like what's here despite the meaningless "RPG elements" and the damn crafting icon staring at me the entire play through. Go watch a movie with the same character playing 20 different roles each dubbed with a different voice. At this point in the game's narrative I should be fully immersed in the world of Arcania but you Spellbound Entertainment have completely retarded my immersion. I'm walking out of the theater now. There weren't that many here to start. Something about the title and the game not living up to it's legacy. The naysayers were right and I a fool for not listening.… Expand
  15. SilentHightimes
    Sep 12, 2014
    5
    some what fun combat at times had to make myself play but was interesting, bugs here and there but was worth what i paid in hours i guess. If they would cut the game in half and polished it could've been much better just half ass work everywhere you look. Story bland with some humorous parts. Graphics suck pretty bad also.

    Worth $5.00
  16. BHC
    Nov 27, 2012
    7
    So, is this Skyrim? No. is this Dragon Age, ehh not really? Is it bad, Nope! So what is it? Well its not as bad as Two Worlds! Its a decent RPG. if you like RPG's, or should I say, If you are a avid RPG gamer, then try out Arcania. It doesn't make waves, but it's fun. The graphics are easy on the eye, it runs at a good frame rate. and the fight system is a cross between Demons Souls andSo, is this Skyrim? No. is this Dragon Age, ehh not really? Is it bad, Nope! So what is it? Well its not as bad as Two Worlds! Its a decent RPG. if you like RPG's, or should I say, If you are a avid RPG gamer, then try out Arcania. It doesn't make waves, but it's fun. The graphics are easy on the eye, it runs at a good frame rate. and the fight system is a cross between Demons Souls and Assassins Creed. The stroy is forgettable, but so is pretty much every Elder Scrolls game.The voice acting is meh. But what it does right is that it's fun. So if you can pick it up for $20, go for it.… Expand
  17. CrusherTM
    Dec 23, 2012
    6
    What can i say? Arcania is the worst game from Gothic saga. This game would be in my assessment of the 8, if it were not one of the games of the Gothic saga. Because it's a good game, just do not feel the climate, which so influenced the player in previous versions.
  18. xForbiddenOne
    May 4, 2013
    7
    Well, I don't really see where some of these bad reviews come from. I'll admit I'm only 16 hours into this game, However, I've been thoroughly enjoying this game. Visually, It's quite fun to look at it, Extremely beautiful. However there's a lot of reused sprites, and voices which can be a flaw to some (It is slightly annoying, but not a minus for me) I actually enjoy the story so far, IWell, I don't really see where some of these bad reviews come from. I'll admit I'm only 16 hours into this game, However, I've been thoroughly enjoying this game. Visually, It's quite fun to look at it, Extremely beautiful. However there's a lot of reused sprites, and voices which can be a flaw to some (It is slightly annoying, but not a minus for me) I actually enjoy the story so far, I think the combat is alright with really three main ways of playing, Mage, Melee weapon or Bows/Crossbows. There's a lot of crafting you can do(Like making weapons) and a bit of alchemy to do(Like making your own potions, These potions vary from adding to your health regen to increasing your overall stats temporarily)

    I will say this though, This game is a bit buggy. You can get stuck in poorly rendered areas or just jumping where you aren't suppose to go, The cut-scenes will make you crash from time to time as well, However you can easily watch the cut scenes from within the Arcania folder if you do crash and just skip them in game. Does this make the game unplayable? For me, No it doesn't. It can be annoying to crash during a cutscene and have to rewatch it again, But it's no big deal for the most part.

    I'll also say this, I had a lot more problems running this game off an FX-8150 CPU than I do with my current i7 3770k(Graphics card is a 7970 for those wondering), Whether this game doesn't like AMD or something along those lines I can't say for sure, But my system isn't a slouch by any means. I feel like this game might run better on older systems then newer systems, For instance my laptop running an old first gen i7 at 1.73GHz and a 1GB ATI card(I think 5850) seems to run it without any cut scene errors or crashes.

    But in the end, I really do enjoy this game, The main story keeps me interested, I feel the combat is alright for the style of game that it is, and despite some minor things here and there, I would recommend this game when it's on sale. I personally feel it's worth it's $20 price tag that it wears now. If you see it on sale and you read the reviews and thought "Well, Now I'm not too sure..." I would take the chance to try it out. I can't vouch for the other games in the series as I've never played them, But please, Give this one a chance!

    Edit: I've now completed the game with 26 hours played, I'm definitely going to be playing through it one more time, And possibly might buy the DLC as well. I took my time for the most part playing through this and had all but one quest finished(finding 30 belier artifacts), So I'll assume you can get around 25 30 hours on average for this game's full completion. The ending was a tad disappointing in terms of the fight, However I feel the story was still enjoyable despite this. Combined with the great visuals, and a decent combat system, I think this game was well worth picking up if you enjoy RPGs. There is quite a bit of walking, Like most RPGs but it never once bothered me.

    There is a huge amount of potions you can create, A handful of decent weapons, and a couple decent armors. The best items you can craft obviously don't come till later on in the game. The weapons you can make don't come until you're about half way 3/4ths of the way done with the game, When you're able to create Steel Ingots. Some boss fights are underwhelming, Especially when you play the game at normal difficulty or lower, Some bosses will drop some decent weapons however. I strongly recommend following the "Kill everything you see" tactic, Unless you run into mobs that you have difficulty taking down, As each mob will drop a certain item that is special to it. That's it for what I have to say, Enjoy!    … Expand
  19. KillaRiku
    May 18, 2013
    7
    I think this game is a good game on its own. But when you call it "Gothic", you can't call it good anymore. It used to continue the gothic-series but it was a disappointing game for Gothic fans. When you don't call it Gothic it was very fun. The Figthing-System was'nt bad at all. The story neither. The graphics were awesome! But as a Gothic Fan I just can't tell you, that this is a good game.
  20. Neddy
    Apr 5, 2014
    9
    I think this game deserves a solid 8.6/10

    My only grumble with it is that it seems to have a bug that makes it run choppy. It doesn't seem to matter what CPU you play it with for some people as it lags, especially around the towns. Some peoples systems are OK with it, some are not. All other complaints I disagree with point blank. Some say it isn't part of the Gothic series. I think    I think this game deserves a solid 8.6/10

    My only grumble with it is that it seems to have a bug that makes it run choppy. It doesn't seem to matter what CPU you play it with for some people as it lags, especially around the towns. Some peoples systems are OK with it, some are not.

    All other complaints I disagree with point blank. Some say it isn't part of the Gothic series. I think the main issue with that is that it's shorter by about 50%. However having played Pirahna Bytes games myself like Risen, they took too long to play. Everything was just dragged out. I played the Gothic 3 demo and to be honest, I was only partially impressed.

    Graphics are stunning. Music is spot-on. Voice acting fine. The story is rock-solid, though it has a bad bit soon after the start; (no spoiler included). Combat is spot on for a third person game: I mean really spot on. I like most of the characters, and love most of the locations. You can just go for a walk in most places, taking in the views, or wandering over a wooden bridge.

    Even though I am struggling for frame rates, I am loving playing through this, and am about 3/4 way in. This is a game that's charm stays with you and brings you back for more play time. However if charm is not your thing, it may not feel right for you. Whichever way you look at it, my character soon became a mace wielding bad-a$$. This aspect in a world with great design, and engaging story, is a yes from me.    … Expand
  21. Thanatos4x
    Sep 9, 2013
    5
    I played through the whole game and did all the side quests. The game is not so bad that it is unplayable or completely no fun. If you have low expectations than you'll have fun. However the game has a lot of problems.

    There are a lot of bugs. There are serious problems with graphical glitches. Small glitches with placement of usable objects in the game, combat, moving, enemies, etc.    I played through the whole game and did all the side quests. The game is not so bad that it is unplayable or completely no fun. If you have low expectations than you'll have fun. However the game has a lot of problems.

    There are a lot of bugs. There are serious problems with graphical glitches. Small glitches with placement of usable objects in the game, combat, moving, enemies, etc. The game feels like a beta. Either the game was rushed or the developers were lazy. Gothic 3 was a buggy unplayable mess and this game is better, but still a buggy unimaginative mess. I was at the final boss; just won and the game glitches to a black screen. I was pissed! But I saved a lot and it was okay, but still that should not happen.

    The English voice translation dialogue is awful and rather funny at times.

    The combat is very simplistic and enemies are not a challenge. You will die from game design and character movement glitches not from enemies being difficult. Although, the combat can be fun sometimes.

    The game very linear (which I liked, but some people may not). There are a few player choices for some quests, but they all lead to the same thing.

    To sum the entire game up its fetch this and/or kill this and some pointless dialogue with the illusion of choice.    … Expand
  22. DwarfChieftain
    Aug 16, 2014
    8
    I have seen tons of people bashing this game for its wacky combat, boring quests or other features that didn't stay high enough for their expectations. Arcania Gothic 4 was my first RPG game and it is the game that introduced me to the whole RPG-like scenery. Yes, it is extremely cliche'd from western fantasy stories and other similar stuff. Yes, it doesn't deliver a real "Gothic" vibe andI have seen tons of people bashing this game for its wacky combat, boring quests or other features that didn't stay high enough for their expectations. Arcania Gothic 4 was my first RPG game and it is the game that introduced me to the whole RPG-like scenery. Yes, it is extremely cliche'd from western fantasy stories and other similar stuff. Yes, it doesn't deliver a real "Gothic" vibe and probably shouldn't be called a real Gothic series successor, but it is not an awful game, and if you don't care that it is not like Gothic 3 or blah blah blah - then you could actually enjoy it. I bought this game roughly 2 months after its initial release and I haven't play other Gothic games back then. Now, I have spend ~50 hours in Gothic 3 and played Gothic 2, so my review will try to stay away from the whole "not-worth-of-the-title" rant:

    1. Graphics: when put on the highest settings, they are truly exciting, even now. The most impressive detail back then were dynamic trees that moved and their shadows. It was something that could be experienced in just a few games (namingly, Crysis 1) back then.

    2. Combat/gameplay: As almost everyone has stated, together with the repetitive quests, combat was a huge disappointment for me. It seems like I'm slashing a zephyr with a cardboard sword, ughh...

    Walking is pretty fluid, but could be done less annoyingly because after 30 hours of gameplay it starts to get reaally annoying to hear the same walking sound again.

    3. Environment: Areas are fluid, but you can't go back to a previous zone after entering another one when following main storyline. This is extremely bad because when being in late zones, you desperately need consumables, maybe a change of equipment but you just can't, because your current zone doesn't have any towns/villages/cities where there may be vendors.

    The most enjoyable part of the game was the music, it is so good that I downloaded the soundtrack after playing for just a few hours. Otherwise, the game is good for players who are wishing a generic, but O.K RPG.    … Expand
  23. Grdnfreeman
    Aug 19, 2020
    7
    Oyunu gothic 1 ve 2 ile kıyaslamazsak kendi halinde gayet güzel bir oyun. O yüzden gothic 3 ile kıyaslayacağım aynı ligde bulunan oyunlar. Öncelikle oyun gothic 3 ten çoğu konuda daha iyi bir oyun. En önemli gelişme combat sisteminde var gothic 3 teki sadece sol tık spamlama olayı yok bu sefer dodge sistemi de getirmişler bu güzel. Harita daha anlaşılır gezmesi daha eğlenceli. Oyunun girişOyunu gothic 1 ve 2 ile kıyaslamazsak kendi halinde gayet güzel bir oyun. O yüzden gothic 3 ile kıyaslayacağım aynı ligde bulunan oyunlar. Öncelikle oyun gothic 3 ten çoğu konuda daha iyi bir oyun. En önemli gelişme combat sisteminde var gothic 3 teki sadece sol tık spamlama olayı yok bu sefer dodge sistemi de getirmişler bu güzel. Harita daha anlaşılır gezmesi daha eğlenceli. Oyunun giriş kısmı G3 ten daha iyi g3 teki gibi savaşın ortasında başlatma saçmalığı yok. Load screen süresi daha kısa. Dialoglar g3 e göre daha ilgi çekici. Görev ve item çeşitliği daha fazla, item çeşitliliğinin fazla olması loot yapmayı da zevkli kılmış. Güç dengesi g3 e göre daha iyi güçlendiğinizi hissedebiliyorsunuz. Kötü yanları ise başta kısıtlı bir açık dünya olması, skill sistemi pek gelişmemiş eksik kalmış. Teleport sistemi çok kötü. Yatakta uyuyup gündüz olmasını bekleme yok. İstediğiniz npc yi öldüremiyorsunuz. Sinir olduğum oyunda tek bir şey vardı o da her gün yağmur yağması lan yağmur yağınca 10-20fps düşüş yaşıyorum oyunda muson ormanında mıyız nedir hergün yağmur yağıyor. 35 saat oynanış sürem var bunun son 3-4 saati sıkmaya başladı yoksa oyun fena değil 6.5 tan 7 verdim.… Expand
  24. mortarion14
    Oct 2, 2017
    0
    this igra viser(sh*t), a ne gothic this igra viser(sh*t), a ne gothic this igra viser(sh*t), a ne gothic this igra viser(sh*t), a ne gothic this igra viser(sh*t), a ne gothic
  25. KorGalom
    Oct 27, 2017
    0
    Este juego no lo he podido jugar nunca, desde que lo compre habia pensado que era el windows que tenia pero ahora que cambio de version no funciona. me gustaria que me dijeran como puedo jugarlo.
  26. RogalDorn
    Oct 28, 2017
    0
    Somehow ist feels like the Gothic series, but fails to tell a story.
    Technically quite OK, but this game has no soul. Unfortunately...................
  27. MillersWeeb
    Nov 16, 2018
    0
    Какой поехавший дебил будет воскрешать труп мертвой серии в попытке сделать ребрендинг еще хуже оригинала.
  28. Dann-J
    May 5, 2020
    7
    Arcania isn't a bad game. It's just not a particularly outstanding game. Being part of the Gothic series (or not, as the 'Gothic 4' brand was taken off it at one point) comes with certain expectations that this game simply doesn't live up to. However if you've never played a Gothic game before and aren't familiar with the series, then Arcania is quite playable. Even if you have played theArcania isn't a bad game. It's just not a particularly outstanding game. Being part of the Gothic series (or not, as the 'Gothic 4' brand was taken off it at one point) comes with certain expectations that this game simply doesn't live up to. However if you've never played a Gothic game before and aren't familiar with the series, then Arcania is quite playable. Even if you have played the other Gothic games, this game is far from the worst in the series (Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods takes that title).… Expand
  29. SpectralAnubis
    Oct 28, 2010
    5
    Sword? Check. Shield? Check. Bow and arrows? Check! Stop drop and roll, to avoid the essence of mediocrity? Double check! Welcome to JoWood's second attempt at catching lightning in the bottle. It failed on Gothic 3, yet was able to capture that video game magic with Gothic 1 & 2. Sadly, JoWood dropped the ball once again, on game mechanic's, storyline and variety. The game is a technicalSword? Check. Shield? Check. Bow and arrows? Check! Stop drop and roll, to avoid the essence of mediocrity? Double check! Welcome to JoWood's second attempt at catching lightning in the bottle. It failed on Gothic 3, yet was able to capture that video game magic with Gothic 1 & 2. Sadly, JoWood dropped the ball once again, on game mechanic's, storyline and variety. The game is a technical gem to behold, I'll give the development team at Spellbound credit for that. Such an achievement should be the norm, in today's technology driven society. I'm a realist, JoWood is a entertainment, company they need to make money. Lowering your standards for game play for a broad spectrum of 'gamers' is today's 'money grab' for software publishers like JoWood.

    The game mechanics are horrid, the flow of combat, becomes a simple roll one direction, swing weapon once, roll backwards and fire off your three different versions of the same spell. Oh, I forgot you can use a bow and arrow to shoot monsters, it's a kiting riot! The game has hardly any active skills, most are passive. The weapon charge system is a dated concept. Multi hit is dated concept, it's a hack n slash principle. There is no riposte system, there is no flank system, stealth is a joke, you can't sneak up and back stab. There is no back stepping, unless you're using a bow and arrow. Running backwards makes your nameless avatar run with his back to the monster. Overall the game mechanics are sub par. The saving grace of this game, is the stunning atmosphere, but beyond that avoid this title until it drops in price. The game does offer good frame rates, on most top end video cards. The load times are quick. Thanks for reading.    … Expand
  30. Levardos
    Mar 25, 2011
    3
    When I played it for the first time, I was more disappointed than I thought I will. Spellbound did really bad job on that one.. It is a merely a continuation of previous Gothics. Only two good things that I am able to come up with are the graphics and improved fighting style (Compared to Gothic 3). Improved doesn't mean good though.. Most of opponents we face during the game we won't haveWhen I played it for the first time, I was more disappointed than I thought I will. Spellbound did really bad job on that one.. It is a merely a continuation of previous Gothics. Only two good things that I am able to come up with are the graphics and improved fighting style (Compared to Gothic 3). Improved doesn't mean good though.. Most of opponents we face during the game we won't have any problems with. Character faces not only repeat often, but people all seem the same even when talking to them. I must admit I didn't beat the game, but I've played it for plenty of hours and I must say it is really monotonous.. The quests we do are boring and nothing we never seen.. "Go there, collect this.. kill him/it/them.. bring me that.. find me some of these.. talk to him.." As far as I've seen the storyline, I completely didn't like it. Bringing up some characters from old Gothics is only as much as it relates to previous series. Oh, this, and creatures from Gothic series. The world isn't really interesting to explore at all. We often are forced to visit caves and all of them look a lie and have the same schematics. We enter the cave, do a circle and come out just where we entered, only that we need to jump down. They made exits high so players wouldn't be able to go this way after entering the cave. And in each damn cave it's the same story. The world isn't open anymore, we unlock locations. We don't have NPC as teachers to increase our stats, we just choose what we want to improve after leveling up. Bah! We don't even need a smithy to make a sword. We can forge one standing in the middle of swamp. Same for potions any anything else. Makes the game way too simple, and makes it seem like developers made this game for little kids, for which previous Gothics were too complicated. One thing I also don't understand is that we are able to choose "American" version of colours and textures which make game to seem.. More.. Friendly.. Less.. Dark and evil. This really is ridiculous.. Well.. I played the game for a bit.. I was forcing myself to play it, hoping that it will get more interesting later down, but it didn't. This game disappointed me greatly, and is nothing like previous Gothics. I didn't like Gothic 3 when it was out to begin with, but Arcania... Arcania made me appreciate Gothic 3 now. Arcania made me realise how great continuation of Gothic 2, Gothic 3 is. After I seen how bad can continuation of Gothic 3 be. Gothic 4 just isn't fun. I am giving it 3, since I enjoyed it a little slightly bit at the very beginning. But the more I've played my hate for this game started to grow and grew more and more. It's just a waste of time. Let me do a quick summary. Pros: -Umm.. Graphics? -Soundtrack isn't bad.. Cons: -Monotonous. -Too easy, even on hardest difficulty. -It just isn't the same anymore... I rather call it Arcania, than Gothic.â… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 25
  3. Negative: 3 out of 25
  1. Eurogamer Portugal
    Apr 20, 2011
    50
    If you seek a simple game with breathtaking scenery and a ridiculous number of weapons and armor, then Arcania Gothic IV is for you.
    Read full review
  2. Absolute Games
    Jan 15, 2011
    35
    Besides the handy automap and the journal, the only other positive thing about Arcania is that it's at least better than Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 13, 2011
    70
    Arcania is more of a restart of the series then a regular sequel – some dedicated fans will be disappointed by its overall simplification but it does not make Gothic 4 a bad adventurous experience. [Issue#197]
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