A medieval fantasy action role-playing video game series developed by Piranha Bytes, featuring an open world and complex storytelling in Gothic: Medieval Fantasy Action Role-Playing
Gothic is a series of single-player action role-playing video games developed by the German studio Piranha Bytes. The first game in the series, simply titled Gothic, was released in 2001. It takes place in a medieval fantasy setting and follows a nameless hero who is imprisoned in a magical barrier surrounding a prison colony. He must ally himself with various factions and gradually gain their trust in order to eventually escape.
The second game, Gothic II, was released in 2002 and expands the world beyond the colony. The hero leaves the colony behind and explores the greater world, getting caught up in a battle between the kingdom of Myrtana and invading orcs. Gothic II leaned more heavily into the open world RPG elements.
Gothic 3 from 2006 takes place across multiple regions in the broader fantasy realm. It has a larger game world but was criticized for having a number of bugs and other issues at launch. Despite the rocky start, Gothic 3 was later patched extensively.
The fourth entry, ArcaniA: Gothic 4 from 2010, was developed by a different studio. It was widely considered a disappointment by fans of the series. Piranha Bytes returned to develop Risen and then Elex, spiritual successors to Gothic.
Though flawed, the Gothic series pioneered an open world action RPG formula that focused on immersion in a dynamic fantasy world. The games offer complex choices and political factions for the player to navigate.