JavaGems № 0 - Gothic 3: The Beginning. Gothic for a mobile phone. (J2me)

Java Gems № 0 - Gothic 3: The Beginning. Java game

 

Developer: Handy-Games

Publisher: JoWood Productions

Release: January 15, 2008

Genre: RPG

Official Website:  http://www.gothic3mobile.com/

 

The ignorant moves objects with his hands. Master - by strength of mind.

(c) The Mages Guild. PC game - Gothic 1

 

Note: This article was written for MobiTree – Russian mobile magazine in 2011. In the future, perhaps a will wrote much more detailed review of this game. This text is translated from Russian so there can be a lot of mistakes in the text.

 

After this release, this game just blew mind of all mobile gamers. The presence of many RPG elements from a PC version, a large open world, a variety of side quests, canonical characters and a plot that is part of a large series of games. Youngster who just poking a cell phone buttons, could hardly wish for anything more.

 

The game takes place more than 140 years before the main events Gothic1 on the island called Khorinis. Our protégé is an ordinary village guy named Xardas (one of the main characters of Gothic on PC), who lives far from human settlements on the edge of a large forest. Plot starts with the fact that the spirit of Batomar, who introduced himself as the protector of the magic of Khorinis, turns to the main hero. The spirit reports that his enemies have grown stronger, and he is no longer can defence this world and has become completely weak, and only our hero can save this mortal world. Batomar orders us to go to the temple in the south, learn magic, then find the other four chosen ones and defeat our enemies. Asleep, our hero decided that he had dreamed it, but he still decides to check what was happening near the notorious temple. It is easy to guess that it is from the temple near Xardas that all his misadventures begin ... Before he could cross the threshold of his home, the main hero had to fight with the wolf, he found orcs near the temple, and then, on Batomar's order, he had to run to Khorinis for help ... Such cool The BEGINNING of the day, isn’t it?

 

Back in 2008, the J2me games did not shine with graphics and Gothic was no exception. The locations in the game are sparsely furnished, there are few decorations, although what is drawn is pretty good.

 

 

Outside, movement is carried out using the global map. This is where one of the disadvantages of the game lies - some objects are difficult to define and what some of them are can only be guessed at.

 

Most of the characters follow the same template. Some of the plot characters and the bandits look like twins. And the first time you see some of the female characters, you might think that it is a man with a cleaver.

 

The melody in the main menu is a standard "buzzer", embedded in the original soundtrack from the third part of "Gothic". Also, there are several more musical compositions that are switching depending on the situation that occurs on the screen. (There are 22 sounds in overall in the game). The advantages of the game can also be attributed to the fact that you didn’t bore after listening musical accompaniment over time.

 

With which word games associate the Gothic game series? That's right, with large spaces, with an unusual atmosphere, with an unusual progression system and spells, with freedom, with an original gameplay.

 

We wouldn’t be able to see the big open spaces. There are only two Cities in the game, and the plot locations can be counted on the fingers of one hand. There is no freedom of action, although sidequests add some variety in gaming process. When moving around the global map, we can find enemies, non-plot locations and adventures in the form of battles with sudden enemies. No one forces us to engage in battle with the enemies (unless it is written by His Majesty Script). The battles themselves take place in real time.

 

As for the role-playing system, it is neatly transferred from the original. In the same way, we walk, kill the local living creatures, complete tasks and for this we earn EXP (experience). Upon reaching a certain amount of EXP, we get a new level. With the level, the amount of life increases and we are given an additional 10 training points. The player spends training points at his own discretion, learning from the appropriate trainers. They can improve one or another characteristic, increase the skill of using any type of weapon, etc. It is necessary to increase the characteristics, because without them, you will not be able to take a certain type of weapon, and the skills themselves are necessary so that the hero can competently handle them. As for the spells, we will be able to use them only after we select the appropriate rune, of which there are only seven in the game.

 

As for melee combat (sword, ax, etc.) and ranged combat (crossbow and bow), there is nothing unusual here. Just like in other RPGs, the "run, hit, win" principle works like a clock and without any frills. But the use of magic should be mentioned in more detail. To use magic, in addition to the rune, you need manna. You can't just set up a barrage with spell, because the spell needs to be charged (well, or cast). If the spell is casting for a long time, it can turn out to be very powerful (it depends on the amount of mana you have in stock, for which the corresponding skill is responsible) and one powerful enemy can be taken out with one shot. But you can throw something smaller to save precious seconds before engaging in close combat.

The inventory of the main hero will not present anything extraordinary to us. Our inventory contains several sections for items of the corresponding category. A separate section for armor, weapons, runes, accessories, etc. Also, the developers have introduced the concept of "capacity" of inventory. Those they won't give us a thousand and one items, but only a dozen +\-.

 

By the way, in order to get things, you will need, among other things, to pick locks (for which the corresponding skill is also responsible). The hacking process itself is a mini-game in which the player needs to guess which of the "sliders" is needed to open the lock.

 

What is the main thing in Gothic? No, not gameplay, no graphics, no voice acting, no ... In Gothic, atmosphere is important. This is why hundreds of gamers have replayed the game they like. That's what the developers were able to convey in the game, that's what is important. Maybe due to the details of the gameplay, maybe due to the details of the environment or something else, but they did it to some extent. The game is even put on a par with the games in the series, which is significant! But no matter what anyone says, there are still not enough important details in the game ...

 

In the PC version of Gothic, we walk around the city and EVERYONE is busy with their own business: a blacksmith forges a sword, a worker repairs a house, and someone is brazenly sleeping. Different sounds are heard from everywhere, at any moment you can stumble upon a random quest or hear an interesting story. In pursuit of simplicity of gameplay, performance and compatibility, Handy-Games "forgot" to implement a "living world". What will we see in the game? At best, a "pile of pixels", called a "guard", giving us a quest or telling us about the sights of Khorinis.

 

Gameplay: 7

Graphics: 5

Sound: 8

Concept: 7

Newness: 8

Final Score: 7.5