Gothic - An Entire Series Retrospective and Analysis 

When it comes to why Gothic was very popular in countries like Poland for example and not so popular in other countries is a fact that Gothic received a full Polish localization and at the time when it happened it was extremely rare to have a game fully translated (and on top of that voiceovered!!!) therefore it naturally gathered a huge following and became a widespread classic amongst Poles. It even sparked a huge Polish RU-vid machinima scene with hundreds of people doing their own parodies/music videos/edits using Gothic :)

Playing Gothic as a kid probably was one of the main reasons I'm so into masochistic and frustrating games as an adult, there's just something special about a game breaking you down to pieces until you stop being frustrated, adapt and become part of the world. I love it. I hope you'll be back, long time fan of your work

Friends and I started the fan website 'World of Gothic' shown in minute 4 back in 2000. It's crazy the site has still the same design today haha. The devs of the game were awesome, they invited us to their office pre-release to playtest. Thanks for reviving great memories!

"His last order was: COME! And they came. All of them. Even the dragons."

as half german half polish thank you for covering our most important cultural milestone. looking forward to watching that

Dear NeverKnowsBest, you will be sorely missed. Do what you have to. Thank you for you service. Looking forward to your triumphant return.

Well, this was emotional. Gothic has been a huge part of my childhood and continues to pop up to this day. Thank you!

What people don't understand about Gothic 1 is that a very important aspect of the game is the art direction, atmosphere and immersivity. This is what the rest of the games got wrong. The coherence in visual along with music and sound design really transports you in that world.

As a central european myself, I've spent lots of hours of my childhood playing these games, especially Gothic 2. Thank you for covering it, it feels pleasantly nostalgic.

Long time lurker here, if this is your last video just know you've had a fan in me. Your videos and commentary were an amazing thought provoking experience and I've appreciated every moment.

you have no idea how much your videos mean to me. i was in a horrible place in my life and stuck in my car for almost 2 years almost the entire day and I kept playing the audio of your elder scrolls videos whenever life got unbearable. I can honestly say they kept me sane. this might come across a bit weird, but I just wanted you to know

There was a German interview with the developers of the Remake a few months ago and the things that they had to say regarding the feedback to the demo and the way they're doing things on the project now sound REALLY promising, so I'm looking foward to it! Also, Kai Rosenkranz, the original composer, is back on board, which is awesome! Good look on your future endeavours and thank you for this top notch video.

I just want to say it here, I won’t speak for anyone else but I love your content here, it’s seriously fascinating to me hearing retrospectives. I hope, regardless if this is your last video or one of many to come, that no matter what you end up doing you enjoy it. I found this channel through the fallout retrospective and have watched it full through twice as a massive fan of the franchise and since I have watched almost every video of yours. I hope life leads you well. -sincerely, a random viewer

I’ve been watching your videos for around 3.5 years now and I’ve watched most multiple times. I hope that you keep making videos, but if you don’t, I just wanted to thank you for the many, many hours of entertainment and joy you’ve given me. Seeing a new video always brighten my day.

Can't even describe how proud I am of you for avoiding talking about Forsaken Gods.

Your video reviews are some of the best i have seen on this site and i could listen to them for very long hours and im really glad to see you finally covering this series before your break from this channel, regardless i wish the very best for you in your future endeavors.

Gothic was very popular amongst post ussr countries. But at the time pirate copies was the only option for people to play. Growing up in the 90s early 00 in Russia gothic was everything people talked about, even in relatively small cities. Even today gothic is still an icon amongst many.

Gothic 2 was without a doubt one of the most immersive games I've ever played. Such an under-rated classic.

Ooooh! Gothic is my jam! ❤️💀🦖 Want to add. Found Gothic in 2002. Dad said I could get a game, I was in middle school discovering my love for goth girls. I got Gothic. Shared it with my nerd friends and we all loved it. Thing is we had never heard of it! There was just zero advertising for the game. *Southern US

You may be surprised that as a Canadian, Gothic was a HUGE part of my PC gaming upbringing. Gothic 1 had an extra special place in my heart as a novice PC gaming enthusiast

Man has me listening for almost 2 hours about a series I've never heard of due to his scripting and voice. Well play NKB.

Gothic 1, 2 and Archolos are at the very top of my best rpgs ever made, even beating out recent titles. It is a testament to how good Gothic is when 20 years later some 40+ polish devs decide to band together and create a masterpiece. You rarely see that if ever and I am happy to have witnessed such a miracle.

As a die hard Gothic fan (I love all 3 of the original games to bits). It's pretty sad to see Piranha Bytes and their new games. It reminds me of the stereotype of that person that used to be the cool guy back in highschool, but never moved on. As you come back to your hometown every year visiting family he slowly ages, never matures. Until he is endlessly stuck doing an impression of the Steve Buscemi how do you do fellow kids meme. I tried playing Elex, tried playing Risen, but that just can't capture the magic of the early Gothic series. Once again people outside of central europe will probably never understand, but this was THE series for a long time. This was Witcher 3 before Witcher 3 for most of us...

I cannot express how much I love these retrospective videos. I even enjoyed the bit on Gothic 3 comic sans font. Thanks, Never Knows Best!

The end of the video absolutely wrecked me. You one of my absolute favorite content creators (and easily the best reviewer on RU-vid) and I’ve watched most of your videos 4 or 5 times. You have an undeniable talent at what you do. There will be something missing from my life when you’re gone.

I highly appreciate that you keep on creating Gothic-related content of such high quality! Words cannot express how much I love this series and want its ideas to thrive in the mainstream.

I have not seen your content before, so the algorithm has thought that i might like it at least. You've done a impeccable job of condensing the series and off-shoots into a surprisingly short, but also accurate video about the series and I'm very grateful for this. It brought up some memories of my childhood that i haven't though about in a long time, which was a nice experience. This is such a great video, thank you! I wish you the best on your future endeavors.

Thank you for all the hours of content you have made, it has been a pleasure to hear you talk about all manner of things. Please take care and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours

Not going to lie, hearing you are taking a break legit upset me. You are my absolute favorite RU-vidr ever and it's not close. Good luck with your new projects and I hope everything works out! Love you man

You just made my evening A LOT better. Love it, gonna enjoy this

Serbia here... Fell in love with Gothic (all of them) immediatly when i played it back in 2001...

Thank you for your vulnerability and showing so much emotion in the end of the video. I could really feel that! 🤗

I'm 29 and I've got a Gothic 2 CD box standing in my apartment to this day. Goes to show how endearing this game is to me. It has captured a true mythological atmosphere, dark, foreboding of an inevitable doom in the war, the knowledge that everyone is just being used as pawns of the three gods - all followed by truly immersive background music... That is a good artistic and narrative design. Gothic never had a good story per se, but it had a majestic way of telling that simple story through many little details. When it comes to mechanics, to this day I hold Gothic 2 as a benchmark for combat, level progression and map design. It has only been equalled and surpassed by the Witcher 2 and 3 and the Souls games when it comes down to those things. It's a simple, intuitive, easy to learn, easy to use design which makes your time playing the game enjoyable because of how hard actually the game is because of it. It is a gem of European gaming and just a beautiful game overall, both with and without the nostalgia points.

Whatever you decide to do in the future, I just want to thank you for your contribution to the medium. You are my favorite videogame analyst/reviewer hands down, and your videos have brought me a great deal of joy. Even if the callous tendrils of RU-vid keep you from making a living doing this, your essays have been eye-opening and fascinating in a way they wouldn't have been if you had compromised. I hope for your success and happiness, and I will follow you no matter what you decide to make.

Aw, that ending was so somber. I am glad that a year later your channel is still growing and you are still making videos. Have only recently found you and been watching your reviews slowly but steadily and with increasing appreciation for all the work and time you have poured into them. Thank you for everything.

Love from Korea. Whenever your video was uploaded, it was an event for me, i would make time to watch em. Thank you, thank you.

As a German, gothic was my first action RPG and entry into what became a lifelong appreciation for the genre. What a perfect christmas gift to enjoy while wrapping myself into a blanket. Thanks for the nostalgia NKB

Gothic was also big in Eastern Europe. Some very fond childhood / teen memories. Thank you and looking forward to the remake.

Thank you for all of your perspectives on these games and all of the entertaining, informative, and thought-provoking videos you have created.

Oh noooo! I loved your videos, they were always a treat. Thank you for all your really hard work! I hope to one day see more of your stuff!

Before even watching I have to express my appreciation for NeverKnows covering these games. They were a big part of my life in my teenage years and just hearing the soundtrack again brings me joy.

This was an incredible watch. Growing up in Germany, Gothic was a household name here - friends in school played it, we'd compare things we'd discovered back in those early internet days before every puzzle was solved, every item found, every quest completed. I played the first two games (plus NOTR) for hundreds, if not thousands of hours, and you've brought up almost every point I've ever made about the series. The hype and then disappointment of Gothic 3's release. The outsourced follow-ups (we do not speak of them). The incredible community, with modders keeping the games alive well after their use-by date. Your video was emotional to watch, which is something I never expected from a retrospective of a game I really like. There are a few things I'd like to add. I've always had trouble recommending the games to friends who only speak English, as I find both the translation and most of the dubbing unbelievably bad. The localisation feels like it was done with no direction in an afternoon. This ties into the characters you found unmemorable, as I think this is a place where voice talent goes a long way. The four companions in particular are carried by their VAs in the original dub, along with their dialogue being more subtly tailored to them than in the half-baked English translation. I'm glad you addressed the gender representation in the games as well. Unlike many of my fellow gamer dudes I don't think representation in video games is a bad thing, but Gothic 1's setting as a penal colony is particularly male-focussed. In Gothic 2 many of the women you meet are clearly downtrodden and unhappy with their lot, but there are also shrewd and cunning women who have clawed their way up the social ladder and attained positions of privilege and power. There are nurturers, free spirits, master thieves, ruthless informants, influential merchants and more. Female representation in Gothic 2 is not perfect, but it's varied and believable. So seeing that representation so drastically slashed in Gothic 3 rather than built on felt like a step in the wrong direction. I found you through your video on Lovecraftian games and watched every one of your other videos in short order. If this turns out to truly be your last one, I think it's fair to say you've done what Piranha Bytes didn't, and ended on a high. So as you say "thank you for watching", I reply: Thank you for the videos.

I'm Polish and Gothic 1 and 2 were loved by all the gamers from my neighborhood. Thanks for your analysis!

Thank you for this awesome recap of the series. What i find emblematic of how popular this series in Germany still is, is that often in online forums and social media, someone will make a quote of the generic stuff the NPCs would be talking about, or lines the main character used, and it would evolve into a chain of Gothic quotes.

I'm happy to see people like you who still take so much out of their time to make a comprehensive overview of this old series!

You don't know how much this video means to me. Gothic was a huge part of my childhood and youth 20 years ago and still is as an adult. Still love the first two games and Risen. And although Piranha Bytes hasn't quite managed to fuel my hype with their latest games, I still hold them in high regard. Greetings from a German Gothic fan :D And also: if this really is your last video on this channel, thank you for all the videos and all the hours of content you provided me and everyone else. Especially with this one very special video (at least for me). May you find joy and happiness in whatever you decide to do!

I started this video when it came out and only finished it today many months later. This has been my favorite game critique/analysis channel on the site and I'm glad to see you're still uploading. I still admire how you bring attention to games I haven't heard of before such as Gothic and make me care about them even more than some of the games I've actually played through just one video. I really hope you keep going and find the results you're looking for. On to the next one.

I only just discovered your channel and absolutely loved this video and others, thank you for the time and effort you've put into everything. In the end though you have to follow your heart and do something because it is what you want to do, not just to appeal to an algorithm. That kind of honest content will always be the best. Take all the time you need, and if you don't come back, then you owe us nothing. Us viewers are the ones who owe you for the hours of fufilment you've added to our lives. Again, thank you. As for me, I'll be hopping over to that second channel now!

You will be missed and I really hope you're coming back someday because your videos are something else. I watched pretty much all of your videos and loved them. Thanks for the good time.

I only just recently found your channel and was heartbroken by the news at the end. I've been binging your videos for a week and absolutely love your content! I sincerely hope you find the passion to continue, though if not, I wish you the best, and I thank you for what you have contributed to the world.

As someone who has worked plenty of 24 hour shifts I just wanna say your long videos have been a godsend, your smooth as butter voice has a very ASMR feel and makes the hours fly by. Thank you for all the work you put in and take all the time you need to enjoy your break!

I discovered my love for CRPGs through your channel, and your DA retrospective got me to play the first and second games and fall in love. I'll be hitting up the second channel for sure, hope life treats you well in the coming years Never.

Thank you Never for everything you have given us - while analytics are important to know if you're growing, you can never really quantify how many people you have touched the lives of with your loving and deep-diving retrospectives. Seeing a new video from you was like getting a warm hug, I always knew I could find some solace for an hour or two. I wish you all the best, truly, and while I wish you wouldn't go, Never DOES know best after all. Thanks for everything

You're one of the channels and creators on this platform that have gotten me into watching retrospectives as a whole and this was a genre of videos i never really liked or even cared for really say 4-5 years back, however the quality, depth, enjoyability, scripting that you always deliver in with each video makes your, well videos all the more fun to watch. Whatever your choice is, if this really is your last video, thank you for all you have done NeverKnowsBest and i genuinely wish you all the best! I've seen so many creators struggle on this platform cause RU-vid is less than pleasant so it's definitely understandable.

I really hope you keep making these. Whenever i would get a notification from a new video it would literally make my day better. I've always have trouble falling asleep and watching let's say 30min of your video before going to bed would without fail calm me down, also with the length of these i would always have multiple days of content. Thank you very much for the entertainment you've provided.

Thank you for all the great videos. I have watched a good number of them multiple times in my free time and while working. I appreciate all the hard work and wish you the best!

It's obvious you put your heart into these, so as much as it pains me to hear the news, I'm glad you follow your passion as it always manifests into a better content. Wish you THE BEST and see you on Knows Best Never.

As someone who enjoys games, studies game design, and aspires to make a great one, I just want to say I genuinely appreciate deep dives/video essays like these.

You’re one of my favorite content creators, i wish you all the best and thank you for all the amazing content you’ve created.

> Get recommended a video from a RU-vidr I didn't know yet > Really enjoying the video > "Man this guy is good I should sub" > NeverKnowsBest: "I'll be gone for a while and might never return" 😐

holy crap, thank you for bringing attention to this series, these games were my childhood and I still have very fond memories of gothic 2. there is just something about these piranha bytes games that makes them very enjoyable. I know they're often called "euro jank", and they are certainly clunky in a lot of ways, but the world building and atmosphere in these games is fantastic. (edit: I know he also mentions elex, but I do want to mention that it's the most I've enjoyed a piranha bytes game since Gothic 2, I highly recommend it)

Was one of the most underrated and surprising games I ever played - found Gothic 2 randomly on a shelf in a second hand shop - loved the hidden stuff everywhere and the progression to specialise in different skills - especially loved the music

I have just discovered your Channel as this video popped up in my feed and it has already got me hooked. The message at the end is gut wrenching, but I hope that life will bring all that's best for you. For now, I'll just continue the binge of your content. Sincerely, another random viewer.

I have never heard of you, NeverKnowsBeast, but this video was absolutely stellar. The (almost) 2 hours it took to view this went by so fast, I never would've guessed it was 2 hours if I couldn't see the runtime on the RU-vid-player. As strange as it may sound, I'm sad to see you step away from this channel, but be sure that I will follow you over to the other one (as well as sub to this one). The quality, love and care you've put into just the one video I've seen so far from you is just radiating, and I would love to see more. :)

I loved Gothic, there was a lot of potential for Gothic 3 that was never realized but still I liked the way they were trying to have an even more in-depth faction system in such a varied world. There still aren't many open-world games with deserts like it.

If this really is the last video you make here, then I'm personally glad it was Gothic. A great game series covered by a great game retrospective RU-vidr. Hope you'll return eventually, but in the meanwhile best of luck!

Sad to hear you're taking a break as I've been very much enjoying your content for the last 3 or so years. But you do what you must! If you'll ever come back, though, I'm certainly here for it :)

Oh my god, your goodbye was like a gut punch. I've loved every project of yours. Thanks for all of the work you've done.

We really should mention Kai Rosenkranz's incredible music for the Gothic series. The soundtrack is amazing.

Thank you so much for consistently delivering such high quality content. I am sorry that you have grown disillusioned with RU-vid, but I do not blame you and I wish you the best.

I look forward to anything you decide to make in the future. Without exaggeration, you're my favourite ever game reviewer, and through your channel I've been introduced to plenty of games I'd never heard of and would never have had the chance to play otherwise. Wish you all the best and thank you for all the videos you've made.

I'm not a long time fan, I saw your exorbitantly long Skyrim video and I've been hooked ever since. But I am really thankful for what you have done. These past few months have been incredibly hard and your voice has kept me company through a good chunk of it. The work you put into researching, editing, and voicing these videos is astounding. If you're gone for good, then good. Enjoy your life! Have fun and feel rested. If you're ever back, we'll all be here to listen together again.

How can one man never miss? Every video is a banger

When I played the first game for the first time, I was so confused on what to do due to the lack of handholding, that I immediately fell in love with it. Nothing beats figuring things out yourself. Thank you for covering this series. I haven't always agreed with your opinions on some games or aspects of them, but you are the first specific game/series essay type of RU-vidr that I could get into it and haven't stopped since the day I found you. Sometimes I might disagree with your critiques, but I've pretty much always agreed with you about the good parts. If you need a break or to stop altogether, then I'll be sad, but ultimately understanding. You should put yourself first.

I hope this is not your last video, but i want to just say that i've enjoyed all the critiques and retrospectives you released and i always want to hear your insight and thoughts because they are very interesting to me, you really do go in depth and talk about everything. Take how much time you need for yourself man, but know that i will surely await your return because i consider you to be one of the best critiques of video games out there period. I wish you all the best!

Time always goes by really fast when I watch these videos. They're always really enjoyable to kick back and listen to/watch. Thanks for the work you put into them!

Just as I am finishing my Chronicles of Myrtana playthrough one of my favs drops a super long Gothic video. Oh this is going to be such a treat. Thank you for all the fantastic content over these four years. All the best in whatever you will be doing from now on. Truly, thank you.

Marvelous piece of work. Ty for an awesome video essay.

Thank you and best of luck to you and your channel. I appreciate all the hard work for this and every video you make. Please keep making content

I understood form your comment about the progression that there are games that are equal or even better than Gothic. I'm curious to know some examples. I've just started the series a few months ago, and I've never seen anything near the greatness of Gothic when it comes to progression. I'm not a huge gamer though, and haven't played a lot of similar titles so I'd love to know more games that shine on that aspect.

Thanks for all the great content. You gotta do what is best for you. Hope you come back one day, but if you don't, know that what you did was appreciated.

Woah! I moved from the US to Germany about ten years ago and until now I never understood why everyone talked about gothic. Thanks:D

The open world of Gothic is unparalleled. It feels so vivid and worthy to explore.

One of my favourite video game essayists covering one of my favourite games, thank you so much NeverKnowsBest!

also massively popular in ua and ru this masterpiece of a game. should have highlighted it on the map! all in all i was not expecting this at all, so huge shoutouts and appreciation for you, brother. legendary.

Wasn't ready for that ending, and this is the first video of yours I'm watching. *Thank YOU* for all you've done. Gonna do myself a favor and put your whole channel in my watch later, and chip away at it over the next while.

I have watched most of your videos, and many of them 4-5 times at this point. I think the MMO related videos you made were incredible. Always one of my favorite creator's to see pop up in my subscription feed, so I will be sad if this is really it, but will always be extremely happy with what has been made up to this point.

If this is really the last video, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your thoughtful essays on these niche and underrated games, you'll be sorely missed.

Although it makes me sad but thank you for the content you have provided us, this channel is possibly my favorite youtube channel. Its just different. Hope you do get back to it sometime and get the recognition you deserve.

I’ve played less than half of the games you cover in this channel but I still watch most of these videos. Seeing a new upload from you has always been exciting. So thanks for all the content so far and hopefully you’ll find the motivation to upload here again some day (no pressure tho lol)

Wow, you have earned yourself a new subscriber with this video. Very glad I found your stuff and I am wishing you all the best for whatever next project you do. Thank you for this awesome work.

24:10 That's pure poetry right here, describing the key difference between Gothic and RDR2! And it's probably something that an NPC in Gothic would say. Thanks for making this, the Gothic series is still so special because despite being medieval fantasy, it has such a different vibe and grit than e.g., Witcher 3 or Elder Scrolls.

Thank you for the run and making the videos. I look forward to whatever, whenever you make future content.

This style of video is certainly the best on the platform. There are very few people who make full length movies about video games in the same way you do, and i hope that you make a return at some point. Best of luck man, been a slice, love your videos!

I'm going to miss having new content, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the videos you've made and will continue to do so. I hope you can find that enthousiasm again, no matter where or how. Thanks for the vids!

You're one of the favorite content creators. No one else does video essays like yours. If this is your last video, then sincerely thank you for the work you've on this platform.

Thx for everything. You have been one of my favorite RU-vidrs and game critics for years now. I wish you the all the best

I genuinely hope you rest well. I've been watching and enjoying every videos you've made for the past year or so. You will be missed, but by all means do take your time.

I just finished the video and I am honestly going to miss your retrospectives. They're one of my favourites and you should be more popular than Salt if I'm being totally honest. Loved your work throughout the years and I hope you have fun with the videos on the other channel!

I usually do not leave any comments due to my poor english and because i mostly listen to such essays on run, while doing my daily stuff, this time i would like to say, that you, my friend, are doing some of the best essay stuff here, on youtube, and losing such a talent like yours on this platform would be very sad, to say the least. Thanks for the amazing stuff you gave us, and hope to see something new from you here, on this channel in future. Good luck!