okes about eyeliner and cutting holes in hoodies aside, Gothic 3 is an interesting experiment in gaming. So many compelling concepts are present here, and they all go to waste due to the worst RPG combat system I have ever come across in my life. From Might & Magic to The Bard’s Tale (yes, the ones from the ‘80s) to Morrowind, I have never in my life seen a battle mechanic broken to this extent.

The core idea behind Gothic 3 is that the player’s actions within the game’s enormous open world affect how the conflicts play out. Think of it as being like Oblivion, but you can choose to help any of the game’s factions achieve their ends at the expense of others. This system is good in theory, and to be fair, Gothic 3’s world is brilliantly realized in many respects. Sadly, the game is just no fun to play.

Combat in Gothic 3 is, to put it plainly, broken beyond repair. Getting hit by just about any attack sends you (or your enemy) into a long hit-recovery animation during which you can’t do anything. If you get hit again during this period, the animation starts over, making fighting multiple foes all but impossible. The rage engendered by being killed by lowly wolves despite being a magic-sword-wielding, spell-slinging, high-level badass is unbelievable. Try as you might, there’s no way to make the combat fun or balanced – and no way to avoid it. Every time I started to enjoy some other element of the game, I’d get thrown into a combat situation that completely destroyed any fun I may have been having. If you must play this game, make sure to save every two minutes or so, because that’s about how often you’ll die.

It’s sad to see so many good ideas go to waste. From the exploration of the wondrous world to the intricate political situation of its denizens, Gothic 3 nails a good chunk of the role-player’s wet dream. The character progression is solid and the core mechanics are good, yet I will never ever recommend this to anyone that I even remotely like. Yes, one broken system can ruin a game this completely.