Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

In the port for Nintendo Switch, Gothic 2 shows its best side and offers one of the best opportunities to catch up on the role-playing classic.

Still an outstanding role-playing game that is seeing its second spring on the Switch. However, it also suffers from technical issues.

The Switch port of Gothic II delivers the game more or less as-is, plus the Night of the Raven expansion. There are some new motion controls here but I wouldn’t really recommend them. For better or worse, this is the game. If you enjoyed the port of the first game, you’ll like this even more. If you didn’t, you might want to step cautiously. There are a lot of things you’ll have to deal with in this game to properly enjoy it, and only some of those are due to it being a game from the turn of the millennium. If you can get used to the quirks endemic to this series, however, the rewards are many.

After the excellent porting work on Gothic, Gothic II also deserves the same treatment, with religious care. DLC is also added to the game package to make the entire experience even more engaging.

The legendary RPG remains timeless on the Switch and plays excellently. Gothic II Complete Classic has a dense atmosphere, a great story, and the console controls suit it perfectly. Even with a few bugs and technical issues, there are noticeably fewer compared to its predecessor.

Gothic 2 Complete Classic finally brings a great action RPG on Switch. You can see that the original is from 2002/2003, but beside the aged technology even the presentation is still an important contribute to an intensive atmosphere. The Switch port is a good chance for fans to experience this real classic again. Series newcomers should be aware of a relatively high difficulty level and a lack of modern comfort functions.

As long as you’re patient, there’s a lot to enjoy in Gothic 2, from the quest structure, to the scope of the world, and detailed plot, the world is filled with secrets and discoveries to make. It is clear to this day that were Gothic 1 provided the vision, Gothic 2 is when Piranha Bytes really converted. To this day you could argue that this is the team’s finest work, and the closest it has ever come to climbing out of the “Eurojank” space to simply sit next to Bethesda, BioWare and Obsidian in the upper echelons of the genre (historically, at least).

Despite its flaws, Gothic II remains a fascinating relic, a testament to the ambition and innovation of early open-world RPGs. While its clunky controls, outdated mechanics, and fetch-quest-heavy narrative might not resonate with modern players, its intricate world-building, hidden secrets, and surprisingly complex player agency shine through even today. It's a game that demands patience, but rewards exploration with a sense of discovery and genuine joy in overcoming its challenges. Ultimately, Gothic II's legacy lies not in its polish but in its pioneering spirit. It helped lay the groundwork for the genre we know and love, and for that, it deserves our respect, even if I ultimately choose to leave its clunky controls and endless errands in the past.

If you really like the action RPG genre, Gothic II Complete Classic is a decent historical entry. I found elements which engage and disappoint in equal measure. Ultimately, the frustrations overpowered the attractions, and I was just as happy to put the game away.

The Switch port is kind of bittersweet for me. The game itself is as great as it was years ago. But if I'm doing the remaster, couldn't it have been done better? [Issue#332]