Just now Gothic 1 celebrated its 20th birthday as it was released on the 15th of March in 2001. It's a rather old game, but it's still the most atmospheric journey I've ever been on and my favourite game of all time. Every german kid of my generation knows it, but in the end it remained a rather european phenomenon, just like the first Witcher games for instance. I'd say it's one of the most underrated RPGs of the classical era due to that geographical limitation.
What was so good about Gothic 1? I'd say it was the atmosphere, the progression, the open world and the unfamiliar, vulgar dialogue writing.
The game starts with a roughneck punching into your face right away and that's when you learn that this game isn't going to make it easy for you. Gothic managed to not only show you in combat but narrate you by the actions and words other people gave you that you are nothing but yet a vermin in the mine colony you got thrown in. Other characters remind you of that fact by insulting you in very colloquial, vulgar ways.
Looking at the armory of those people that bully you gives you the urge to submerge from the dust and find such glory yourself in this rough world. In the beginning, everybody is abusing you. Your low social value is a real barrier you're facing at the beginning. You have to chose a faction and only then you'll slowly earn the respect of the other characters.
In this way, the progression is narrated and inherent motivation right from the start. In general, Gothic's progression feels impactful all the time. You get very few experience points, that you can spend on learning different things, like one handed-sword fight, hunting, archery, or even acrobatics. If you learn acrobatics, you can jump over certain obstacles in the map, so that you can explore areas that you wouldn't have been able without. Spending skill points on singular but meaningful things often feels almost game breakingly impactful as a progression.
Gothic has a very dark european middle ages, >gothic< atmosphere. This is something I value in video games: It's not the attempt of a realistic representation of what was (sorry, Kingdom Come Deliverance) but an individual, genuine aesthetic take on it. The energy barrier on the sky and weather like mist and rain make your surroundings feel different all the time, the light of the day hits very different during different hours.
Another thing Gothic managed perfectly was the map. When somebody asks me why I don't like other Open Worlds, I have to think of Gothic. Gothic's map is not huge, but you can go everywhere right from the start and every tiny part of it gives you the feeling that there could be something relevant to explore. Open World maps want to amaze you by their size, not by their content, and that's terribly superficial. As the story progresses, events change the map and give you the pleasant feeling of interesting change in familiar surroundings. By learning new skills or finding new items you can progress at places where you've been stalled before. Your progression is notably interwined with your exploration of the open world.
I don't know if it's still easily digestible and there's also a remake on the way, I can definitely say that I prefer the look of the old one as it evokes an uncomparable atmosphere and I think you should give it a go if you haven't.
