The game wouldn't work without the help of some mods. The open world in Gothic beats open worlds in many games today. It's not a huge world, but packed with cool places to explore and monsters to hunt. Early on, most things can kill you and most characters don't care for you until you prove your worth. But Gothic is not all serious and still knows when to crack a joke. All of that combined creates a unique atmosphere that still brings me back to this game. The first chapter, which consists of visitng the main three camps, is in my opinion the strongest part of the game that fully displays the aforementioned atmosphere. Every chapter after that is more focused on the main plot, which moves at a good pace and has some neat twists and turns along the way. The unique, and frankly pretty janky combat, cannot go unmentioned as it's the biggest turn-off for newcomers. While after many replays I've gotten used to the combat and don't mind it anymore, I do remember struggling with it on my very first playthrough. It's a significant weak point of the game, but I highly suggest people try to get used to how it works so they can experience what made Gothic so beloved. Lure enemies one by one, use ranged weapons, heal and save often. Good luck.
Revisiting this game after having played through the trilogy once, the first Witcher still holds up really well and stands as the second best game in the series, in my opinion. The overall jankiness of the game doesn't stand in the way of its fantastic story, characters and atmosphere. The gameplay grows on you and feels more rewarding the more care you put into preparing the right setup for different encounters. If you end up liking the game enough to replay it, I encourage you to take different choices and see how that affects the story, because it's worth it.
