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Arcania: A Gothic Tale
Arcania logo
Developer(s)	EU Spellbound Entertainment
Publisher(s)	EU JoWooD Entertainment NA DreamCatcher Interactive
Series	Gothic
Engine	Trinigy (with PhysX)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Release date(s)	2010[1]
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player
System requirements	PC Minimum Requirements [2] Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP / Vista Direct X Version: DirectX 9.0c or higher Hard Disk Space: 10 GB + 600 MB virtual memory DVD Drive: 6x DVD ROM Drive Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz, AMD Athlon 3500+ RAM: 1 GB (Windows XP), 1.5 GB (Windows Vista) Graphics Accelerator: ATI 1800XT, Shader Model 3, 256 MB, Nvidia GeForce 6800 Sound Card: DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card

Arcania: A Gothic Tale is the fourth installment of the Gothic series, and the second one to be developed by a company other than Piranha Bytes; the game will be developed by Spellbound.^[3] The first teaser trailer revealed that Arcania is scheduled to be released in Winter 2009, but it's not confirmed by JoWooD Entertainment so the release date is still unknown.^[4] At the 2008 Games Convention in Leipzig, JoWooD Entertainment presented Arcania behind closed doors, but despite all the security measures, a visitor managed to film a short gameplay video from Arcania. The video has achieved great success among fans.^[5] In 2009, JoWooD Entertainment released the official website for Arcania: A Gothic Tale, revealing new information, screenshots and artworks.^[6]

In August 2009 JoWooD Entertainment announced that Arcania: A Gothic Tale will be delayed until 2010, giving Spellbound more time to polish the game. JoWooD Entertainment plans to make Arcania an AAA title - the most successful title from the Gothic Series, and one of the best RPGs of 2010.^[7]

In September 2009 the Gothic Community sent a letter to JoWooD Entertainment, complaining about the lack of support and information regarding Arcania: A Gothic Tale.^[8]

Description

Ten years have passed since the end of Gothic 3 and the world has changed - the Southern Islands have become embroiled in conflict, and set the stage for the player to brave countless adventures in the guise of a nameless hero. Decisions will have to be made which will change not only the future of the Southern Islands, but of the entire world. Old acquaintances and new faces will aid the hero or attempt to thwart his efforts throughout his journey.

^[9]

Engine

JoWooD and Spellbound Entertainment announced a cooperation with Trinigy, a provider of 3D game engine technology. In the scope of a multi-platform license agreement, Spellbound is developing “Arcania: A Gothic Tale” utilizing Trinigy’s latest Vision Game Engine 7.

Arcania's physics engine will be NVIDIA GPU PhysX as confirmed by a JoWooD Entertainment representative.^[10]

Plot

War covers over the Southern Islands like a blood-drenched shroud... and finally, War reaches the idyllic isle of Feshyr in the Southern Seas. The protagonist of Arcania - A Gothic Tale returns from an adventure to find his home town pillaged and looted. The aggressors’ ships - with an Eagle displayed on their billowing sails - escape over the horizon.

Seeking revenge, the hero leaves the destroyed city behind and soon realizes that this cowardly attack did not just happen on a reckless mercenary's whim. An evil power lies waiting at the threshold of this world, and our hero will need to face this nameless evil. Yet the hero is not alone - his fate is linked to that of a beautiful, mysterious lady as well as a powerful artifact from the long-forgotten distant past, which plays a major role in the grandiose new RPG adventure.^[11]

Development

The start of the development was officially announced on August 23, 2007, along with the name of the new developer.^[3] The project was originally entitled Gothic 4: Genesis; the name change to Gothic 4: Arcania was announced in 2008.^[12][13] At the Games Convention in 2008, JoWooD Entertainment announced the final name for the game - "Arcania: A Gothic Tale". The name change serves two purposes. First, it hints at a world rich in magic and fantasy. Second, and completely from a marketing perspective, it helps give the Gothic franchise a fresh start in North America, where it has failed to gain significant popularity.^[14]

Gameplay

Gameplay Videos

- Leaked Gameplay Video @ Games Convention 2008[1]

- E3 2009: Arcania Developer Walkthorugh Part 1&2[2]

- GameStar: Arcania E3 2009 Video Preview[3]

- PCGames: Video Preview[4]

References

External links

• Official Website