Gothic 2 The Chronicles of Myrtana Archolos

The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos is a free modification for the game Gothic 2: Night Of The Raven created in about six years by the native team The Chronicles Of Myrtana Team. This mod is distinguished from other similar creations not only by a storyline lasting about 60 hours (we can do 170 quests and 200 random events and meet 1400 NPCs) and new mechanics, but most of all - a complete Polish dubbing recorded by professional actors such as Mirosław Zbrojewicz, Cezary Żak, Artur Barciś, Kamil Pruban, Olga Borys or Michał Klawiter playing the main role.

Plot

Protagonist of the mod is Marvin (people who played Gothic with codes should know this name). The boy escapes from his native island of Londram with his older brother, Jorn, and tries to get to the eponymous Archolos, where their uncle lives. The reason for starting the journey is the death of both their mother and father, as well as the specter of war with orcs, which hangs over the siblings' house. The brothers board a ship and, together with a group of refugees, set out for a new life.

The plan quickly goes awry, as the captain of the ship decides to cheat the passengers and they have to fight for their lives from the beginning. The island of Archolos itself does not turn out to be as idyllic as it might seem, and the monsters lurking on the roads are only one of the threats. The Araxos Merchant's Guild, the Water Mages and the Volfzack heirs have a lot of influence in the region, and the turbulent times they are living in are a great opportunity to gain autonomy.

Marvin quickly becomes entangled in the intrigues of Archolos and will have to find a way to survive in a world full of betrayal, opportunism and conflicting interests. His - or rather the player's - decisions will affect both his surroundings and the lives of the people he encounters on his journey. The choices made by the hero will also partly shape the reality which is the beginning of the first Gothic, that is, lead to the creation of the Magic Barrier around the Mining Valley on the island of Khorinis. Interestingly, the mod's plot, which takes place ten years before that event, is one hundred percent in line with the lore of the Piranha Bytes games.

Mechanics

The gameplay in Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos does not differ significantly from what we know from the first two installments of the Gothic series. We observe the character from a third-person perspective and the core of the game consists of dialogues, exploration and combat. All three activities can be rewarded with experience points, which allow the protagonist to advance to higher levels. However, the protagonist's skills do not increase automatically and he has to be trained by teachers encountered in the game world.

Marvin can become proficient with various types of melee (swords, daggers, axes, etc.) and ranged (bows, crossbows) weapons - the modification offers over a hundred new armor and weapons with a unique look. The path of magic is also open to the hero, as well as the training of strength and dexterity. The protagonist can also learn useful abilities such as opening locks, pickpocketing or crafting items. The system behind the latter has been significantly refined and developed compared to what was offered in the first installments of Gothic, so we can not only forge swords or brew potions, but also cook, write magic scrolls or produce ammunition.

Archolos Island

These skills we will use on the island of Archolos, full of vineyards, farms and villages. Mention of it appeared in the first Gothic, but until now we could not see this corner of the world with our own eyes. The jewel in the crown of the region is undoubtedly the city of Archolos - the largest human seat, which was presented in the Gothic trilogy. In addition to him on the island we can find, among other things, deep mines and the monastery of Adanos.

Mod reception

Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos proved to be quite a success. Within five days of its release the mod was downloaded over 100 thousand times; less than two weeks after its debut as many as 98% of its reviews on Steam were positive. Most of the downloads, about 70-75%, were made by players from Poland. Nevertheless, the modification also gained popularity abroad, especially in Russia and Germany. The creators were pleasantly surprised by such a warm reception of Myrtana Chronicles: Archolos, for which Mateusz Pawłowski, speaking on their behalf, thanked the fans. The authors stated, however, that they would rather not decide on a second project of this type.

Soundtrack

Also noteworthy is the soundtrack composed for the modification. Its part consists of new arrangements of classic tracks from the Gothic trilogy, but next to them there are also completely new pieces. In total, the soundtrack consists of 34 tracks composed by Kamil Jędrzejewski, who performed them together with Szymon Nawrocki and Andante's Inferno orchestra. The whole album is available for free on Steam.