Hands on with Gothic 3: The Beginning

We've got a theory (something we'll expand upon in a feature soon) about a new trend in mobile games which, for want of a better phrase, we'll describe as 'The New Hardcore'. No, it's nothing to do with pr0n.

Instead, it's the increasing number of immersive, absorbing and unashamedly complex RPGs and strategy games, which are finding a mobile audience despite the industry's usual focus on casual puzzlers and retro arcade games. While those genres may be popular and well suited to mobile, it's a sign that there are more gamers out there craving something else.

Gothic 3: The Beginning is a good example. Based on a popular PC RPG, it's an ambitious attempt to take the genre mobile. The stats tell part of the story: 14 enemy types, 28 weapons, ten types of armour, more than 50 unique maps, and a whopping 1,200 lines of dialogue. It's a big game, suffice to say.

We've been playing a preview version this week, and the experience is certainly about more than number crunching. As you can tell from the screenshots, there's been a great deal of effort put into making an attractive game, with visually impressive environments and characterful sprites.

That, along with the AI, looks set to make Gothic 3 a believable gameworld – an essential attribute for the RPG genre.

There also looks to be plenty of opportunity for character development, with three initial classes we'd loosely characterise as Fighter, Archer (well, 'ranged combatant') or Wizard. There are 30 character levels to work through, with four attributes (strength, dexterity, hit points and mana) and five skills (one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons, bows, crossbows and lock-picking).

Gothic 3 is looking good, in short, with depth allied to controls designed for mobile. Publisher Handy-Games reckons there'll be five to six hours of gameplay, so we're looking forward to cracking through the final version in time for its release next month.

Click 'Track It!' to see if it matches up to our hugely positive first impressions.