MaybeMusic

Gothic 3

Year: 2006
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST) / Gamerip
Composer(s): Kai Rosenkranz
Number of tracks: 29 / 55


Magic Made in Germany

Oh, how time flies. How I loved Gothic 3 . And hated it. And loved it. And hated it again. My brother and I bought the game as soon as it came out in October 2006, installed it agonizingly slowly on our far too ill-equipped PC and immediately put it on the lowest possible settings. The game started: the combat system was unfamiliar, the AI was horrible and even the first side quest buggy. It was a firework display of despair, a journey of discovery into the depths of my own frustration. Version 1.0, or rather 0.2, in which the game was shipped, was legendary. At this point, I'll briefly link to the bug video created by GameStar magazine at the time GameStar , which perfectly illustrates what a disaster the game was back then. Incidentally, it still received an 86% rating and was crowned "PC Game of the Year 2006".

Despite its shortcomings, I played through the bugfest several times, partly because that's how it was done back then - you didn't have an alternative after all. Buying a new game for €50 was a commitment, and you had to see it through. And there were also patches... on the bonus CDs from games magazines, since we didn't have the internet. Oh yes, Memories. But I don't even want to talk about the game, which nowadays, at least in terms of gameplay, can hardly bear witness to its former brilliance. But what really excited me back then, apart from the world, was the orchestral soundtrack that came with the boxed version as a CD. A novelty for me, and in fact one of, if not the first soundtrack in my collection.

The music was composed by Kai Rosenkranz, Piranha Bytes' in-house musician - and what music it was. As soon as we arrive in the world of Myrtana at the start of the game, we have to fight the orc invaders. We draw our swords and suddenly horns sound and drums cheer us on (the track is entitled "Showdown"). It sounds as if we are on the front line, as if an army is charging, then the music surges back, back and forth, accompanied by a fantastic melody that screams fantasy and epic at the same time. As soon as the battle is over, the roar dies away. It gives way to a gentle melody ("Vista Point"), played on a flute, accompanied by harps and strings. In our mind's eye, green pastures and far-off lands stretch out, calling for discovery. The actual game reflects this atmosphere wonderfully, and hardly any open-world game has provided me with such an immersive introduction, at least musically - the Mass Effect-series is an exception here, for example. I just did wanted to get out and discover this world.

I think a nostalgia warning is in order at this point. Anyone who can do the math knows that I was 14 at the time when I played Gothic 3 for the first time and that my ratings therefore include a lot of bonus points. But that doesn't change the fact that the soundtrack was produced to a high standard and, which was not a given back then and still isn't today, was recorded by a real orchestra. The fact that real physical musicians were at work here can be heard not only in the "Main Theme (Gothic 3)", which initially rises and falls softly, before the orchestra swells together with the wind instruments into a symphony, which then, accompanied by the choir, unleashes itself in a fantastic overture to a similarly fantastic adventure.

However, as Gothic 3 offers different biomes, from the cold mountains of Northmar to the Varant desert, the music is also ethnically diverse. However, the songs are based on established stereotypes: if we walk through the steppe or a Bedouin settlement, we hear tablas and qanuns (Arabic drums and zithers, and yes, I had to look up the names), while on the snowy peaks we hear deep horns and lonely strings. That's why my rating here is less positive, as well as the fact that it's not my preferred style of music.

Where the soundtrack scores points, however, is in the wooded inland of Myrtana, in the medieval towns and flat grasslands. This is where the delicate tones resound, often accompanied by a harp - an instrument that invites cheesiness, but in my opinion fits the composition perfectly. Admittedly, Gothic 3 is hardly any different musically from comparable fantasy games, but the overall package is certainly convincing. And because I'm a fantasy fan anyway, this soundtrack offers a nice facet that enriches the genre and my everyday life. A clear recommendation from me!


Nostalgia warning

The rating of the individual tracks is purely subjective and clearly colored by my own experience with the game. You can find out more in the article About Nostalgia.

Gothic 3

Nr.TitleInterpret(en)Ratings
01Gothic 3Kai Rosenkranz55/5
02Opening SequenceKai Rosenkranz44/5
03Xardas TowerKai Rosenkranz44/5
04Vista PointKai Rosenkranz55/5
05RuinfieldsKai Rosenkranz44/5
06Dark PresenceKai Rosenkranz44/5
07Orc CampKai Rosenkranz44/5
08From Silden to TrelisKai Rosenkranz55/5
09Ominous WoodsKai Rosenkranz55/5
10ShowdownKai Rosenkranz44/5
11The DigKai Rosenkranz55/5
12SlavesKai Rosenkranz44/5
13Divine PowersKai Rosenkranz44/5
14Venguard ThemeKai Rosenkranz55/5
15Exploring MyrtanaKai Rosenkranz55/5
16RevolutionKai Rosenkranz55/5
17Northmar (Upper Level)Kai Rosenkranz44/5
18The Creation of the BarrierKai Rosenkranz44/5
19Vista Point (Reprise)Kai Rosenkranz55/5
20Desert SunKai Rosenkranz33/5
21Welcome to VarantKai Rosenkranz55/5
22Northmar (Lower Level)Kai Rosenkranz33/5
23Sad StringsKai Rosenkranz44/5
24The EndKai Rosenkranz44/5
25End TitlesKai Rosenkranz44/5
26In My DreamsAlice Taylor44/5
27Is Nomine VacansCorvus Corax33/5
28Welcome to the BronxShelly Quest44/5
29Bring Back the MagicSteve Baltes RMX22/5

Gothic 3 [Gamerip]

Nr.TitleInterpret(en)Ratings
01Gothic 3*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
02Opening [Opening Sequence]*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
03Orc Camp*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
04The Barrier [The Creation of the Barrier]*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
05Exploring Myrtana*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
06Myrtanian NightsKai Rosenkranz22/5
07Ominous Woods*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
08Ominous NightsKai Rosenkranz33/5
09A King's City [From Silden to Trelis]*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
10Castle NightsKai Rosenkranz33/5
11Vista Point*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
12CascadesKai Rosenkranz33/5
13A Lovely LocationKai Rosenkranz33/5
14The Curse of GothaKai Rosenkranz44/5
15The Tower of GothaKai Rosenkranz33/5
16The Castle of FaringKai Rosenkranz22/5
17Sad Strings*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
18Vengard [Venguard Theme]*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
19Vista Point (Reprise)*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
20HighlandsKai Rosenkranz22/5
21Northmar [Northmar (Lower Level)]*Kai Rosenkranz33/5
22The Clans of Northmar [Northmar (Upper Level)]*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
23MonasteryKai Rosenkranz22/5
24Xardas [Xardas Tower]*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
25Living AncestorsKai Rosenkranz11/5
26Enter the DungeonKai Rosenkranz33/5
27Dark PresenceKai Rosenkranz33/5
28Ore MineKai Rosenkranz22/5
29LiberationKai Rosenkranz22/5
30Revolution*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
31SuccessKai Rosenkranz44/5
32DeathKai Rosenkranz44/5
33Dark CavesKai Rosenkranz22/5
34Clearing CavernsKai Rosenkranz22/5
35ArenaKai Rosenkranz11/5
36ShowtimeKai Rosenkranz22/5
37Hunting GroundsKai Rosenkranz33/5
38Welcome to Varant*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
39Desert Sun*Kai Rosenkranz33/5
40Desert MoonKai Rosenkranz22/5
41Scalding DuelsKai Rosenkranz33/5
42Death ValleyKai Rosenkranz33/5
43Ruinfields*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
44Slaves*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
45The Dig*Kai Rosenkranz55/5
46IshtarKai Rosenkranz44/5
47ZubenKai Rosenkranz11/5
48Showdown*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
49Hunting Grounds [Alternate]Kai Rosenkranz33/5
50Divine Powers*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
51The End*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
52End Titles*Kai Rosenkranz44/5
53Soul TravelKai Rosenkranz55/5
54BeliarKai Rosenkranz22/5
55Credits [Bonus]Kai Rosenkranz44/5

*Track contained in the Original Soundtrack

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