Gothic's remake lockpicking saga has been one of my favorite gaming anecdotes for years because it captures an entire genre debate in a single mechanic! In 2018, Alkimia Interactive remade Gothic (the original was from 2003) with 'easy mode' lockpicking that replaced the old skill-based system — and fans lost their minds. Then, they added ANOTHER lockpicking mechanic back into a new expansion in 2024, which is like asking someone to re-decide whether or not you should let them use a hammer. The honest question this raises: does anyone actually enjoy minigame lockpicking? Usually no; most people just want the door open so they can keep playing. But when failure isn't skill-based and instead feels arbitrary, it stops being flavor text and starts feeling like an editor saying 'stop.' You need systems where skill matters and the player makes real choices — not binary toggles that remove agency under the guise of accessibility. I want my lockpicking to mean something; I don't need a tutorial for why every door in a prison should be locked.

Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gothic-remake-lockpicking-backlash-raises-the-fascinating-question-of-whether-anybody-really-enjoys-lockpicking-in-rpgs