The Witcher Review

When a good RPG comes along and makes people take notice, it's usually for one of two reasons. The first is that it takes many of the conventions of the genre and implements them really well and the second is that it's something different than what gamers have seen before. The Witcher falls into this second category.

Let's begin with the game's setting which is based on the novels of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. You play as Geralt, a member of group of mercenary warriors known as The Witchers who hunt down monsters and other nasty threats. In a typical RPG The Witchers would be paragons of virtue, unquestionably righteous in the face of true evil, but this is not your typical RPG. This medieval world is more a mirror of reality than of idealistic fantasy. The Witchers are viewed with mixed feelings by their fellow humans and some people are really no better than the monsters you slay. The line between good and evil is grayer than you'll find in almost any other RPG, and the choices that you make in the game do not fit neatly into traditional "good option or evil option" decisions. If you save a rapist from a ghoul, are you really a hero? Geralt could just as easily be a hardboiled PI making his way through the dark underbelly of a large city as he is a mercenary knight. Even the dialog in the game is unique for an RPG, with contemporary slang sprinkled the occasional expletive deleted and nary a "thou" in sight. It all makes for a fascinating breath of fresh air in a genre that's frequently far too stuffy.

It's not just the story and setting that set this game apart; it's also the mechanics of the gameplay itself. Battles take place in real-time but the developers have implemented a system that not only does not rely on fast-clicking enemies, but penalizes you from trying to do so. Click on an enemy as he is striking you and you're more likely to be knocked back than to him. Try rapid-clicking an enemy and you'll be lucky to get a feeble hit or two in. Close the distance to an enemy and pick the right moment to strike and your attack will succeed. If you wait until the mouse cursor turns into a small flaming icon before clicking again then you'll begin working on a combo attack sequence. Miss the right moment and your attack is broken off. The first few fights will seem strange to you and they may not go so well, but once you get the hang of the combat in the game you'll find yourself growing to love this simple but elegant system.

There's a bit more strategy involved here than learning to time your attacks. There are multiple attack stances that you can take and some are better against some enemies than other. You can you choose to strike quickly and often, to hit slow but hard, or to swing in wide arcs to keep multiple enemies at bay. Switching between stances is easy because the game will let you pause the battles at any time to choose your stance, drink a potion, of even to simply think about what to do next. You can also use the paused time to select your current spell. A click of the right mouse button during a battle will unleash the currently set spell.

While the game doesn't give you a choice of character type or class, you can customize Geralt to your liking through the game's skill trees. As you level up you'll earn points that can be distributed to trees of fighting and spell skills and physical attributes. If you prefer to be more of a fighter, you'll be able to earn new attacks and combos as you make your way through the fighting skills tree. If you prefer the magical arts, then you can spend points to unlock new and more powerful spells.

The Witcher is thoroughly enjoyable but it's not without some issues, primarily with camera angles and navigation. Plus, the game is rife with long loading screens which detracts from the illusion far too often for a game that creates such a vivid and fascinating world. Still it's highly recommended for any RPG fan who could use a break from leading noble elves against vile orcs.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 90%. If most RPGs were as interesting as The Witcher, I would spend a lot more time playing RPGs.