The Witcher, developed by Red Studio, is an interesting title. It’s basically a mixture of an rpg and a story driven adventure. The game is based on the sinister fantasy novels from the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. His books provide the game with a vibrant and intriguing plot, that starts developing as soon as you enter the game. When you play The Witcher the first time, be sure to watch the cinematic intro. It gives you a decent impression what the game is all about and it introduces Geralt, your avatar. Besides an introduction to the game, it’s also something thats worth watching from a cinematic point of view. It’s one of the best game intros I have ever seen, with whirling action and stunning camera work.
The Witcher is labeled as an rpg. And sure, the game incorporates quite a few rpg elements, like character development, the story driven action and of course the questing system. Nevertheless, for an rpg title I would expect more freedom of choice. From the moment you start the game you need to follow the main storyline and there is little variation possible. The first hours of gameplay are basically an interactive movie, you watch a dialog or event. Complete a task given to you, followed with an other movie, with a new task to complete. I can imagine the developers using this at the beginning of the game, letting the player familiarize with the game world, the plot and their avatar. But it’s just to rigid, and takes you out of the actual game to often. Rpg titles like Morrowind, and it’s sequel Oblivion, weave their story much better in the actual gameplay. You always feel your part of a bigger story, but it’s not forced upon you like in The Witcher. The game gets more “open” after a while, but don’t expect a real freedom of choice.
The Witcher uses an unique mouse controlled combat system. At first it feels limited, even a little awkward, but it’s actually pretty good. It just takes some time to get used to, after all the standard “smash a button” games I’ve played recently. You left click a target, and after a critical hit your mouse changes, and you are ready to initiate a chain of attacks. This system, in combination with the parry moves, provide a decent amount of combat options. The game has more of these nifty improvements. Red Studio actually took the time to evaluate some heavily used game mechanics, and developed their own if needed.
The game world looks great, it feels alive and has an unique dark atmosphere. The game’s modeling and texture work is done with care, and the way they implemented light & shadows is absolutely awesome. The animations however are rather simplistic, and show little variation, very strange for a game that received some much love in every other aspect.
If you fancy games where you really have the freedom to choose you own path, or just explore, The Witcher will be a disappointment. If you are looking for a deep story driven adventure, with a few rpg elements thrown in the mix, The Witcher is definitely a game for you.
Tags: rpg
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