The Witcher

Starting with the introductory cinematic - one of the best I've ever seen - the player becomes deeply involved in this grim story. That's what the game feels like. A very complicated, intriguing, and interesting tale. Few other RPGs I've experienced can so deeply pull the player in to the plot as this one does.

Such is the emphasis here, and the character choice that is so integral to other games is non-existent. Yet I enjoyed the lack of choice in characters since it kept the focus squarely on the story, where it quite refreshingly belonged. In fact, this is almost the polar opposite of one of my favorite series of games, the Elder Scrolls, in that there is no choice but to become wrapped up in the main plot line.

Besides the story, many other things are relatively unique or at the least uncommon for an RPG in The Witcher. This is, first and foremost, a very adult game, unlike most RPGs I've played. There is foul language, sexual situations, and many morally ambiguous decisions to be made. The world is dark and seedy, with many unsavory characters, prostitution, organized crime, drugs, bribery, fencing, gambling, widespread corruption, and much more. The setting is rife with crime, disease, and political intrigue. The combat system involves not endless, quick clicking, but slow clicking to time and string together a series of attacks. Several of the monsters are not clearly "evil" and do not attack the player on sight but attempt to reason and convince him to spare them or help them lift their curse.

Speaking of the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, he has striking similarities to other fictional characters that are favorites of mine. In particular his look and combat prowess borrow heavily from Michael Moorcock's creation - Elric of Melnibone. His voice, guile, and the fact that he is a complete man-whore remind me especially of Clint Eastwood and his western "man with no name" characters from the Sergio Leone "Dollars Trilogy," or High Plains Drifter.

I do have some criticisms. Some of the dialog is corny and doesn't seem to fit the character of Geralt - such is one of the problems with using a premade character. Naturally the often long load times are cumbersome. I didn't like how dramatically the XP award for monsters dropped as Geralt rose in levels, since many creatures went down in about the same amount of time at LVL 2 as they did at level 25. A couple of the monsters were very difficult to overcome - but worse than this was the fact that such encounters often occurred at the end of a long cut-scene with no chance for saving (can't save mid-fight), so I would die and then have to go through the whole scene all over again.

Despite such flaws, this is on my top ten list of RPGs, and I've been playing them since Bard's Tale on the Apple IIe. Most certainly give it a chance. And don't forget to try the over-the-shoulder (OTS) camera viewpoint - makes it an almost entirely different game.

The first Witcher was actually a very good game, an introduction to a masterpiece franchise that tells a masterpiece polish novel.

Game begins in 1270, when Geralt of Rivia is found unconscious and amnesiac by his friends. Over time, we slowly learn that there are friends and enemies everywhere. The player's actions in the game will allow you to redefine your relationships with people and choose your path in the political intrigue that surrounds you. Since the combat system is automated, you only need to click on the enemy once with the mouse for Geralt to attack, but you need to click continuously and at the right time for him to continue. So you can also do combos. Also the block system is automatic. There are three fighting styles in total: strong, fast and group attack. We use them by choosing the most appropriate one according to the type of enemy. And we have five Witcher signs that unlock as you progress, each with a different function. Weapons and armor can be bought from the environment or from merchants.

Our character has a skill tree. When we level up, we need to meditate. For this we need a campfire, or you can squeeze a few bucks from an innkeeper or talk to some hospitable hosts and sleep in their houses. So we can distribute points. I should mention that Geralt is a master alchemist as much as he is with the sword. You can create various potions by meditating. Potions have a lasting effect. You can get the ingredients from the environment or from an alchemist with money if you don't want to deal with it. There are many different types of creatures in the game and we need to prepare Geralt for this. Drinking potions before each fight helps us survive. Especially if we are playing on high difficulty.

The game has a day and night cycle. The weather is also very variable. Sometimes there's torrential rain and sometimes there's a scorching sun. But unfortunately there is no open world and freedom in the game. There are 7 chapters and although there is a huge map throughout these chapters, there is no need to use it and Geralt is confined only to the areas where the main missions determined by the producers take place. And frankly, these areas are quite narrow and lack freedom. On top of that, we encounter a lot of loading screens in the game and this becomes annoying over time. The number of characters in the game is quite high. We have interaction with them. While the dialogs with the main characters are varied, there are simple conversations with NPCs. Sometimes, depending on the choice we make in the dialogs, the mission and story changes instantly or with consequences that we'll see later on.

I can't say that the AI is very good. Even though there are simple things like NPCs talking to themselves, sweeping in front of their houses, escaping under the roofs from the rain, etc., these things can annoy the player when they repeat themselves over and over again and you see and hear it over and over again. And sometimes they can become indifferent to what is happening around them. For example, in Vizima it's only dangerous at night. That's when things like monsters and bandits appear. When someone is being killed and eaten somewhere, you can see NPCs who see this and act as if nothing is happening. We also have a diary where these and everything else is recorded. In it, there are tutorials, information about characters, creatures, potions, maps and buildings, and much more. The game has a wide variety of camera angles depending on what the player wants. The interface is very simple. There are three difficulty levels and over 100 quests to do. I think the length of gameplay is quite sufficient.

The fact that the follower system was added just for the sake of it, and that sometimes missions put you in a situation that you are not prepared for at all, makes it difficult for players. Also, some of the missions are located far away from each other and you have to constantly travel and run around. Missions are gradual. Doing a mission does not mean you have finished it. Sometimes when you finish a side mission, another sub-mission will follow or it will be a different mission. There is a series of missions that I personally feel uncomfortable with, which are the contracts we get from the boards. There is really a logic error in these missions because when we get the contract, for example, there is a hunter who wants us to bring 10 wolf furs. In any other RPG we would simply go and kill the wolves and get the furs, but in Witcher it's not like that.

First you have to find those wolves. Wherever there are rare creatures, those quests appear in the contracts. In fact, access to the places where some creatures are located is even closed at the time we get the contract, which is a completely different nonsense. This also applies to other side quests. In order to finish some of the side quests you get, you need to progress in the main quest and open new locations. Anyway, you barely find the wolves, you slaughter them, and what do you realize, there's no fur inside? But why? Don't start questioning because the mission description states that you must first read a book about wolves. Once you learn about that animal or creature, then the contract can be dropped. This is the thing I hate the most because these books are not readily available and they are very expensive. When the contract reward is 50 oren and the book costs 100 oren, you start to go crazy. I don't understand the logic of taking a loss to make money. As you progress in the game, this gap gets wider and wider. No matter how hard you try, you cannot put money aside for a certain period of time because of the expenses.

This seems like something that is done to extend the gameplay time, but it is a factor that reduces the fluency. When you repeat these things over and over again, you can get really overwhelmed. When the negativities such as the excessive loading screen and lack of freedom, which I have already mentioned before, are added on top of it, it may cause players with little patience to get bored. In Witcher 1. One of them is played with dice and the other is fist fights in taverns. The graphics are really nice for the year of production. Geralt and other character modeling, details, lighting are well designed.

However, other NPCs are not given the same attention as the main characters. The same NPCs are used in different areas with different clothes and hairstyles. You may feel a little uncomfortable when this starts to catch your eye. Sound effects are of good quality. The voices are great, especially for the main characters. In-game music and atmosphere sounds are also very good. I don't want to go on too long, the game is like an open book. It tells and teaches itself to you more than enough. In short, it should definitely be bought and played in original. Those who are not sure can try piracy for a while, but then if you have the situation, it will be worth every penny. The game offers an average of close to 50 hours of content.

The Witcher is one of those role playing games you wont forget for a long time. Once you get over the first "Tutorial" level, which is really just a hurdle you have to take to get to the main story, the story just takes off! I have played a lot of RPG's like Diablo, WoW, Neverwinter Nights and Elder Scrolls, but the Witcher is by FAR the best i have experienced.

The Story is about Geralt of Rivia, which under mysterious circumstances lost all his memories. He ends up with his friends in the abandoned Witcher's School, from where you start of your journey which takes you to an intriguing quest to find out who you are.

The game is very well developed with outstanding Characters and Storyline, and very minor bugs and features missing. Another notable thing is the adult content. Swearing, Blood, Gambling and the possibility to have a relation with other NPC's are just some other things that i particularly liked.

Overall i give it a 9 of 10 because it crashes a lot under vista (no problems in XP tho) and the missing coop and multiplayer modes. I for my part like this game very much and would love to see a sequel to it.

After reading the books, I started playing the Witcher 1 right away. I was told that it was directly after the books so why not give it a try. At first, I was hesitant because I'm not really into RPGs and PC games and thought that it will very difficult for me to navigate and control everything. I can say that The Witcher 1, is very newbie friendly. Maybe it will make you wonder what the hell you are doing at first, get lost, can't track of the quests you need to do but eventually as you play the game, it is actually very easy to understand. I played the game on normal so I could at least experience the wonders of alchemy. It was very tricky at first on how to mix potions and stuff. In the end, it was just about collecting the right ingredients needed and just click which potion you like and the potion will mix itself.

The game makes you decide on how you want your destiny to be fulfilled. And since you're choosing your own path, it made the game more interesting for me. It made you explore and play whatever you think fits best. I also like how they make cut scenes that looks like you are watching a movie. They even have a small recap of the path you've chosen after every major event. I think with those recaps, it will make you wonder if you've chosen the right one. Which is funny because the game doesn't really have a right or wrong answer.

What I don't like about the game is the fighting style. When you fight enemies, of course you wanted to do it quick fast and in a hurry. In the game you have to time it precisely with the icons that is shown in your screen. It frustrates me sometimes when they do that and I miss it or I'm too fast. I guess considering the time the game was made, should be pretty decent.

One of the funniest parts of the game is how Geralt ended up sleeping with a bunch of women even though it wasn't really what you want him to do. One minute you're offering bread and arguing about pity and the next thing you know, bang! They're sleeping together. Geralt clearly, doesn't just like sorceresses.

Background music is also amazing. You would know that CDPR has really given this a thought. I remember whenever monsters are close, the background sound will change and will give me panic attacks and I have to think fast and react fast. The music makes you aware of the surroundings you are in and I think that's great.

The ending though is not as great as I thought it would be. I think that's because the chapter before that is so interestingly good, that the last chapter loses to it. I definitely would want to play this again and would recommend it for people who wants to experience a good game be it a newbie like me or a veteran. 8/10.