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Christmas 2007 has come and gone and hopefully you’ve received everything that you wanted. The good news is that (here in the UK) Boxing Day sales have started, which means bargains and reduced games! The hardest part for the consumer is to know what to part their much earned Christmas money on. If you’re a PC gamer and a fan of RPG games then The Witcher is for you. If not, then you might as well stop here, because the game offers no deviation from the genre and is as clichéd as a Terminator film. The game offers a no-frills single player story which dazzles and delights throughout. It presents some of the best voice acting found in a game and its portrayal of characters is second to none. The question is, with so many gamers immersed in MMORPGs, is there still room in the market for the typical RPG?

Often, offline RPG’s are accused of lacking depth, but The Witcher trumps most online RPG’s by being based on rich source material. It’s based on a series of novels by the Polish author, Andrzej Sapkowski. Hugely popular in Europe, he’s written a complete series of fantasy books based on a Witcher, Geralt. With a setting already created, as well as an art style, it was only a matter of time until a developer reaped its plentiful harvest. The developer in question was CD Projeckt Red Studio and The Witcher was the debut title for the developers. They haven’t been lazy though, and while the game is based on the books, you won’t have needed to read any of them to understand what’s going on. Luckily Geralt has lost his memory and that means he’s as clueless as the player. It’s not the most original start, and nowhere near the most exciting, but it means the player is never confused. Geralt will have to relearn his ‘Witcher’ abilities in combat, alchemy and manners, which is a clever way of introducing the usual array of tutorials. The ‘tutorial’ Prologue lasts for about half an hour and teaches you the basics and beyond. Even if you think of yourself as a seasoned RPG’er, you’ll still find the experience beneficial because of the game’s several unique features. 

 

For one, its combat mechanics are fresh, action orientated and deep. You’re given the choice of three stances to deal with three different types of enemies. There’s the slow, but powerful stance to deal with heavily armoured opponents, the nimble, speedy attack to chop down weak enemies and finally the group stance that commits arced swings of your sword, injuring more than one adversary at a time. As you progress through the game you get stronger swords, increasing your damage and it results in easier battles. You also have room for a two handed axe, and a dagger. It may seem shallow compared to other games, but it reduces complexity and micromanagement and lets the player stay focussed on the action and in The Witcher that’s exactly what you’ll be doing most of the time. Every time you attack an enemy you have the chance to string a combo together. A flaming sword will appear on screen and if you time your click with its appearance, you’ll be allowed to continue the combat string. Eventually you’ll know the timings (different for each stance) and you’ll be able to pull off combos without even looking. It’s intuitive and keeps the pace up as you glide between enemies, reigning down the pain.

To view the action, you’ve got a choice of two camera angles. There is the traditional isometric viewpoint, (as seen in Neverwinter Nights or Baldur’s Gate,) where you can click to move. If that’s not your cup of tea, then there is an ‘Over the Shoulder’ camera which follows Geralt from behind and lends itself to direct movement, by keyboard. The game is easily playable with each, but the action seems to lend itself to the OTS viewpoint. It’s nice the choice is there and it’s a wise one from the development team. The isometric viewpoint isn’t the only feature taken from Neverwinter nights. The graphics engine is the same used in NVN2; Bioware’s Aurora engine. Despite its age, it looks a thousand times better than NVN2 and full props should be sent to CD Projekt Red.  The environments are vivid and lush, spawning several typical fantasy themes. Vegetation, monsters and architecture are all unique in their style. Characters are well modelled and their facial animations convey emotion superbly. Once in a while the lip syncing is off, but it’s not really a major negative. Cut scenes are done in-engine and look fantastic and the day/night cycle is pulled off without a hitch. Despite the aging engine, the developer’s modifications to it have been great and it runs smoothly and quickly (since the 1.2 Patch). 

 

The immersion is continued by the interaction with the NPC’s. Each (unique) character has its own voice and identity, its own routine and skills and its own opinion of Geralt. This means that dialogue is always novel and keeps the storyline captivating. Don’t expect the usual magical beings, like talking trees. Nearly all the characters you come across are well grounded in the banes of humanity. There are mature themes on offer in The Witcher, ranging from sex and prostitution, corruption, politics, racism, violence and torture and bad language. The effect is one of plausibility. You may be playing a typical fantasy game with magic and monsters but its world is slightly closer to home. It’s refreshing that not everyone you meet loves Geralt, and it often means that certain situations will require careful thinking. Instead of rushing through dialogue, you’ll learn to take your time as your actions can affect the story line later down the line. There isn’t a simple ‘good versus evil’ choice, and the consequences actually have a solid effect. You’ll meet a wide range of people, from warriors, politicians, tradesmen, religious figures, other Witchers, sorcerers, alchemists; the list goes on.

Alchemy plays a big part in The Witcher with its unique potion dynamic. You’ll find the ingredients and recipes everywhere, resulting in an almost bottomless list of possible brews. There is a potion for every occasion, and it’s your job to understand which ones for which use. They can increase statistics, grant talents (the skills you have) and heal you. There are tons of options available and the game allows experimentation. It’s much better than the simple, HP potion or Mana potion, but to the casual gamer, you might feel slightly out of depth. A final point, tying in with the game’s depth, is the skill (talents) trees. You can upgrade your usual stats, like health and power, your ability to use weapons or the limited amount of magic spells (fire based attack or telekinesis) you have. Whichever you choose you gain new abilities as you increase your effectiveness. You can’t upgrade them all so you’ll have to think carefully what kind of Witcher you wish to be. 

 

The thing is, if you consider yourself a ‘casual gamer’ then you most likely won’t even consider playing The Witcher. It’s a game for fans of the genre and the books. It won’t pull in the crowds and it was completely devoid of any hype. It snuck under the radar and as a result it’s not a disappointment. It’s a rich, fantasy action romp and it’s well worth a gander if you love your RPGs.

Score: 8/10

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