The Witcher Enhanced Review - PC

10

Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 8
Audio: 8
Innovation: 8

Introduction

The Witcher was released in 2007 to much acclaim. There were some issues with the game, such as sometimes iffy combat, long loading times and a few bugs, but these were largely addressed in the following patches. CD Projekt Red, not content with merely fixing bugs, decided to overhaul the game from the ground up to meet their original vision.
And thus was born The Witcher: Extended Edition.

With improved combat, extra content, loading times reduced by as much as eighty percent, a new script and re-recorded dialogue, CD Projekt Red took the time to make a great game as close to perfect as they could get it. And they got pretty close.

The Witcher tells the story of Geralt of Rivia, the titiular Witcher. A professional monster slayer, Geralt lost his memory and the story opens with Geralt being dragged to the fortress of Kaer Morhen, home of the few remaining Witchers.

While amnesia is a cliched plot device, it works to good effect in The Witcher. Geralt's lack of memory makes him both a character with a past in a world full of history, a world that tells tales of the famous “white wolf”, but it also allows for the player to, at the same time, mould Geralt as they please.

Geralt must make decision throughout the game, taking sides in fights, with the outcomes not always clear. Will you support the freedom fighters early on, or will you obey the law and rat them out? Either way, the ramifications of your decision made in the first chapter won't be apparent for hours, making replaying the game a must if you want the whole story.

The writing in The Witcher makes great use of stereotypes and charicatures. The staples within are used so liberally and thoroughly that it is refreshing when they twist and turn, revealing deeper layers as the story progresses, as plots twist and turn and double back. Based on a series of stories by polish author Andrzrej Sapkowski, the game is filled with references to the world's past that will only become apparent if you have read the stories, which come highly reccomended.

Gameplay

The Witcher is awesome on many levels. From the interactions with NPCs, which involves bartering, threatening, gambling, drinking and even wooing. I once leveled up after seducing a redheaded nurse, complete with collectible nude card in what has to be the best “gotta collect 'em all” mini-game ever. Talking to townspeople and learning the backstory for Geralt is entertaining and, thankfully, entirely skippable if you've already seen ...