The Witcher is based on the series of fantasy novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, though the story in the game itself is an original one. The protagonist is Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, who from mutagenic potions and years of training is a tough and dedicated monster hunter. Thought to be dead, he mysteriously reappears near the witchers' stronghold, Caer Morhen, with severe memory loss.
The story is more mature than most with difficult decisions at every turn, usually with no 'right' choice, but one that seems to be the 'lesser of two evils.' The world Geralt inhabits is dark and realistic, with issues such terrorism, drugs, prostitution and ethnic cleansing being just some of the things he has to face. The consequences of your actions usually come back to haunt you at a later stage of the game. The world is nowhere near as large as in many other RPG's, which does feel a little restrictive, but also favours quality over quantity. The characters are well drawn and believable. People go about their daily lives around him, the villages and city bustling with activity. In content the world is very adult, with Geralt able to indulge in pleasures of the flesh with alarming regularity! You have relatively few options in character creation and development, which will put off some people. Personally I found it easier than trying to get to grips with the bewildering array of options of race, class, sub-class, proficiencies etc. that many RPG's give you to contend with at the start. There are still ways to tailor Geralt's skills to your preferred playing style by focussing on his swordsmanship or magic. Upgrades in the form of bronze, silver and gold talents are given on each level up to spend as you will, bearing in mind you will not be able to accumulate enough to specialise in everything. Geralt is the only playable character in the game so it limits re-playability and is also probably not the best choice for gamers who prefer party adventuring.
The engine is based on the one employed by Neverwinter Nights 2, but this feels considerably different, especially in terms of combat, where timing your attacks is crucial to defeat tougher opponents. There are 'strong,' 'fast' and 'group' styles which are used against enemies as appropriate to their own abilities. Geralt uses a steel sword against humans and the like, while his silver sword is far more effective against monsters. Magic is extremely simple to use and can be easily used in combination with physical attacks without slowing down the action.
Simply put, 'The Witcher' is one of the most entertaining, involving and original role-playing games seen on the market in quite some time. For fans of the novels, it captures their spirit excellently, and is well worth seeking out. It is also worth mentioning the soundtrack which is superb. I had some trouble with reliability playing under Vista, but not enough to serious affect my enjoyment.
The story is more mature than most with difficult decisions at every turn, usually with no 'right' choice, but one that seems to be the 'lesser of two evils.' The world Geralt inhabits is dark and realistic, with issues such terrorism, drugs, prostitution and ethnic cleansing being just some of the things he has to face. The consequences of your actions usually come back to haunt you at a later stage of the game. The world is nowhere near as large as in many other RPG's, which does feel a little restrictive, but also favours quality over quantity. The characters are well drawn and believable. People go about their daily lives around him, the villages and city bustling with activity. In content the world is very adult, with Geralt able to indulge in pleasures of the flesh with alarming regularity! You have relatively few options in character creation and development, which will put off some people. Personally I found it easier than trying to get to grips with the bewildering array of options of race, class, sub-class, proficiencies etc. that many RPG's give you to contend with at the start. There are still ways to tailor Geralt's skills to your preferred playing style by focussing on his swordsmanship or magic. Upgrades in the form of bronze, silver and gold talents are given on each level up to spend as you will, bearing in mind you will not be able to accumulate enough to specialise in everything. Geralt is the only playable character in the game so it limits re-playability and is also probably not the best choice for gamers who prefer party adventuring.
The engine is based on the one employed by Neverwinter Nights 2, but this feels considerably different, especially in terms of combat, where timing your attacks is crucial to defeat tougher opponents. There are 'strong,' 'fast' and 'group' styles which are used against enemies as appropriate to their own abilities. Geralt uses a steel sword against humans and the like, while his silver sword is far more effective against monsters. Magic is extremely simple to use and can be easily used in combination with physical attacks without slowing down the action.
Simply put, 'The Witcher' is one of the most entertaining, involving and original role-playing games seen on the market in quite some time. For fans of the novels, it captures their spirit excellently, and is well worth seeking out. It is also worth mentioning the soundtrack which is superb. I had some trouble with reliability playing under Vista, but not enough to serious affect my enjoyment.