How much time do you have on your hands and are you up for a huge challenge? If the answer is a ton and yes, then you may want to pick up The Witcher 2.
The Witcher 2 is about Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter and main protagonist of the franchise. The game starts with a kingslayer running around killing kings. During the course of the game the plot gets more complicated and the subplots weave into the main story. At least I think they do. I was severely confused throughout the game as mages appear and wars begin to erupt between the living and the dead. Or something. I was truly lost for most of the game in terms of the story and part of that was because I didn’t play the first Witcher (which was only on the PC) or know any of the characters that inhabit this world.
Characters talk about the past and there are flashbacks of sorts to Geralt’s past but I still had no idea what was going on. I don’t know why Saskia is so important or even who the horny bard was. It would’ve been nice to get a refresher for those of us new to the franchise instead of just going through an index to read who these people are. Who’s Yennifer and why is she more important to Geralt than Triss? I’m sure I can look these things up but I’d rather spend my time learning about these things while playing. There are also multiple paths to take so playing more than once is encouraged.
So why keep playing a game I have no emotional investment in? The combat and gameplay are terrific. Geralt rolls and slashes and blocks and sets enemies on fire with the greatest of ease. Combat is quick, challenging and fun. You can reap the rewards of successful battles by leveling Geralt up by choosing to add points to combat, alchemy, and magic or witcher abilities. You’re going to want to level up because battles are tough as hell (although still not quite on the level that Dark Souls is at but still tough). I played through the game on normal and got my ass kicked on more than one occasion. Part of that problem is the controls. For the most part they work fine, but I found that left stick was way too sensitive especially during battles. I couldn’t find a setting to lower the sensitivity but if someone does please let me know.
The voice actors do an admirable job for the most part. I wish Geralt himself would’ve sounded like more of a badass. At times when he threatens people his tone and voice are exactly the same as when he’s just talking. The graphics are fantastic and the main characters look great. Each is distinguishable from background characters (which is great especially when trying to find Zoltan in a stack of dwarves) and you can change Geralt’s armor and weapons as well as his hair which are reflected during conversations. The environments are gorgeous and lush and the monsters and demons look threatening enough.
The Witcher 2 is a rare game these days in terms of its difficulty. It’s challenging and that’s what drove me to keep at it. Combat is diverse and entertaining but the convoluted story is tough to understand. Still, there’s enough content here to keep the most dedicated of players glued to the game while others might flee at the challenge but just make sure you have the time for it. There are tons of sidequests to get into so stick with it. It sort of makes sense in the end and sets up the possibility of the Witcher 3. I hope to be able to understand that one a bit more.