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The Witcher
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Graphics & Sound:
I have to admit that I was excited about being handed The Witcher. I'm a sucker for the anti-hero, and the star of this game, Geralt, seems like he runs with the best (worst?) of them. Of course, you can kill the biggest baddass by dropping him into a bad game - this we know all too well.
The Witcher is gorgeous. Or rather, The Witcher can be gorgeous. The recommended system requirements are more like the minimum, in this case. I tested it on a much higher end system than the one I used for the majority of this review, and even then it took some tweaking to get rid of the framerate hiccups. Regardless, it's a great looking game. Dawn, day, dusk, and night each bring a different look to every setting. Certain touches add to the realism such as the dirty look of the cities, not to mention the ever present rat problem (and, of course, the locals never blame their disease problems on the over-flowing vermin.) Even on lower settings, character models are highly detailed and realistic, though facial expressions are a bit limited.
The game's score is equally as impressive. It has the same medieval feel to it, but with modern touches to give it a mood that suits the darkness of the game. Environmental, combat, and other sound effects are quite realistic and layer well on top of each other. All conversations are voiced by actors who give some believable and emotional performances. As I'll explain later, the performances don't all necessarily work together towards greatness. |
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Gameplay:
The Witcher is based on a book written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Though I can't offer any comparison, it seems to lend the game an interesting story. The Witcher has you play as Geralt who is, yes, a Witcher. The short story is Witchers are (self-made) mutants with strength and quick reflexes that surpass ordinary men. They dabble in potions and alchemy, swordsmanship, and magic, though none of these skills are exclusive to their group alone. Their main calling is to slay monsters, but in the changing times, others are encroaching on their niche. Though he can't remember his past, Geralt doesn't have any qualms about rejoining the Witchers and defending their order.
Geralt inhabits a fantasy world, but it's not difficult to see the parallels to our modern and historic world. For example, just like it was in certain times in our history, women in The Witcher's world tend to have it rough. Men of all ranks make degrading comments about the opposite sex regularly. One bard even sings a song that mentions how sad a man is when he's married. The game definitely doesn't try to be politically correct about this or other topics including racism, drugs, and sex. You don't necessarily have to be the pure-hearted hero in every section of the game, either: sometimes you can choose to ignore those who look like they need your help. Because of these elements, the total package is a bit more believable. Oddly enough, it's refreshing because of these elements as well. The Witcher shows you a very human world: good, bad, and mundane parts included.
The Witcher is an action RPG. Combat is done in point-and-click style that tests your timing, but doesn't ask much more. Geralt will level and learn new fighting skills, improve his stats, and learn magic Signs, which is all pretty standard stuff. Geralt can also make potions to help him recover during fights, and various oils to help improve his weapons. There are some fun optional skills like Heavyweight, which will allow Geralt to hold his liquor a bit better. Yes, this actually does come in handy during the game.
Another interesting side note is that you can experiment with potions. If you put together a potion that doesn't match any formula you have, you'll make an unknown potion. Not all potions are advantageous. I ended up making one that, upon imbibing, caused Geralt to scream and go blind for a few seconds. Good times.
One major issue with The Witcher is the dialogue. As mentioned, there are some great performances here. Unfortunately, they aren't strung together very well. Sometimes it sounds like two characters speaking to each other aren't in the same conversation. There are times where the dialogue will go completely over your head as well. It's not because you missed something, and it's not because of Geralt's amnesia, it's just because some key piece of information wasn't given to you. Cut scenes are sometimes not given any proper transition either. Adding to the disjointed feel, it seems that the free-roaming aspect of the game allows you to get some information and conversations sooner than you're supposed to.
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Difficulty:
There are three different difficulty levels selectable before you begin a new game. Easy gives you easier enemies and more helpful cues during combat. Medium speeds up combat and experience is gained more slowly. Hard ramps up the difficulty on everything and requires the use of alchemy to get by. It's interesting to find not only different difficulty levels, but practically different games with each difficulty level.
Even in Medium difficulty, The Witcher starts you off easy, like many RPGs. You'll have more than enough time to get the hang of combat and potions before things get tough. The tutorials don't hold your hand though, so it will take some reading and experimentation to figure out how everything works and how to get Geralt to survive.
There is a strong possibility of becoming stuck in certain areas of the game. You can build Geralt with whatever strengths you like, and you can make as many or as few potions as you want. If you don't carry around what you need, it could very well be impossible to beat certain bosses after you are "locked in" to that quest. What I mean by "locked in" is that you have no option to walk away from a fight or to prepare for it. As long as you have the Autosave option on, or have been saving regularly, you'll probably be able to backtrack and get what you need. |
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Game Mechanics:
The Witcher has two options for camera placement. You can go over-the-shoulder or isometric. Isometric gives you the typical overhead view you find in many RPGs, but over-the-shoulder really gets you into the action of combat. It feels a lot more exciting, and it seems like the way this game was intended to be played.
With either choice, the combat is still just a matter of clicking on the enemy to fight, and clicking when you see certain cues in order to complete combo attacks. Right clicks are reserved for magic, but if you need to switch anything out, the spacebar will pause the game and allow you to select whatever you need. Of course, you can map the keyboard out for everything if you'd like to remain in the action the entire time.
Combat is a lot of fun, when it's running smoothly. There are frequent slowdown issues and hiccups. Problems with terrain sometimes make Geralt just refuse to swing his sword, and you'll have to line him up and try again. Sometimes enemies run blindly past Geralt on some unknown errand, before they decide to come back and fight him. Despite the problems, there is plenty to like here. There's a lot of variety, with several weapons and different fighting styles to use. Both magic and swordplay look pretty slick while you're running the fight as well. It all feels fast-paced without being overwhelming.
Load time is an unfortunate major issue. I found myself dreading opening doors for fear of watching a load bar that seemed to refuse to move. At least you have some nice music to listen to while you wait. . . and wait. An auto-sort option for an inventory that overflows quickly is also sorely missing.
I would recommend The Witcher to RPG fans with a few caveats. It strikes a balance between action and RPG elements that works well. There is also the promise of a new experience if you replay the game and make different decisions. The Witcher is unfortunately hurt by dialogue issues, jumpy combat, load times and other quirks. If you can put the problems past you, you'll be rewarded with a gritty, mature story and a pretty darn good action RPG. If you've got a gaming rig that's hefty enough to handle it, check out The Witcher by all means.
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-Fights with Fire, GameVortex Communications AKA Christin Deville |
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows XP/Vista, Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz or Athlon 64 +2800 (Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +3000 recommended), 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended), 8.5 GB free Hard Drive space, DVD-ROM 4x, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon 9800 or better (NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX or ATI Radeon X1950 XT or better recommended), DirectX 9 compatible sound card, *Athlon XP series, such as the Athlon XP +2400, is not supported |
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Test System:
Windows XP, 3.20 GigaHertz Intel Pentium 4, 1 GB Ram, RADEON X850, Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS |
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