The Witcher hopes to be different. For a start, the Elves are terrorists. Not those whimsical, mincing Elven wimps that skip around the woods strumming a lute. These bad boys carry the fantasy equivalent of the AK-47. The characters, atmosphere and environment are key elements to The Witcher, and the features that stand out the most during Eurogamer’s hands-on time with the game at the Polish developer’s studio.
Geralt is the Witcher of the title, a mutant monster-slayer who hires himself out to the highest bidder. Handy with a sword and not too bad with spells either, Geralt is a hero to some and a murderer to others. There’s a big emphasis on story in The Witcher, with the developer designing an experience more narrow and deep rather than wide and shallow. It’s more concentrated, enabling the player to follow a story. What this means in terms of gameplay is that the game isn’t a free-roaming experience, although it does have areas where the player can explore and take on side quests. Generally however, the game is split into chapters, with a set number of 45 locations and around 100 main quests. In practice it works fine. Surrounded by enemies it’s fairly easy to whittle them down with group attacks before concentrating hard blows on the final survivors, and with magic attacks backing up the swordplay Geralt can maintain and keep the upper hand. There are no defensive moves though, which can feel a little harsh if you fluff your combos. Automatic parrying should kick in, and maybe it’s the price you pay for being a sausage-fingered swordsman, but it would have been nice to have more control over your defensive actions.
Passive skills allow for permanent increases, so Crushing Blow gives Geralt a more brutal attack, or Stone Skin increases endurance. Active skills are under control of the player, allowing for more deadly attacks when called upon and distinguishing Geralt as the combat veteran he’s meant to be, adding flair to confrontations. Interestingly, the player cannot max out all of his stats on the first play through of the game, which CD Projekt hopes – along with the branching narrative and three different endings – will lend replayability to the game.
Our hands on time with the game was short – one hour for an RPG is never going to be enough to properly assess the game. But what we were left with was an impressive sense of attention to detail. The Witcher doesn’t feel like a generic RPG and CD Projekt has clearly taken time to work on the little things. A lot of the success of the game will hinge on the narrative and whether it’s compelling and well-paced to keep the player interested. Combat is initially impressive, and with the animation already capturing the eye, the longevity of the system will hinge on whether the player will be able to feel the difference in combat as he progresses through the game.
