When approached with the idea of buying a new fantasy RPG, I was skeptical. My cousin, Jared, fueled the fantasy lover inside me, to lash out and buy The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. This was a great decision, the game is the bright light of what all fantasy RPG’s strive to achieve; an interesting and gripping story followed by inviting combat and gorgeous environments. The Witcher does a great job of fulfilling all of these prerequisites for a great fantasy RPG.
The first thing I noticed when starting the Witcher is that it is not like any other fantasy game. It blends together all the good parts of past fantasy RPG’s that were successful and enjoyable. The story is wrapped around Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher and main character of the series), or in better words, the player, making a set of key decisions to build a story of their own. When looking into your journal of past events, its seems as though you’re reading a book. The problem with a lot of “decision” based games is that the choices don’t seem to hold a lot of weight. Not all, but a good lot of them, fail to implement a hearty consequence system. Every choice I have made in The Witcher feels like it makes a difference to the environment and the narrative. Even side quests have value in final decisions. There are some very important decisions laid out in different places and you feel like they are important, some are even timed. Any time I can make a decision and have instant regret and remorse is somewhat of a good thing. When playing The Witcher the immersion is simply substantial.
Now onto combat. The Witcher does a fantastic job of making combat involving and rigorous. If you go in smashing buttons, you are sure to end up dead. The game places a high value on preparation, based on the situations you could face in the near future. Drinking a set of potions that enhance your immunity to poison or bleeding could make all the difference, or oiling your blade with an elixir specific to the species you are fighting next can give you a massive damage boost. The feeling of dodging an opponent’s attack, stunning them, then finishing them off within a cinematic sequence is great.
The Witcher 2 builds an environment and atmosphere that is unmatched in any other fantasy RPG, dark and ominous while still maintaining a ruse of beauty and astonishment. Temeria (the world) is a land that is rich in culture and bathed in blood. The landscape is beautiful and magical as dense forests adorn the land while trashed villages, and filthy, disgusting caverns are scattered about. The lore of Temeria is pushed on the player to create a sense of caring for the world’s conflicts and racial unbalance. You can find yourself in the middle of a racial dispute or even a war between nations. The amount of politics and issues you can choose to get involved in is striking as well.
All of these things, in my mind, make for a phenomenal fantasy RPG. If you’re into this kind of content you should definitely pick up The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
