"So Close, But Still So Far"

This is one of those games where I feel sort of upset by the fact that I chose to replay it. About four years ago I completed my first playthrough, and while it was a flawed experience, I still found a massive amount of enjoyment in its strange fantasy world, dorky characters, and complex narrative. However, having recently abandoned this game, I see it as one of the most uneven, unpolished gaming experiences that I have ever experienced. Strangely enough, both of these things are true about this first entry in "The Witcher" trilogy...

Starting off with the presentation, it's definitely a bit rough on the eyes at first glance. Textures aren't the sharpest, colors aren't super bright, and character models are gangly and repetitious. The voice acting is definitely intriguing, with some truly great emotional lines in one scene while an NPC can also blare "my balls itch" in the background like it was the first and only take ever recorded. It's a strange balance that gives the game world a lot of charm (even some realism), but it doesn't really scream quality.

The music is absolutely weird and wonderful. You have these genuinely masterful background tracks that capture the mystery of adventure - the complicated, rugged fantasy of the Witcher world. And then you have someone's attempt at thrash metal mixed with folk rock playing with the most random combat encounters? It's utter madness, but again adds charm.

The story is very interesting and has a strong plot, though the layout of this is very unpolished and wacky. You'll have some interesting plotlines which interweave within and around different chapters, but then you'll get sidetracked for a few real-life hours doing some unrelated tasks before continuing what you were doing. There's LOADS of potential for character moments, and even random NPC interactions give you the chance for a belly laugh based off of how random they can feel. It's chaotic but feels somewhat cultural, and really captures some manic energy of Polish humor that I, a random American who just happens to love this universe, can't really describe. It just works, and it keeps you interested until the end.

So, with all of these flawed yet hilarious, charming, and interesting aspects, why didn't I finish this game? Simply put, this likely has some of the worst combat in any game ever made.

Now the structure of combat makes some sense - timing based attacks, agility, potion creation, and proper use of signs. However, it's all sorts of f!cked up. Almost every encounter follows one of two distinct prep phases: Either find the perfect mix of potions to find a way to kill your foe, or literally do nothing and steamroll them. The problem here lies in the fact that the game has an awful difficulty curve, so sometimes prepping potions does nothing while randomly fighting and getting lucky does.

Potion prep takes an awkward amount of time, not so much because of the actual time it takes to make them, but with when you can make them. You must sit at a fireplace, initiate a shot "loading screen", go to the potions tab, click on the one you want to make, craft it, and then repeat until finished. This would be fine if it happened every so often, but the way this game works is that to be successful (especially on a higher difficulty level), you must do this before EVERY encounter if you want to be safe. Even then, you might still lose because some enemies are overpowered.

This is a damn shame considering that combat itself is horribly janky. There is poor feedback for attacks, as animations look stiff and repetitive while the audio commits all sorts of f!uckery with your ear canals. It's DATED, and makes this game seem even older than a 2007 title. This got so bad by the end of the game that I outright got stuck with a certain boss almost 95% of the way through the game.

This could have been remedied by a competent upgrade system, but "The Witcher" is a very limiting RPG combat-wise. You pretty much MUST pick Igni skills if you want to not cringe with combat for 50-ish hours, otherwise have fun running around using crap like "heliotrop". Equipment is limited so there's little chance to pimp your version of Geralt out, so forget that route. Don't bother trying to spec certain sword combat types, since you're bound to have a headache with one mob or another anyways since leveling feels too slow and too limiting.

This is a damn shame because this game's writing allows for some truly tough choices, ones that don't necessarily impact your stats, but ones that impact the world. Friendships can end or face extenuating circumstances, enemies can either be slain or spared, and Geralt can be molded in many different ways. Yet it stays fairly faithful to the books in the fact that Geralt is still his own character, therefore he has his own realm of personality. You simply make choices for him, but you don't change who he naturally has been introduced in 1990 by Andrzej Sapkowski himself. That's the beauty of this universe, but it's a shame that a game like this just teetered too strongly in the direction of awful gameplay. I loved this game so much, at least until I just plainly hated it.

There's a lot to love here, but if you're like me and just can't stand trash combat, stay away. Yet if you can put up with it enough, the engaging narrative and complex world will grip you. CD Projekt Red certainly proved their capabilities with capturing the spirit of "The Witcher", but in 2007 they still had a lot to prove as video game developers. This is one of those game where if a proper remake was made, I would be all over it so long as the heart and soul is still retained. Lucky enough, that's exactly what CDPR has in store for the future of this franchise...

Final Verdict: 6/10 (Above Average)