The Witcher

Geralt of Rivia

I wasn't really too interested in this game when in first came out, being yet another fantasy role playing game - albeit an Eastern European one based on some massively popular Polish fantasy novels this time. It looked just like pretty much all the other fantasy roleplaying video games around over the last few years. The kind of game I had played to death already. But a special edition arrived to bring down the price, patch the crap out of the game and vastly improve the English voice overs. So, I found myself playing through the adventures of Geralt of Rivia (shown on the right), a Witcher - in other words a human genetically modified through alchemy who dedicates his life to being a monster hunter for hire.

He didn't score any points with me at first, looking like an angsty anti-hero type. That, plus the game started with the clichéd amnesia trope to get the game started. But I guess it's a convenient way to get the game going without required players to be familiar with the original Polish novels. Or the TV series or movie for that matter.

But as the game got going, it drew me in quite a bit. I actually really appreciated that the morality of the game was all shades of gray. Not to say that your character or his mission isn't quite heroic. But you quite quickly - and repeatedly - find yourself involved in situations where you may have to take sides, and neither side is clearly in the right or wrong. Early on you find yourself between a lynch mob and a witch who is innocent of the crimes the mob claim she did, but not entirely innocent. It's a little one sided as the game gives you a fairly weak reason to cast the witch to the mob, but that example is almost like the game's way of easing you into the idea.

Later in the game you find yourself torn between two sides who have somewhat legitimate causes but also are using some rather less than pleasant means to achieve their goals. Staying neutral is possible, but not easy. It's not written spectacularly well, but it is intriguing and makes a refreshing change from these games usual approach of morality choices - which is "paragon of virtue" versus "puppy kicking asshole".

The other concept the game runs with throughout it's length is based off the amnesia thing. The player can talk to quite a lot of characters from Geralt's life to try to determine what Geralt was like before his narrow escape from death, and try to put together an idea on who he is, what he is and what he wants. It's not a bad idea but apart from one part of it, it's only touched on a little. That one part of it is exploring the character's attitude towards love, given he spends most of his life on the road killing monsters for a living. This is reasonably well done, but I couldn't help but feel the fact the game lets Geralt shag any woman who's willing throughout the game undermines that plot thread a little. Though perhaps it's simply a part of it, letting the player choose to pursue Ms. Right in Geralt's life or simply Ms. Right Now if they decide that's all Geralt wants. But in the end, it's implemented in a rather cheesy and childish way.

In the end though, the gameplay side of the game is a lot of fun, and the game looks quite pretty. The story may fall slightly short of being something amazing, but it's quite atmospheric all the same - drawing on a lot of authentic eastern European folklore to make it's world seem suitable fantastic and horrible. So it's a pretty solid game all around. It's also quite nice to see a major success from Eastern Europe. Lots of games come out of the US, UK or Japan, but there's no reason why the rest of the world can't have decent games to offer us. And it's obviously done well enough to get a sequel, which has a ludicrous Collector's Edition out this year. Can you imagine having that bust of Geralt (shown to the right) on your shelf?

I mean, where would I put it since my bust of Master Chief's helmet is taking up all the good bust space in my house? :)