The Witcher Impressions
May 12,2006 -
Baby—this engine’s come a long way. We had a chance to see CD Projekt’s upcoming RPG The Witcher in action at this year’s E3, and we came away duly impressed. Can this possible be BioWare’s Aurora engine? Actually, CD Projekt admits that very little of the engine has remained in their upcoming product. And yes, it’s absolutely stunning to look at—but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
The Witcher is based on the fiction of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Sapkowski’s fantasy novels are based in a world of magic, but one far darker than the worlds we’ve grown accustomed to. While Tolkien and similar writers have a fairly black-and-white vision of their virtual worlds, The Witcher novels explore deeper shades of gray. Much the same way, the developers of the game based on these stories hope to combine the familiarity of traditional role playing with original aspects that make it highly satisfying to play. As CD Projekt’s Michael Madej told us, Witcher is “an adult version of traditional fantasy.”
The most striking evidence of this view is the story, and how the player affects the outcome as the game wears on. The Witcher is quite a unique hero in a world overcome by a dangerous plague. However, the plague is not one that can be cured by medicinal herbs of white magic: it’s the sickness of prejudice. Humans have enslaved elves, gnomes, and other races out of fear and anger. The Witchers are responsible for cleansing these evils from society, although morality is not absolute in this brooding universe. As Geralt, you will be forced to make multiple decisions with far-reaching, complex consequences.
The consequences aren’t necessarily immediate, nor are they always obvious. Choosing to set free a potential squealer may cost you a friend’s life later, but will also lead to the death of another. On the other hand, mercifully slaying him instead of torturing him may save your companion, but will also contribute to the tearful loss of another. Nor are you stuck with just a couple of decisions. Faced with deciding the fate of your captive, you can set him free right away, kill him, or request the assistance of your fellow Witchers. After a tense debate, you may swiftly kill him; set him free; feed him truth serum; or torture him, hoping for sensitive information. Yet there is no obviously moral choice every time, nor does the “right” choice always result in perfect results.
The combat in The Witcher is equally impressive. Characters are brought to life with over 200 motion-captured animations, and it makes the combat look vivid and organic. While combat is mouse-driven, like most Diablo-inspired RPG’s, you have a lot more to work with. Double clicking on the ground will allow you to avoid enemy attacks or tumble away from them. You can also easily string attacks together simply by timing your clicks. You can choose several attack styles, such as “swift” or “group,” and your swordsmanship technique changes as a result.
The artificial intelligence of your enemies is quite impressive. Ranged foes will keep their distance, and while you can cast ranged spells, Geralt only uses melee weapons. However, you can block arrows with your sword, or may wish to use an impressive-looking shield effect to protect you while you run towards the offending archer. Battles are intuitive but involving, nothing at all like the standard “click-and-forget” we’ve gotten used to with Diablo and Dungeon Siege.
And it looks gorgeous to boot. The Witcher boasts attractive visuals, with a realistic flow of time, impressive weather effects, and all the bells and whistles we expect in the age of Oblivion. Our favorite effect was that of drunkenness. Geralt may need to coax information out of barroom companions, and the best way to do that is to drink with them. Not only does the resulting haze realistically simulate intoxication, but should you pass out, the fuzzy haze when you wake up will prove you have a hangover of the highest magnitude.
We’re genuinely excited to see CD Projekt’s final product. The Witcher is lovely to look at and plays fluidly, so RPG fans have a lot to look forward to. Check back here for more information on this fascinating role-playing title as it becomes available.
Written By: Kevin VanOrd | Tags: The Witcher, PC, Atari, CD Projekt Red
Baby—this engine’s come a long way. We had a chance to see CD Projekt’s upcoming RPG The Witcher in action at this year’s E3, and we came away duly impressed. Can this possible be BioWare’s Aurora engine? Actually, CD Projekt admits that very little of the engine has remained in their upcoming product. And yes, it’s absolutely stunning to look at—but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
The Witcher is based on the fiction of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Sapkowski’s fantasy novels are based in a world of magic, but one far darker than the worlds we’ve grown accustomed to. While Tolkien and similar writers have a fairly black-and-white vision of their virtual worlds, The Witcher novels explore deeper shades of gray. Much the same way, the developers of the game based on these stories hope to combine the familiarity of traditional role playing with original aspects that make it highly satisfying to play. As CD Projekt’s Michael Madej told us, Witcher is “an adult version of traditional fantasy.”
The most striking evidence of this view is the story, and how the player affects the outcome as the game wears on. The Witcher is quite a unique hero in a world overcome by a dangerous plague. However, the plague is not one that can be cured by medicinal herbs of white magic: it’s the sickness of prejudice. Humans have enslaved elves, gnomes, and other races out of fear and anger. The Witchers are responsible for cleansing these evils from society, although morality is not absolute in this brooding universe. As Geralt, you will be forced to make multiple decisions with far-reaching, complex consequences.
The consequences aren’t necessarily immediate, nor are they always obvious. Choosing to set free a potential squealer may cost you a friend’s life later, but will also lead to the death of another. On the other hand, mercifully slaying him instead of torturing him may save your companion, but will also contribute to the tearful loss of another. Nor are you stuck with just a couple of decisions. Faced with deciding the fate of your captive, you can set him free right away, kill him, or request the assistance of your fellow Witchers. After a tense debate, you may swiftly kill him; set him free; feed him truth serum; or torture him, hoping for sensitive information. Yet there is no obviously moral choice every time, nor does the “right” choice always result in perfect results.
The combat in The Witcher is equally impressive. Characters are brought to life with over 200 motion-captured animations, and it makes the combat look vivid and organic. While combat is mouse-driven, like most Diablo-inspired RPG’s, you have a lot more to work with. Double clicking on the ground will allow you to avoid enemy attacks or tumble away from them. You can also easily string attacks together simply by timing your clicks. You can choose several attack styles, such as “swift” or “group,” and your swordsmanship technique changes as a result.
The artificial intelligence of your enemies is quite impressive. Ranged foes will keep their distance, and while you can cast ranged spells, Geralt only uses melee weapons. However, you can block arrows with your sword, or may wish to use an impressive-looking shield effect to protect you while you run towards the offending archer. Battles are intuitive but involving, nothing at all like the standard “click-and-forget” we’ve gotten used to with Diablo and Dungeon Siege.
And it looks gorgeous to boot. The Witcher boasts attractive visuals, with a realistic flow of time, impressive weather effects, and all the bells and whistles we expect in the age of Oblivion. Our favorite effect was that of drunkenness. Geralt may need to coax information out of barroom companions, and the best way to do that is to drink with them. Not only does the resulting haze realistically simulate intoxication, but should you pass out, the fuzzy haze when you wake up will prove you have a hangover of the highest magnitude.
We’re genuinely excited to see CD Projekt’s final product. The Witcher is lovely to look at and plays fluidly, so RPG fans have a lot to look forward to. Check back here for more information on this fascinating role-playing title as it becomes available.
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| Published by: | Atari |
| Developed by: | CD Projekt Red |
| Genre: | Role-Playing |
| # of Players: | 1 |
| ESRB Rating: | Mature |
| Release Date: | US: October 30th, 2007 |
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Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | User Rating: N/A
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | User Rating: N/A
Gamer 2.0 Rating: 9.1 | User Rating: 9.3
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