CDRPR known for this renowned ambitious series published this game in 2011 for Xbox 360, Windows PC and other platforms that included Linux based systems and the Mac OS. The story is as you know follows fantasy novels of Andrzej Sapkowski. I am going to share my thoughts on this title focusing on graphics, gameplay and story (ggs). I must make mention that I still have not yet played the first Witcher game that came out in 2007 and I only played this title a few months ago. So much of my Witcher experience is derived from the third installment The Wildhunt. Lets take a look at my brief account.
Graphics
It is Important to note that this game was developed targeting the Xbox 60 era hardware so even though we may want to attempt to bump up the resolution, framerates and general appeal of the game on our modern hardware the old system limitations embedded in the code will still dictate the pace for our current gen hardware's. Now this is the enhanced edition of the original release of the times however unfortunately for me I have no prior experience from the original release but only theoretical hearsay of what the improvements are when you get to this title. They say lighting is one of the main differences compared with the original. So in a nutshell premium hardware of choice is not necessarily going to save the day here.
For me as a visual fidelity enthusiast and being used to this era I did not get impressed with the graphics to be honest but nonetheless they are presentable to an extent. It is obvious because we talking of a roughly 10 year old game here so my judgement will not be as robust as compared to reviews of the season that is of the time the game was released. Menu presentation is not great but its simple and can be worked with but I just got this yellow color background that just didn't appetize me. Bear in mind the Witcher series is my best video game series of all the games, I just have a special connection with the game so I am not trying to come across harsh but honestly is key even though this is subjective.
The map has a Dragon Age Inquisition touch to it and I am afraid I do not like such maps. They seem so less detailed and just blur the experience. The map does not express the terrain but just a far representation of it. It kind of makes you wonder what else could be on the way as you traverse the game world because in the Witcher 3 you get question marks on the map as a hint for the unexpected also pop up exclamation marks for side quests.
Lastly the character models, they seem decent though showing obvious signs of old technology I still found them very much playable. The facial features are not as good as the third installment but the blueprint isn't very far. The environment though with a fair amount of lighting still isn't vey interesting to explore as it is less detailed as well.
So to conclude the visual fidelity is something that can even be worked on to make it much better if possible and that of course will mean another remake. I wouldn't mind if this game could be like Demon Souls remake which is one of the best remakes out there. So for me though playable but visually not satisfactory.
Gameplay:
I found this very fine though the game difficulty can be very unforgiving for the most part still swinging the sword with Geralt felt great and to some extent I felt it could match the third installment. I say this because Geralt has a decent amount of sword combos at the beginning of the game as opposed to the third installment where you had to put in hours and upgrade the skills tree before one sword slush can become a combo.
My favorite were these fist fights I like the sequence of buttons and intensity, to me its better than Witcher 3 fist fights. It has this cutscene nature to it which makes it more immersive as opposed to the third installment.
There is also a good amount of cutscenes like the above which was one of my favorites of the game.
The gameplay though more rigid than the third installment it still makes this game very much playable. So my verdict is its fairly ok and not too distracting just the difficulty aspect is predominant.
The best part about this game is obviously the story. I cannot say much but easy to say its the spine of the game. It actually compels you to keep playing. This was my main reason why I bought the game to kind of see the events in this title that led to the 3rd game. I would recommend this game on the basis of the story. The only irritating stuff I have come across is how some stories linger in your checklist and make you not know what to do.
To conclude it is a decent classic that's playable but not expecting much in the visuals but will definitely redefine the purpose of that The Witcher is all about to you.
Your thoughts? Please like, subscribe and share, cheers.
Comments