(Don't Fear) The Witcher
The term "Western RPG" has been typically used to deviate the genre between Japan and American developers. Companies like Bethesda have crafted wide-scaled role-playing games with the insight of American culture to counter the often culturally stylized JRPGs. However, CD Projekt RED is an exception to this term, as their Witcher series attributes its influences from their own country of origin: Poland. Based on a series of novels, the series, and particularly this sequel Assassins of Kings, has proven itself to be the prime representation of dark fantasy in the medium of video games.
Immediately, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings draws you in with its plot. At the start, the protagonist named Geralt awakens in prison, condemned for the assassination of King Foltest of Temeria. Simultaneously suffering from amnesia, he begins to recollect as much as possible and tell his story from there to convince his innocence; which is where the narrative begins. Initially, I felt somewhat strangely disconnected with the characters the game had to offer, but as the story progressed, I gained a certain amount of respect for each one, particularly Geralt. In turn, I found myself pervasively invested with this dark fantasy plot, eagerly anticipating its next significant development. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all is the game's method of storytelling. From the conclusion of the first chapter onwards, the game veers off into two very different paths, leading to significantly altered mission and plot designs. The core climactic missions remain the same on each route, but everything leading up to said events vary.
Assassins of Kings places a large emphasis of its design upon its RPG elements. You possess a great variety of armor and weapons that you must equip, alongside the genre's tropes of shops and crafting. Many overarching systems include a greatly implemented skill progression tree, a potion brewing and consumption system, and even a feature to alter the time of day. Attaining certain quests will require communicating with civilians at certain times. On the note of the various potion aspects, or Alchemy, as the game refers to it as, the situation is not quite ideal. Any moment you are not in combat, you can combine and create up to the limit all you want. However, once you enter the heat of battle, all Alchemy usage is halted. That meaning, every potion must be consumed before or after an encounter, unless you selected an already-made one in the form of a quick select. Sometimes this can be a bit bothersome, as a difficult battle could easily slide out of hand. Other than that, there is little to complain about here in regards to these role-playing concepts. Maybe the user interface could be a bit improved, but it works as is. Regardless, it is commendable how CD Projekt RED was able to streamline all of these implemented systems in comparison to the original Witcher title. This previous entry to the franchise was plagued with overly-complicated PC menus and poor explanations of its systems. Thankfully, The Witcher 2 contrasts with this, and contains intricate systems along with generally new player-friendly gameplay. Keep in mind that all of this is not presented with a particular open-world. Each chapter takes place among a select town, and missions are designed from your free-roaming around the entirety of that town. It's not a negative in any way, but it's clearly evident that this game was begging for a full open environment.
"Challenging" may be the best word to describe The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kingscombat. Gone is the strangely rhythmic system from the original game, and adapted here is a more modern and standard implementation, akin to many action RPGs on the market. Its twist on the formula is the game's management between swordsmanship and Signs (which are essentially magic spells). One-and-one fights are not difficult in the slightest, but true management comes with the addition of multiple foes, which adds for a challenging yet rewarding experience. Actual melee action is emphasized with fluid movement, kind of similar to the Arkham games, but not quite as interconnected. A majority of the time, you will be rotating between your weak but fast attack and your strong but slow attack. Dodging and blocking are prevalent features, but intervening with your various forms of magic in between sword slices is perhaps most ideal. All of this is adhered to with the game's radial menu, which generously provides you with easy access to all forms magic and your various weapons. Some other notable features in the game include dialogue trees and a set of mini-games. The latter were almost all lackluster as they relied on QTEs and RNG, while the former is seemingly sparse and inconsequential.
As far as graphical components go, The Witcher 2 is merely sufficient. Upon its initial 2011 release, it was surely impressive, but today some aspects do not look quite as appealing as I'm sure they were four years ago. One element that I can admit impressed me was in regards to the facial features and animations. Not only do they animate fluid, but these faces express emotions very coherently. Each expressive face fits their respective actor and, with exception of the occasional generic NPC, all voice-overs are excellent. In addition, the game evokes an excellent film-esque musical score; one that could easily challenge fellow competitors of the dark fantasy genre.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was a pleasant surprise for me. I originally purchased it for the simple sake of it being under five dollars on Steam during a certain sale. With the anticipation of its third installment growing everyday, I only played it for the simple fact of the new game coming soon. To say that it exceeded my expectations is a complete understatement. While I feel the mini-games and dialogue trees could have been elaborated more on, the general story and combat largely impressed me. I only wish the free-roaming aspects were extended more, as given the game's general structure, it seemingly begging for its own immersive open-world; and judging from everything I've read about Wild Hunt so far, it has seemed to have captured that. Let's just say that after playing Assassins of Kings, I genuinely cannot bear to wait for Wild Hunt's release.
