Hey everyone! This year I've been trying to focus more on my backlog rather than buying new games, and it's been pretty successful so far. One of the game I've been meaning to play is the original Witcher game, and I did just that!

Some brief history on my experience with the game. When the enchanted edition first came out, I was building my very first gaming PC. I was quite young at the time, about 13 years old, and along with my PC I also picked up The Witcher. You could say in a way that it was my first traditional PC RPG, and from what I played at the time, I really enjoyed it. At some point I stopped playing it though, because I got stuck and my monster slaying ended there.

Time went on and I was always thinking about how much I enjoyed it and this was the year I finally went back to it, and boy am I glad I did! From the moment I started to the moment I finished, I couldn't stop playing it. The whole game just sucked me in; the world, the story, the combat, the characters, everything. Of course the game wasn't flawless and there were a few things I wanted to be improved including some technical issues, how easy the game was, and a lack of things to spend money on. These weren't game breaking at all however so I overlooked them for the most part.

I found a lot of the characters interesting and I enjoyed having conversations with them. During the course of the game some decisions I made regarding politics heavily impacted my interactions with some of the characters I encountered. At one point it got so bad that I had to kill someone who I considered one of my favourite characters through out the course of the game, because I decided that I did not agree with some of the decisions he was making, and therefore didn't help him. Personally I decided to stay away from a lot of the political issues in the game and I was neutral in the war between The Order of the Flaming Rose and the Scoia'tael and of course that resulted in both of them hating me. It seemed like it could be quite different if I decided to chose one faction over the other, so it may be interesting to go back and see all the changes that will be made.

I was quite fond of the Epilogue as well, it wrapped the whole game up nicely, and it was quite touching seeing a lot of the characters I met through out the game reunite, even characters who I only met briefly, such as a talking ghoul named Vetala who I decided to spare in exchange for some information. It will be interesting to see if any of the choices affect my experience in The Witcher 2, as I know the saves can be brought over.

Something I particularly liked was that Geralt was a known figure in the universe. It was pretty interesting meeting characters which I apparently already knew and having a pre-conceived identity that you could change throughout the course of the game, even if it didn't match up with what the old Geralt would have done and if it didn't, people would let you know.

The soundtrack that went along with me conversing with people, slaying horrid beasts and meddling in politics was great. It fitted the world perfectly and hit a lot of the right notes in certain situations and just added to the impact the game had.

I'm a sucker for a good story in games and I really feel like The Witcher delivered. I don't know what made it so interesting to me, but it felt really unique and I feel like a whole new universe has been opened up.

At this point in time I haven't read the books or played any other games in the series, only the first, and I can't wait to explore more of what the world of The Witcher has to offer. After looking up some stuff about the books it seems that the translations may not be too good which is a bit of a shame, and not all of them have been translated. Still, I look forward to reading what I can, playing The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 when it comes out.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

The translations of the books are just fine, I think. I can't compare them or anything, but they're good books. Definitely at least read The Last Wish since you enjoy the universe. It's a bunch of short stories that give you some very interesting and entertaining backstory on Geralt. The stories are all really well done.

I'm loving all this sudden re discovery of the Witcher that's been going on in these forums :) For going back to your Witcher backlog and finishing the game you get a big, sloppy k- uhh.. high five from me. So many people give up on that game.

Witcher 1 is my favorite game in all time. Maybe it's because of the universe its so deeply immersed in... I dunno. Here's a blog I'd written about my love for the game :P

I know, there is something so magical about that universe, it seems to satisfy and yet mystify me unlike any other book/ game i've read/ played.

The books definitely enhance the experience ten fold. It's got a very similar tone to the game (or vice versa) and you'll find it very easy and fun to read. Don't pass it off, imo the translations (even fan ones) are quite good. The dialogues also remind me of the manner in which the characters speak in the game world. I'd highly recommend you read all the books before Witcher 3 comes out. Start with The Last Wish, then Sword of Destiny, and then the Saga (4 books)

Here's the links to all the translations: http://en.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?/topic/20967-our-community-fan-translations

Atleast try reading the first (two) short story book(s) (TLW & preferrably SOD also) before starting Witcher 2. It's a good introduction to the characters and a good reason to love the Witcher universe.

The tone and style shifts with the second game, so that might also take some adjusting. I had to play it twice before I truly enjoyed the game. The second time, I also tried understanding everything that was going on, and read this to understand the politics : http://wishroom.tumblr.com/post/22718735947/the-politics-of-the-witcher-2-part-3-the-war-for-the

Its a great explanation of the war and everybody's motives in it. Read it in the final act of the game preferably to avoid spoilers ( Though i don't remember if it contains any) or whenever you feel really confused with the game.

So that's all, enjoy the games and the books and the whole universe, and wait for the best damn game (to be) of all time, The Witcher 3! Seriously, that game is gonna be super revolutionary.

Nice to see the original The Witcher getting its due. I've seen a lot of people recommend newcomers skip the first one in favor of The Witcher 2 which always bummed me out since I think The Witcher was a fantastic Action RPG with a pretty interesting combat system (the only other rhythm-based RPG combat I'm familiar with appears in the Mario RPG games) and a fresh universe that doesn't scream "I loved LotR way too much!" for once.

The decision about save import was made when the sequel has already been pretty deep into development, so the stuff that carries over is your final equipment(swords and armor) and you get to meet two characters from The Witcher 1(depending on how you played TW1). Other stuff are nods and references to some of your decisions, but nothing big or game changing.

I think there are a lot of similarities to myself in what you wrote. i too remember playing the game and getting to a point where i stopped, but recently picked up the enhanced edition. Still waiting to replay, but it got me thinking about the time i had when it first released and how it was unlike anything, practically still is, nothing else like it. The world, characters, combat, idk, feels adult? Weird description, but its a game not for everyone. Glad you are enjoying it as it now has me moving it up on my own personal backlog list.

Haha, the one with the Djinn was really great. "Get out of here and go fuck yourself!"

Yep, that one was fantastic, haha.

@armaan8014: Thanks for the advice regarding the books. I think I might try to read them all before playing The Witcher 2.

Do you think that it would've been better to read the books before playing the original game, or is reading them in between the first and the second games fine?

It's totally fine to read them in between the two games. I guess it's better to do it that way cause you're introduced pretty nicely to the world through the first game. I started reading them after I finished the first game anyway.

Sorry for replying so late I just figured out how notifications work ^^