The Witcher

On the surface, The Witcher is a game set in a fantasy world, about a mysterious, gifted warrior who battles evil forces.  


Look deeper and the fantasy races are just different classes of society, the gifted warrior is  someone who doesn't quite fit in with anyone; a necessary but unsightly hero and those forces of evil seem to be present, but perhaps not quite where you expected.  In short, the Witcher is a game about challenging expectations and about that grey area which is so often overlooked yet so much more interesting than the black and white of most fantasy games/fiction.

We follow Geralt.  A man who has undergone mutations to become an adept at dealing with monsters.  An absolute necessity in a place where dark creatures prowl at night, graveyards are haunted by the restless dead and the forest looks back at you from a dozen different eyes.  But, as men civilize the world, there's less and less room for goblins and elves.  They are driven to the edges, sometimes forgotten.  The Witcher becomes an unwanted reminder of a different time.  Slowly their place in the world is receding as well, but they're not quite gone yet.


Having lost his memory, Geralt slowly puts the pieces back together as he follows a quest to hunt down some men who have stolen the last things of value to the Witchers, the secrets of their mutations.  The main story takes its time developing, letting Geralt learn about the world and rediscover his relationships with past allies and friends.  He picks up odd jobs as he travels, remove some ghouls here, a spectre there.  But sometimes the monsters at the crossroads are men, driven by lust and greed.  How does Geralt deal with them? Or when monsters beg for his need his mercy and even assistance?


Geralt's dealings with his world build over the course of the game, like a pot slowly coming to a boil.  There's a feeling of containment everywhere: items are derived from fallen enemies, weapons are improved by friendly smiths, books teach Geralt about this world leading him to new areas, everything leads him further on, but nothing seems forced.  Friendships are forged, tested and altered.  Politics moves everyone, motivations sometimes only hinted at.   


At first, Geralt must balance between these forces and then eventually, inevitably things come to a boil and Geralt must make difficult and costly decisions.  At the end, things are different, peace is restored but one expects that things have only been postponed.  The players have shifted, nothing more.


A must buy.


J