Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #925 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Atari
• Released on: 2007-10-26
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Platform: Windows XP

Manufacturer's Description
The Witcher represents the pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games, shattering the line between good and evil with a world where moral ambiguity reigns. In a beautiful, rich game universe created by artists first, technology second, the player becomes his own hero in an epic, action-packed narrative uniquely defined by his actions. Returning to the roots of the role-playing genre with a fresh and modern approach, The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it.

Immersed in a vivid but harsh fantasy world, the player assumes the role of a white-haired witcher named Geralt, a renowned monster-slayer-for-hire and master swordsman with superhuman strength and reflexes. While trying to regain his lost memory, Geralt unwillingly becomes involved in a world-shaking power struggle. Created to provide entertainment for both fans of role-playing games and those seeking fast-paced action, The Witcher brings together epic storytelling and dynamic, visually stunning, and tactically deep action.

Customer Reviews

Impressive, but sadly tedious
I really wanted to like The Witcher, but it took a lot of effort. I bought the game in April, and had to pick it up again a few times - only finishing it five months later. The game isn't too demanding on your PC - although it can slow when you have a *lot* on the screen (this really only happens a few times) - but the downside of this is that it looks a lot like Neverwinter Nights 2 (same graphics engine), which is a bit dated today.

Annoyingly, the enormous spells, combat, potions, oils and bombs-based RPG doesn't come with a printed manual - it's on pdf. Cheap old game manufacturers, eh? It kind of spoils the game, and you end up making a lot of notes, but it'd be really nice to have something to refer back to.

Overall, the setting is nicely dystopian. Medieval castles, peeing mercenaries, leering whores, diseased old women and proud knights - everyone is a little bit bent in this game. And although it's an interesting change, it does leave you feeling a bit like you want to simply kill everyone in the game - they're all a bit evil. There are some delightfully weird (and enormous) monsters - like the bloodsucking creatures in the swamps, the underwater people and the giant centipedes.

Gameplay can be a bit confusing - potions confused me for a while (you need vodka or spirits to make them, I realise) and unlike many RPGs, there's no way of fast-forwarding time without one of the fireplaces liberally strewn around the place, which is a bit annoying at times. Loading times can be a bit slow, and it often feels like you're not really making much progress in the game. Some of the quests are annoyingly trivial - like the entire chapter dedicated to sorting out problems at a wedding. 'Why do I care?' you find yourself asking.

Despite looking a bit dated, the scenery is impressive - the sunsets are great, and the swamp views are very evocative. It's an autumnal game, which is kind of nice. There are some great touches as well - the enormous elven ruins under the city are really impressive, and when it rains, the nobles all hide under the shelter.

The combat is nicely done, and the fighting styles (group, fast and strong) are pretty intuitive. It gets more impressive as you get more experienced, although some of the combat towards the end is really tough. The spells are ok, but you'll probably spend more of your time with your swords out. The quests can be a bit repetitive - lots of to-ing and fro-ing and they can get a bit dull without any real sense of progression. There is an impressive mystery to unfold, but you don't get a real sense of it until right at the end - you spend most of the time thinking that you're pursuing thieves, essentially.

The romance is ok - but it was disappointing that it's not concluded at the end. Although the denouement is impressive, it feels a bit unconclusive, and I had to make a real effort to finish the game. Overall, although there are some nice touches, it can feel very tedious. It's not open ended enough to be oblivion, or closed enough to really feel a sense of progression - I can appreciate what the designers were trying to do, but I just didn't enjoy it that much. Interesting, yes, long, yes, enjoyable - sometimes. But sometimes isn't really enough.

Great RPG
For some reason the beginning really turned me off, but once I got over this I really got into The Witcher. The story is great, and the quest tracker works brilliantly. It also looks great, and should look even better when the new version comes out next month, which by the way is absolutely free if you already own the original. The combat works well, with some extremeley satisfying moves and spells, and you really get your money's worth in terms of gameplay time. The 322mb patch also seems to sort out any stability issues. I'm giving it a five because,so far, I've never enjoyed exploring a fantasy world so much as I have done in The Witcher.

You will miss out if you don't play this!
I would say this is the best RPG I've ever played. I think a key test of any RPG is whether its world feels authentic. I feel I have actually lived in Geralt's world and there is no higher recommendation than that.

It seems to me that the developers have looked at Oblivion, taken aboard comments about its shortcomings and set out to eliminate them in The Witcher. It has many of the features which so endeared Oblivion to its fans: good real-time combat, beautiful and detailed urban areas and countryside, great sound effects and atmosphere, interesting characters and missions, a detailed alchemy system. But on top of this the city feels more lifelike: seemingly small features like children and small animals running about, townsfolk running for cover when a downpour starts, add so much more life.

But what really makes The Witcher stand out for me is its black storyline: so much more realistic than the standard fairy-tale RPGs. Thugs and whores are everywhere, townsfolk walk around f-ing and blinding about their lives, Geralt is fond of seducing women wherever he goes and is uncompromising in his dealings with others. He can participate in fistfights and drinking contests in taverns then spend the night with a whore. Who said that sounds like an average night out in the UK?!

The Witcher does have its shortcomings of course. Loading times can be long and I found the frame rate slowed drastically when I reached the Merchant District for the first time, meaning I had to reduce the resolution I was playing at. But I found it mostly runs smoothly and while my PC's spec is good, it's not close to top-end.

I would admit The Witcher is a slow-burner at first but after a few hours play, I was totally immersed. I will be genuinely sad when I complete this game, which I think says it all. Treat yourself and get this game today!