The Witcher 2: A Video Game Of Thrones

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was the reason I upgraded my PC. For almost five years, my old laptop loyally processed word documents during my schooling days. Its fat, plain exterior quietly storing files and data away with the effectiveness one would expect from such a piece of hardware. But it lacked chops when it came to playing games.

One afternoon, I recall my laptop crashing unexpectedly. It may as well have melted into non-existence, because in that instance I saw an opportunity to purchase a new laptop. I promised myself that I would look into a rig that could manage games. After making the purchase, I almost immediately downloaded and began awaiting a moment to pick up and play The Witcher 2. And so, I have now played and finished The Witcher 2, and find myself walking away from it with a level of satisfaction I seldom feel toward games anymore.

My immediate thoughts surrounding The Witcher 2 are that its mechanics and story have aged remarkably well. Its combat is weighted, and reminded me greatly of the Souls’ series, its world is teeming with interesting lore, and its protagonist is likeably developed. My few complaints, which pop up regularly throughout the game, are eclipsed by how realized this game’s world is. Truly, if you have a passing interest in dark medieval settings or sword-based action titles, you owe it to yourself to try The Witcher 2, especially with The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt just around the corner.

Probably the biggest issue I have with the game is how its initial mysteries feel truncated and incidental by the game’s end. The opening cinematic, which introduces the titular Assassin of Kings, brings with it drones of major and minor characters, most of whom are charismatic enough to warrant sufficient time and attention. But they all feel shoehorned into a comparatively simple overarching narrative, which sees protagonist Geralt trying to making sense of these assassination attempts. Worse, the politics assault like a tidal, and are often dense to navigate.

Additionally, I find that the The Witcher 2 failed to guide the player throughout its world and design. My initial thoughts about the game’s combat, for instance, were that it was slightly underwhelming. The game’s controls are unresponsive, and skirmishes usually devolve into dodging enemy attacks and then launching some manner of counterattack, before repeating. 

Ultimately, the biggest joke is how apparent my attempts have been at trying to deflate the achievements found within The Witcher 2. Truly, its level of detail is worth appreciating, ideally at a leisurely pace. The game is divided into three major chapters, and is bookended by lengthy prologues and epilogues. Each of these chapters takes place in a different area, and each area is almost overwhelmingly populated with diverse NPCs. Compounding this is the fact that the game has four differentiable periods in the day, with NPCs behaving differently depending on the time of day. What results in not unlike GTA V, wherein even prosaic actions feel refreshingly exciting when tethered to a world whose inhabitants seemingly react to you, engaging your desire to explore and become stitched within the game’s fiction.

The Witcher 3 looks to continue building upon the groundwork set before it by The Witcher 2. For those who may still be on the fence about purchasing this game when its sequel is just around the corner, let me say to you: this is a game crafted by developers whose clear love for their product is palpable. It’s clear to me that excellence in video games continues to exist, and that it is manifest in this series. So the next time Steam decides to lambast you with a trillion games, all for one cent, take your cents and purchase several digital copies of The Witcher 2 instead. I assure you that your money will be going toward a game that’s got copious…Polish.