I will be honest though, that skepticism went straight out the window quite quickly. This is a polished RPG from an unexpected source, achieving all things an RPG should in its own way. The developers haven't fallen into the trap of forcing you to play the game their way, and although some of the missions are very linear, there is a deep layer of customisation that allows the player to fine tune their experience. You would be forgiven for thinking that this was a proper open world game as it disguises itself quite well. In reality the map really isn't that big, with only a small portion available to the player through each chapter. That's not to say it doesn't look nice, and the developers have crammed a lot into the space available, but it just ends up looking a bit pathetic when compared to the huge maps of games like 'Skyrim'. In this game the world ends up feeling like three really long missions, which is at least something different, although I'm not sure if I'm totally sold on it. Call me a traditional gamer, but I don't think this system enables the player to fully explore the environment or get the best out of a universe rich with lore.
Yep, my first impressions are that this is going to be my sort of RPG.
Another big point that needed to shine was the combat, which I was told had been completely overhauled for the console release. There usually isn't many components to a hack 'n' slash system, but getting it right has proved to be a challenge for even the most experienced developers, yet alone a group of Poles working in a shed. I will admit that it's not the most refined system, but I think the game gets it about right, for the first half anyway. The second half becomes a system that feels like it should belong in an arcade, almost becoming button mashing at some points, which is a shame as up till then the system was well balanced and integrated. During the prologue the system is even pretty damn punishing, but not frustrating. I liked that a lot, and so I can't see why the developers didn't bother to make the game harder as you went along; that certainly killed any progression the game ever had. That's not the only flaw either, the targeting system has a mind of its own. Now that really does get annoying, and makes the combat system more frustrating than anything else. They got the basics right, but anything else on top is just messy.
Fucking lock on system. Of all the times you choose to not work, now really shouldn't be one of them.
So there are notable flaws that become apparent. Good news is that the plot wasn't one of those. Despite the criticism it's been getting on the internet I think it's a very well written story. Maybe the slow and sometimes variable pace put people off, or maybe it's the stages where the developers allow the story to meander along. I thought those sections were still pretty good and allowed characters to develop in very intriguing ways that held the plot together at crucial times. The standout character is without a doubt the very attractive Triss Merrigold, who the protagonist has somehow managed to nail despite being old enough to be her grandfather. That wasn't a complaint, in fact her sex scenes are some of my personal highlights. She even has a magical ability to instantly remove all of her clothes. Yeah, think you can work out who this game is aimed at. For sex scenes this game is fucking brilliant.
The rest of the scenes vary a little. This isn't helped by protagonist Geralt having Batman disease, where you either whisper words or shout them so nobody can understand you. But I'll lay off Geralt as he's a pretty awesome and believable protagonist, which is all you can ask really. My only main problem is that the storyline tends to blast a load of jargon in your face at random intervals. This means the story is quite hard to follow sometimes, and with the vast selection of characters to memories it can become a bit of a jumbled mess on more than one occasion. The game never likes to make things simple, there's always something trying to become the main focus with every mission, and that means you end up with about 15,000 main antagonists by the end of the game who you have no idea what happened to.
This game was just borderline pornography at some stages. Still, it's rare that I get sexually excited over a collection of polygons and pixels.
All these characters being built up means you expect a big climax. That doesn't really happen, and the momentum that had been built up from the breathtaking prologue gradually fizzes out to the point of it all being a bit of a letdown. Maybe that's too harsh, it's not necessarily bad, just a little tame when compared to what was being built up to happen. It's also a departure from the rest of the narrative, which is well integrated and provides the player with some memorable moments. I really do like the plot in this one, and I really do like the fact that it's told from the point of view of a minstrel. I know that's a small point but it just adds something extra, making the story feel like a legendary tale. That's also a legendary tale that you can shape, as with any good RPG this game has a choice system that's a more unpredictable system than conventional games, and there are no preset right or wrong choices. I wouldn't say they make a huge deal of difference, but it's implemented enough to make you think about what you're doing, and that's something I love in an RPG. In fact the game makes you think about many things before acting on them. The developers never once hold your hand, and so this is a game where you need to use your initiative, which might mean you need to actually follow the plot at some stages. That for me is a nice touch, and shows the developers actually cared about their final product.
However, it's all very well the plot being nicely executed, but that doesn't really matter when you have a number of glaring flaws in your game that really pissed me off. The first is the map, which every RPG needs to function. This one looks very nice, and I do like the medieval styling to it, but as a map it's totally useless. Want to add custom markers? Well you can't. Want to get directions? Well you can't. Want to find out where you are? We'll only give you a rough idea. There isn't even a way of working out the elevation of waypoints, so you can't find anything. It's made worse by the fact that the game just assumes you know everything. It never tells you anything, and so surprisingly you inevitably get lost on a mission when it doesn't even give you any hints. It's like they assume that after a brief tutorial you can read the minds of the developers, when in reality what they want is far from the logical thing. I like it when my hand isn't held throughout the whole game, I even praised the game for doing this earlier, but there is a limit. These glaring faults make it impossible to have fun whilst playing the game your way. It's such a shame as the game was shaping up nicely, only to ruin its reputation on something that shouldn't be difficult to master.
That is genuinely a section of the map. How in any way am I supposed to find that useful?
I really wanted to love this game. After the storytelling excellence of the prologue I was expecting a masterclass that never came. The niggling little bugs keep piling up until you can't help prioritising them over the well written plot. As an overall game I thought it was excellent. It was only those simple faults that stopped me from enjoying myself too much. The developers do seem to know what they're doing, and so my hopes are high for the sequel. I like that the game manages to find its own little gap in the market, and I would have to seriously consider my choice if I could buy either this or 'The Elder Scrolls'. The later might be a better example of an RPG, but I found myself enjoying this game more.
Final Score: 84/100 ****
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