The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Reviews for The Witcher 2 can be shown here - mine is below.

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Score: 9.5/10

Technical problems and a few other flaws drag down what otherwise could've been the best role-playing game of all time.

Difficulty: Hard
Time Spent: 40 to 100 Hours
The Bottom Line: "Instant classic"
Platform: PC

Back in 2007, a Polish video game developer by the name of CDProjekt RED released a very unique role-playing game called 'The Witcher'. The Witcher turned out to be a great game that was based on the written adventures of the fictional character Geralt of Rivia, who is a witcher, a professional monster slayer - created by author Andrzej Sapkowski. The Witcher was the studio's first game and it turned out to be a success; telling a captivating story that utilized mature content, and was backed up by a cast of interesting characters, to great effect. But now that its sequel is out, does The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings manage to live up to the high standards set by its predecessor?

The first game ended at Geralt walking away from King Foltest of Temeria, receiving his reward for the deeds he had done. On his way out, he bumped into what could've been the very end of Foltest's rule… in other words, an assassin. However, the white-haired warrior quickly destroyed the danger. Since then, Geralt stayed in the king's favour and remained with him as his guardian, for the time being, and private investigator to work out who tried to have him killed. The sequel begins with an interrogation, with Geralt being the only suspect for Foltest's recent death. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I won't mention any more of the story, as (like you'd probably expect from a sequel to a great RPG) TW2 offers a new plot with the same quality and non-linear storytelling like its predecessor, so I won't spoil it for you.

The first question that pops into mind when you look at The Witcher and The Witcher 2 to compare how it has progressed as a series is: "By how much did they improve the graphics?" The answer is: by OVER 9,000! Yeah, the first game had very good visuals and there was nothing wrong with them, but The Witcher 2… damn, it's got to be one of the most beautiful games released for its time. If you don't have a gaming rig, this game will ravage your frame-rate even on medium settings. And not because it's badly optimized or anything of that sort, it just looks so artistically great and the technology behind it is stunning. On the highest settings, the textures are of very high resolution and have an authentic feel to them, the bloom lighting makes all richly illuminated environments look fantastic - not to mention the character animations, which have been immensely improved since the first witcher game.

Then what about the gameplay, has that been changed and if so, in what way? Well, to some extent, the gameplay has been changed. While the main principles are still here, like in most RPGs, you control Geralt from a third person perspective; can talk to many NPCs, have a lot of choices to make during various conversations throughout the game etc. But the change comes into the combat. Assassins of Kings allows the player to kill enemies in a slightly different way than its predecessor did. The left mouse button is used for a swift blow, while the right mouse button for a slower but stronger blow. When pressed, the Q key conjures a sign (magical attack). The space bar is used for dodging.

Within a day of its release, The Witcher 2 quickly became famous (or in some cases, infamous) for its unforgiving difficulty level. This is because the game is so difficult even on the easiest difficulty at first and requires you to quickly dodge incoming strikes from enemies, while throwing in some of your own melee attacks and casting a spell or two. If playing on harder difficulties, it is vital to use that technique along with successfully utilizing weapon oils, ointments, enhancing potions during meditation before battle and laying traps for hostile creatures, as well as luring them into the traps, during combat. Whatever level of difficulty you're playing on, you always need to be on the lookout for better equipment and weapons. Later on in the game, the best gear can be crafted or gained through hard quests and enhancing your armour, as well as engraving your swords with runes, is a must if you want to be the most effective at slaying monsters.

Of course, the combat isn't just clicking this button/pressing that key. Behind all of this action game stuff, there is a whole levelling system and four different development paths. Every time you complete a quest, you gain experience points. Every time you gain enough experience points, you gain a new level. Every time you gain a new level, you receive talents which can be spent on abilities. There are four development paths that are made up of these abilities; the training path, the swordsmanship path, the alchemy path and the magic path; each suited for different character builds and play-styles.

The abilities contained within the development paths can enhance Geralt's effectiveness during melee combat, increase damage dealt by sings, enlarge the distance covered when dodging, increase Geralt's vitality, add bonuses to alchemical skills and much more. Assigning talents to specific abilities can reduce the game's difficulty greatly if specific strategies for developing your character build are used. Overall, the game utilizes a very clever and quite complex system, covering it with fast, entertaining and action-based combat

Although TW2 has many side quests (plus other diversions such as dice poker, contracts, fist-fighting, arm wrestling etc.), the best stuff is in the main story. A narrative that takes a huge number of unexpected plot twists, doesn't need to rely on overused clichés and can be completely shaped by the player. Yep, that's right, much like the first game - you can affect the outcome of almost every quest and all of the main story. There's also usually a consequence that comes with every choice, sometimes it's instant, sometimes it appears much later on in the game. The first game concentrated on the idea of "there is no good & evil, only choices and consequences". The sequel carries on that idea and uses it to a similarly great effect.

One thing you always should consider when choosing between games is just how long they will last you. The Witcher 2 is probably at around 40 hours max for your first playthrough, however you will definitely want to replay it at least once due to how many different outcomes there is and just how much stuff you may have missed the first time you have played it. I'd say the game is probably at around 60 to 80 hours maximum, spanning multiple playthroughs. But with large role-playing games like this one, you never really know how many hours some people can squeeze out of them. Although the Witcher 2 is not an open world game, it does give you fairly large, free-to-explore, areas.

So now you've got this idea of a flawless masterpiece in your head, right? Well, sadly, The Witcher 2 is just short of becoming that masterpiece role-playing game it aims to be. Technical problems, such as: bugs, occasional graphical glitches and crashes can really drag down the experience. However, the first two patches have already annihilated some of the bugs and gave everyone free DLC, so without a doubt, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will continue to receive valuable support from its developer. With more free DLC on the way and fully-priced expansions planned, this game should keep you invested in it for some time to come - not just because of its astonishing quality, but also because of its good longevity.

The Good:
+ Visuals are some of the best ever seen in a video game
+ Graphics are both technologically and artistically advanced
+ RPG elements, levelling system and development paths
+ Some challenge is lost along the way creating a great sense of accomplishment
+ Characters are interesting, deeply developed and unpredictable
+ Non-linear storytelling with plot twists
+ A fantastic & unique atmosphere for each individual area
+ Great voice acting that adds personality to each character
+ None of the challenge feels cheap or completely undoable
+ "Mature" content is used in a mature way without feeling childish
+ Some of the best music ever composed for a video game!
+ Free DLC and fixes with each new patch
+ Visual and technical improvements over its predecessor

The Bad:
- Noticeably less quests and exploration in Chapter 3
- Bugs, occasional graphical glitches and crashes
- Much shorter than the first game (which had five chapters)
- The level of difficulty may scare off newcomers at first
- Playing the first game is a must if you want to fully understand the plot
- Somehow, feels a tiny bit less non-linear than The Witcher

In the end, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is clearly an amazing role-playing game, created by people who really know their games well and reach for the stars with each new release. It has a fantastic atmosphere, some outstanding graphics that require a lot of good hardware but look good even on the lowest settings. It has non-linear gameplay and story; it focuses on the element of choice and often forces the player to choose between lesser evils. Overall, it's a very mature role-playing that could've been the very best RPG I've ever played, if not for some technical problems and a few other minor flaws. Fans of classic RPGs (and the newer, more action-oriented ones as well) should definitely pick this up - it's worth every penny of the price it costs.