The Witcher and Me

Have you ever wondered about the “rreactor” part of the site’s address? A number of years ago I used to maintain a humble gaming site called the RPG Reactor, dedicated to all things RPG. I’ve always had an intense passion for the genre, whether it’s the rich, complex story lines or the fantastical worlds, I adored everything about them so much that I began to write about them regularly. As the years went on, I had less and less time to dedicate to writing about the games and perhaps even worse yet, the gaming industry has become more concerned with the bottom line rather than the quality of the product. RPGs in general are not big moneymakers so many either failed to see the light of day or have been forced forsake the tenets unique to genre and instead cater to the ever fickle needs of the mainstream.

However, not all is lost, as there are still some developers out there willing to believe that the genre can maintain its integrity and at the same time, turn in a decent profit. CD Projekt Red is a name that is quickly garnering the respect and admiration of critics, hardcore RPGers and casual gamer alike, thanks to the big risk they took back in 2007 to release a PC-only RPG called The Witcher. Based on a series of books of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher chronicles the adventures of one Geralt of Rivia, a wandering monster-slayer-for-hire suffering from amnesia out to discover the secrets of his past while forging the present and at times, the future. Geralt is a Witcher, former human beings that have been mutated by experimentations that grant them exceptional abilities in combat, vertical pupils and insatiable sexual appetites; needless to say, not exactly your typical hero archetype.

The game had nearly everything going against it: the niche-y genre, the limited installed base of the PC platform, unknown developer, tiny marketing budget, and a story line based on a Polish book that hardly anyone had ever heard of, much less read. Despite these odds, The Witcher put on a strong performance not only with the critics but in the charts as well, proving that a diamond in the rough, with its imperfections and blemishes in full display, still has the potential to become a crown jewel. The gameplay is addicting, but its best feature is its riveting story line, rife with political intrigue and touches on adult themes that are relevant to the world we live in today; such as racism, intolerance, political corruption, and morality. These Eastern European developers have had excellent luck pairing their homegrown novels with the video gaming medium (another notable example is the FPS shooter, Metro, based off of a Russian novel of the same name), which goes to show that quality writing can elevate a game, regardless of the genre.

The original Witcher game had garnered so much popularity that in 2011, it spawned a sequel, which later became CD Projekt Red’s crowning achievement. Armed with a bigger budget and more experience with the development process, The Witcher 2 was leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. It was released on both the PC and Xbox360, two of the three largest gaming platforms of its day. Boasting eye-popping visuals that still compare well with 2014 standards, improved gameplay mechanics and a gripping story, the game won the hearts of critics and gamers, solidifying its place as a legit gaming franchise. The title went on to sell 1.7 million copies, which is staggering for any type of game let alone an RPG. The series may not have had the lineage of the better known RPGs like those based on the D&D universe, but quality is a language that everyone can understand.

My only regret is not having played the games sooner, but this may have proven to be a benefit as I would not have to suffer too long of a wait until the next installment! It comes as no surprise that CD Projekt Red has The Witcher 3 in the works and true to their form, they intend to push the envelope of the series by offering a free form world, purportedly 20% larger than that of Skyrim (which is a ginormous world, if you haven’t played it) and graphics that will take full advantage of today’s fantastic hardware. It’s more than a little ambitious, as large free form worlds are very difficult to craft for even the most experienced developers, but I have faith in the CD Projekt Red team; they’ve made it their M.O to go beyond their comfort zone to bring the series to ever greater heights. The game was supposed to be released this year, but it was announced earlier this week that it would be pushed all the way back to February of 2015. It will be an agonizing wait, but this is a game that deserves every bit of attention and care that the team can muster and I have no doubt that it will be a contender for 2015’s Game of the Year. If you have not had the pleasure of experiencing The Witcher, both games are available on Steam at bargain-bin prices so I recommend you dally no longer.