Hope you guys are doing well and gaming hard. Today we are going to talk about a game that launched a trilogy that went down in the history as one of the best gaming trilogies ever made. The Witcher by CD Projekt Red was released 14 years ago on 26th October 2007. Garnering a lot of love and critical acclaim, it quickly became many gamers’ choice for their RPG adventures.
Its success led to the creation of Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in 2011, which was an even greater triumph. This powered the franchise to the last game in the trilogy – Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, and we all know how Witcher 3 wrecked the gaming market in 2015. But the glory of Witcher 3 is not what we are here for today. So, grab your steel and silver swords as we are about to go back to where the Witcher’s journey began.
The Witcher Universe
If you are a fan of the Witcher universe, you might be aware that the games are based on the novel’s series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Though they are based on the books, they do not showcase the story in the books. These games, in fact, act as a sequel to the best-selling novels of the Witcher universe.
The Witcher by CD Projekt Red begins with an amnesiac Witcher waking up at the School of Wolf’s mountain fortress Kaer Morhen. The Witcher as you might have guessed is indeed the famous Geralt of Rivia, who has now lost his memory.
From here you assume the role of Geralt and go on an adventure. This decides the fate of the continent at the brink of war. In the initial few hours itself, you are made aware of the combat system, alchemy, spells, and whatnot. After spending a little time and effort, you can easily master the combat system and keep exploring the massive world of The Witcher.
Unlike Witcher 3, Witcher 1 has closed maps where you can’t return to once you move forward but it has a massive world.
There is a lot to explore in this well-crafted game which can easily provide you with over 50 hours of playtime. It took me over 80 hours to finish it but that’s cause it was my very first PC game. Nevertheless, you can do a lot in this game if you decide to look beyond its minor flaws.
Being a relatively old game, it doesn’t boast very impressive graphics, but they are quite good considering the year it was released. If you are a regular gamer and have already played Witcher 2 or 3, you might not enjoy its combat system as well. And that’s it, this is where its faults end as everything else in the game is top-notch. The Witcher features an impressive storyline that sometimes compels you to think and introspect. Your choices throughout the game impact the storyline and outcomes in a major way, just like its successors.
A Well-Written Narrative
The stakes in The Witcher are very high and that makes it an even more interesting game. Personally, I enjoyed The Witcher much more than Witcher 2, as it had a bigger world and a better storyline. The Witcher features almost all your favorite characters excluding Yeneffer and Ciri, and that makes it a game worth playing.
Its narrative is also quite interesting and Geralt’s involvement in the political landscape of the continent sets up the rest of the trilogy. It is very well written, though its gameplay is something many modern gamers might not particularly enjoy.
It is true that Witcher 1 and 2 haven’t aged well but that is mostly because of the exceptional Witcher 3. The third game is everything a gamer looks for in a game. Witcher 3 integrated all that people loved about Witcher 1, and Witcher 2 and added much more to take it to incredible heights. Therefore, fans try to seek a similar experience in Witcher 1 and Witcher 2.
Obviously, The Witcher cannot match Witcher 3 but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good game. Even after 14 years of its release, it is very much playable and has a lot to offer. All you need to do is try it out with a free and fair mind.
The moment you start comparing it, the game won’t be any fun.
- The enhanced version of the game was released on 16 September 2008 and it featured over 200 new animations. Apart from that, additional NPC models, and recoloring of generic NPC models, as well as monsters, were also done.
- The stability was improved, the inventory system was redesigned, and load times were reduced by roughly 80%. The Witcher Enhanced Edition currently features two new fully voiced adventures – Side Effects and The Price of Neutrality. It also consists of a few fan-made non voiced adventures as well.
You can buy a digital copy of The Witcher Enhanced Edition and play it right now from Steam or other online stores. It will not take much of your money and time and provide you with an experience you won’t forget easily. Also, it doesn’t require high-end configurations to run. The Witcher will barely take up 15 GB of your hard drive and could run smoothly on even 2GB RAM.
The recommended processor could be Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +3000. As for the graphic card, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX or ATI Radeon X1950 XT will be more than enough to provide you with the best experience.
A simple fact of life is that change is the only constant, and with change, we need to grow. New technologies arrive, old tech is discarded, new experiences and ideas take prominence, but some things are just special. The Witcher is that one thing that would always be special to the fans of the series as well as CD Projekt Red. After all, (and most of you’ll agree) it gave birth to one of the best RPGs of all time, which gamers can’t get enough of.
Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt – The Complete Edition releases in the first half of 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, Switch, and PC.
If you have any questions regarding The Witcher, Witcher 2, or Witcher 3, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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