Preview of The Witcher 2

A few years ago, I was often asked what I would do when the first Witcher came out. "I will wait for the second one," I would invariably reply. When asked if I was sure it would appear, my answer was only one – "I'm sure one hundred percent!"

And now that long-awaited moment is near. I got my hands, or rather, it made its way to my hard drive, on a preview version of The Witcher 2! It should be noted that it got there not by chance, but thanks to Gamer.ru and personally to the chief editor of the portal, Andrey Zagudaev, who entrusted me with the responsible task of writing this review for you.

I did not make my own screenshots, as journalists had already screenshot everything they could. I simply picked suitable ones from what was available.

Of course, the preview version is not the complete game, but merely a prologue and the first act. However, I want to say that the gameplay events in this segment would be sufficient for the entire storyline of some games.

To say that I was nervous is to say nothing. Would it run on my not-so-powerful machine? (The configuration is listed in my profile) Would it meet expectations, or turn out to be buggy? But the download is complete, the launcher file is received, and its activation is passed. Here comes the moment of truth!...

You are greeted by your clothes

The game launched on the first try at high settings. To say that The Witcher 2 is beautiful is to say nothing. And a significant difference can only be felt at the very lowest settings. There is almost no difference between ultra and high settings. Those who claimed that the screenshots were photoshopped – you were wrong. The game looks stunning. Clear textures, dynamic lighting and shadows, as well as a whole bunch of other graphical innovations, the names of which I cannot pronounce without being tipsy. The only aspect graphically that can be criticized is the facial animation. It looks a bit stiff, but overall it doesn’t spoil the picture. In all other respects, the animation is quite pleasing. Everything that was promised to be fixed has been fixed. In particular, Geralt's tail, with its desperate flailing, no longer puts you in a hypnotic state.

They said about the first Witcher that the main thing in its graphics is the stunning design of the locations and lovingly handcrafted models. So, this design has not disappeared, and combined with the latest technologies, the game looks twice as good. The military camp is impressive. Although it is bathed in sunlight, the feeling of war is distinctly present. In the hospital, the wounded are moaning and blood is everywhere. On the training ground, soldiers are practicing and preparing for battle. And nearby… holy Melitele! Trebuchets are operating, and somewhere in the distance, you can see a siege tower approaching the castle.

The Witcher 2 gives the feeling comparable to watching a quality Hollywood blockbuster. Epic, expensive, high-quality. And most importantly, with soul. The cutscenes mesmerize with their direction. And the dialogues are on par with pre-scripted videos. The participants in the conversation do not stand opposite each other like mannequins. In the very first dialogue with Triss, Geralt puts on his boots and other gear simultaneously.

By the way, this is perhaps the main reason to turn off subtitles. They are distracting and interfere with what is happening on the screen.

Talking with words – not swinging with a shovel

The dialogues in The Witcher 2 are a separate song. The characters communicate in a very lively language, unashamed of their expressions. But fortunately, in pursuit of "mature language," the authors of the texts did not veer into farce and grotesque anywhere. "You thick-headed idiots, I forbid you to breathe like imbeciles," – shouts King Foltest to the soldiers rushing under arrows. This character, by the way, often has memorable lines. There’s also plenty of humor in the conversations. It feels like during the writing of the script, its authors read Sapkowski multiple times to catch that fine line between rudeness and vulgarity, humor and clowning, high style and sticky pathos. One wants to believe that our localizers managed to tackle this tricky task, and in the Russian version, all the charm of dialogues and other texts will be preserved.

The developers have repeatedly stated that the main thing in the game is the storyline. And they were not lying. A difficult choice awaits us repeatedly. And that choice may depend on the lives of many people. Including both close friends and random passersby. There are no good and evil deeds here. Because each has its motive. Does the son of the rebellious baroness, commanding the enemy army, deserve death? Is he a traitor, or did he have no other choice? To kill him and all his soldiers, just him, or to persuade him to surrender? Each of these options will impact many fates later. And ultimately determine one of the endings of the game.

Get away, shoulder! Unbind yourself!

But what distinguishes the game from a movie is that here, you not only watch beautiful scenes and listen to conversations. The combat system – that is what, it seems, will become the main stumbling block for all fans of the game. It is completely new. Those who master it will surely be pleased because it is essentially what many have asked for. Now the player's actions matter much more. There are no more styles, and blocks need to be placed by the player themselves. If before, a player only needed to rhythmically click on the opponent and choose the right style, now the player weaves the chains of hits themselves, choosing which quick or powerful strike is better for the situation. Throughout the performance, it is possible and necessary to change targets, not allow oneself to be surrounded, block some attacks and roll away from others. All together, with the right skill, looks very beautiful, but Geralt no longer resembles a bloody death mill. Engaging a group style to take down five will not work anymore. If surrounded, you can consider yourself dead. Initially, the hits are strong, painful, and frequent. The enemies are far from foolish. Guards attack all together but do not interfere with each other. The archers shoot from behind, so you have to keep dodging. And the monsters are eager to pounce in groups and devour you whole. Fortunately, The Witcher 2 is not a slasher, although it has come to resemble one in many ways. Leveling up plays a significant role here. If you learn a necessary skill – Geralt can now block from all sides rather than just from the front. If you learn another – a strike received from behind no longer deals double damage. Or you can solve this problem by brewing certain potions.

Signs have become definitely more useful. You can now use all five at once. However, they have lost quite a bit of their power. Ignis is no longer a legalized cheat, and with Aard you can no longer toss half the army off the castle walls. Initially, you may use signs twice in a row, and then, as you level up, this number can be increased.

The leveling up is divided into four branches. The first six levels have basic skills available, then three main branches – swordfighter, alchemist, or signs specialist – are opened. You will not be able to learn everything in one playthrough, and there’s no need to. So, Geralt can become a warrior who will solve all problems with strength, while signs and alchemy will take a back seat. But even if you decide to focus on the magic branch, Geralt will still not turn into a sorcerer. You will just be able to use signs more often and effectively. The same applies to the tendency toward alchemy.

So you won't be bored!

A nice feature of The Witcher 2 is that it doesn't get boring. Dialogues and cutscenes are interspersed with brutal fights, every quest is unique in its own way. Even monster contracts involve a whole investigation, where these monsters live, what they are dangerous, and how to eradicate them completely. Because if you do not find their "nest," they will keep appearing again and again.

During the breaks between saving his own skin, Geralt, along with the player, can pass the time with mini-games. The new fistfights are fully based on QTEs and require good reflexes. But once you get the hang of it, you will suddenly realize that the new system is much more spectacular than before. The dice poker is almost the same. Only the physics of the dice flight has been added. If you throw them too hard, they can fly off the board. That means you won't score points from them for the rest of the round. A new diversion – arm wrestling is tougher than it might seem at first glance. But it’s not overwhelmingly difficult. Mini-games perform their function well – they keep boredom at bay, but do not steal all the attention.

Tired of brawling and flexing your biceps? – Welcome to the boudoir. Geralt remains a ladykiller wherever he goes. In addition to the story heroines with whom you can have an affair, especially lustful players can take Geralt to a brothel and have him pick up a lady of the evening there. Only this time, full-fledged erotic videos have replaced the cards. A worthy replacement, although I will miss the cards a bit :)

It’s worth noting that even a simple slow stroll through the city can bring a lot of positivity. The locals tell each other stories, sometimes funny ones. They react to Geralt's actions, for example, flinching from the drawn sword. Well, or they just engage in their own business – working at the forge, selling food, fishing. Everything here follows its routine. In the morning, rise, during the day work, at night – to bed. Such little details delight, like guards going around and lighting torches throughout the town, and in the rain, people frantically hide under roofs. By the way, the time of day and weather conditions are not just beautiful decorations. For example, in the rain, fire spells work worse for sorcerers, as well as the Ignis sign, but you can get hit harder by lightning.

In the rhythm of the waltz

Sounds, music, and voices – all three components of good voice acting in the game are at a high level. The English voice acting is quite decent, although at times I would like a bit more emotion from some actors. The music has become more epic, partially losing its Celtic motifs, but it did not become worse at all. Perhaps the soundtrack became less original, but it continues to perfectly complement what is happening on the screen and evokes no negative emotions. Some compositions are executed excellently. But the most amazing are the ambient sounds: the rustling of leaves, birds singing, the gurgling of water, the ringing of swords, and the cries of the wounded. There is no sound that escapes the attention of the sound engineer. Thanks to this, the atmosphere of every corner of the world of The Witcher 2 has its enchanting atmosphere.

Collector's corner

Gear and collecting now receive much more attention. Geralt will be able to find in hiding places, take from the corpses of enemies, or even craft a few dozen swords, daggers, jackets, and other clothing items from makeshift materials with the help of a blacksmith. All this loot fits into a revamped inventory, which now has weight limitations instead of slot limitations. Exceed the maximum weight – you won't be able to run and roll. And fighting without that is sad.

Fortunately, everything is now organized into different pockets, meaning categories. Here’s armor, there’s weapons, here are important quest items, and over here are schematics for creating new items, particularly traps, bombs, and alchemical gadgets. If you look closely, you can find quite amusing things. For example, a paddle that you can fight with. Looks spectacular!

An excellent find is that now bushes and herbs, from which you can collect something, are almost unnoticeable against the background. And to make them easier to spot, Geralt can use his medallion to scan the area. This way, you can identify necessary bushes, highlight interesting boxes, and even find places of power.

Get in a circle, children

If we sum up all the impressions from the preview version of The Witcher 2 and discard the puppy-like enthusiasm, one can say that the game is a success. Of course, it is impossible to judge a full product by a demo version. But if the entire game is at the level of this preview version, it promises to be a real bomb! Beautiful, interesting, with good optimization and almost no bugs. There’s blood, cursing, and breasts! What more could you want for happiness? Of course, some might be put off by the complicated combat system or the regular QTEs. Some might never get used to Geralt's new hair, while others might be shocked by some of the bold narrative choices made by the creators. But surely everyone will appreciate the new dialogues, stunning graphics, and true non-linearity. One way or another, The Witcher 2 will leave no one indifferent!


One cannot break tradition – a post cannot exist without Triss's butt :)

Ksandr\_Warfire specially for Gamer.ru