Developer: CD Projekt Red
Publisher: Atari (NA) / Namco Bandi (EUR) / Warner Bros. Interactive
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Mac OS X
Reviewed On: Xbox 360
Released: May 2011-April 2012
Genre: Action-Adventure RPG
Rating: BBFC: 18, ESRB: M, PEGI: 18
Mode: Single-player
Distribution: Physical CD, Download (via Steam or CDPR’s GOG.com)
Content Warning: Adult Language, Adult Situations, Suggestive Themes, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Blood and Gore, Intent Violence, Use of Drugs

“Indeed, naught is more repulsive than these monsters that defy nature and are known by the name of witcher, as they are the offspring of foul sorcery and witchcraft. Unscrupulous scoundrels without conscious and virtue, they are veritable creatures from hell, capable only of taking lives………” ~ Monstrum – A Portrayal of Witchers, Anonymous

An ominous roll of thunder seems to shake away the darkness revealing misty wood. Rushing through this forest with torrential rains stinging his face, his body the testament to the life path he chose to tread, a wounded man runs. He fights to stay conscious. To stay alive. To stay ahead of the dangers at his back. But fight as he must, even a wolf, a white wolf, must lay down to reality. His eyes grow heavy, his muscles grow weak, his hold upon the waking world slips gently as thunder rolls over him once more.

And like the fading sound of the storm, he knows only the nothingness of oblivion.

The present slowly peels away the shadows as his eyes open to a waking nightmare. His hands and feet are bound by iron and stone. Darkness flickers and sways as torchlight reddens the dungeon halls. He knows why he is here. He knows what his captors intend. And for many, their tale would end here. But not for him. Not for the man many simply call The Witcher.

In fact, his tale has only just begun.

In the sequel to CD Projekt Red’s mature treatment of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher book series, the king of Temeria, Foltest, lies dead; assassinated by someone with powers very similar to Geralt’s. After escaping the dungeons of Temeria, The White Wolf embarks upon a journey to find out who this assassin is, and what dire straits this murderous act will have upon the world itself. And to be honest, I half expected this game to be heavily censored when it made the transition from PC to console boxes. Thankfully someone at the ESRB finally realized that the ‘M’ rating for this game actually means “Mature” not “Modest.” There’s plenty of plenty to keep any hardcore RPG fan happy for at least 50 to 60 hours. Everything from a Hangover-esque side quest to obvious Fight Club inspired mini-games.

And how you want to tackle these events are entirely up to you.

Because once you get past the less-than-easy prologue events, the world literally opens up and becomes your oyster. Every quest you take is unique. Every side quest you tackle is engaging, adding more and more to the tapestry of Geralt’s life. Every choice in this game seems to have its own line of consequence; something that cannot be magically erased and/or forgotten about later on during gameplay. Your decisions can, and sometimes will, come back to haunt you.

All of this gives you this sense of progression. Of change. This feeling that you are quite literally shaping and defining the world around you. And in that doing so sometimes feels like an accomplishment worthy of a game’s end boss triumph just makes it all the more sweet. Because the “getting there” is by no means an easy feat. If you’ve ever played Demons Souls or Dark Souls, well, The Witcher 2 is just a notch below that. Expect to see Geralt fall more than once, sometimes just a whisker’s hair away from coming out the victor, to the inevitable “use your head and try again” approach to some enemy encounters.

With this being an RPG, there’s the proverbial “leveling up” system mostly tied to the chapters themselves. Early on you’ll be confined to certain parts of your rather expansive skills tree, but once you get some experience under Geralt’s belt, it gets deeper and more rewarding. My only personal gripe is that there’s really not much in the way of a collection mechanic. Sure you might come across (or craft) some visual bit of armor, but as far as weapons go it’s rather stingy and downright miserly. If you’re hoping that every bad guy has a new dagger, a new sword, a new piece of armor you can doll up on your Geralt with, well, expect to be disappointed. New arms and armors come in a very short supply line.

With this being a Mature-rated game, it does have rather graphic depictions of sex and nudity. CD Projekt Red left nothing (and I mean absolutely nothing) to the imagination. Yet oddly, I didn’t consider these scenes to be overly gratuitous or shockingly explicit. Frank yes, explicit… OK, maybe to a point. But nothing that would lead me to march down to my local Gamestop demanding that the video game public boycott said business for selling what some people *coughFoxNewscough* consider to be “interactive smut.” The game’s rating reflects the core audience it was intended for. If you didn’t want 12 year-old Jimmy oogling nude scenes you, yes you parents, should not have bought the damn game for him to begin with.

There is a inherently “dirty beauty” to this game. CD Projekt did a good job with their RED Engine, even though there are the occasional texture pop-in moments, frame-rate stutter (especially during a rather grandiose Boss Fight), they’re minimal. Towns and environments look exceptionally well done, very organic, and vary from one another in small or significant ways. Various venues can range from decrepit and bleak looking townships that look like the buildings are being held up only by magic, termites and prayer, to the solid and weather worn spires of stone that, though battered by time and war, could last well into the next century.

On a gameplay standpoint… well, to be honest it takes a little getting used to, due to the fact that the layout of the various functions on the 360 pad takes a bit to memorize and remember (especially when you’re trying to do something in the heat of battle), but once you do it becomes a manageable exercise. Nothing overbearing or inherently difficult. It just takes some pratice.

I am surprised though that, unless you’re hovering in on the top tier difficulty levels, the game wasn’t as challenging as I had feared it would be. Yes, the game starts off strong and only gets stronger as you progress, but it’s manageable. It can be unforgiving at times; sometimes unrelenting, but that’s the beauty of it all. It’s unapologetic for those of you who think that your character is this god-like being right out of the gate who can wade into a throng of bad guys and expect to walk away from the encounter unscathed. Every encounter, EVERY one, requires you to take a moment to mind your surroundings, to ready yourself and, more importantly, have a healthy respect towards your enemies. It’s a simple rule of course, one that any RPG fan out there should be familiar with; use your head or you’ll soon find yourself without one.

There’s plenty of side activities to keep you both entertained and invested in the game’s storyline. Things like an underground bare-knuckle “Fight Club,” competition, Arm-wrestling, Dice poker gambling, and of course, the monster killing. Which is Geralt’s forte as a Witcher. All of this eventually feeds into experience bar and helps beef him up for the later chapters, and hey, they’re actually a lot of fun to do.

As far as the audio goes, wow. Exceptional. The music is a blend of high fantasy, heavy drums, light wind chimes, the thrum of some stringed instrument. Even the occasional use of bagpipes and lutes. The “Howl of the White Wolf” is nearly on par with Skyrim’s “Dovahkiin” battle song. And currently my second favorite bit of musical prose behind the aforementioned Elder Scrolls melody. Voice work is quite good, the main story characters come across as being well treated, though there are some samey-ness to the world’s NPC’s. But it’s a minimal gripe compared to the overall excellence of the game’s voice track.

Hands down though the story was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. There’s branching choices that carry over from chapter to chapter. Everything you do changes the story. Do you side with Iorveth or Roche? Do you rescue your longtime companion Triss, or the blinded Phillipa? Every choice branches the story, and every branch has its own consequence and reward. Everything you do comes back to haunt or uplift you in some way. These choices are, for better or worse, made in indelible ink. Choices that linger in your head all the way to the end. And it’s a great, enticing hook to make you want to replay the game again and again to see all the little permutations play out.

Final Thoughts: Despite some graphical marring here and there, and despite the occasional (but still manageable) difficulty spike from time to time, the game is still enjoyable. Yes, it can be somewhat text heavy in places, and yes it can be a little too mature for some; it is, and always will be, a mature and grown-up RPG. One that gives as much joy as it does frustration. The interesting thing I find about the whole Witcher series has been CD Projekt Red’s rather unwavering commitment to their vision of Sapkowski’s world. Brutal, violent, uncompromising, and fearless. And if that same level of vision and commitment carries over to the forthcoming Witcher 3: Wild Hunt release, then we’re all in for one wild, wild ride.