The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (Enhanced Edition)

 

Witcher 3 is one of my favourite games of all time. It introduced me to a fantasy world brimming with fascinating lore, complex moral issues and an anti-hero that has since become a gaming icon. Geralt of Rivia’s third videogame adaptation is the one that I imagine most people have played. I remember that around the time of Witcher 3’s release, it was all I would hear about. The thing is, that game lived up to its hype and expectations and is now one of the most celebrated games in videogame history. This leaves the second game in an awkward predicament. It certainly doesn’t feel like the black sheep of the trilogy but does have a rather large chip on it’s shoulder. At release, Witcher 2 was seen as a heavy hitter even though it was made by a small development team in Poland. It looked like a triple A game even though it wasn’t one  and this has allowed it to remain special in a vastly growing industry. I never actually finished Witcher 2 during its initial buzz though. I completed the prologue after borrowing it from a friend but shelved it because Mass Effect 3 was going to be released soon and I didn’t want to miss the end of Commander Shepard’s story (even though I wish I did). It was only recently after reading The Last Wish that I decided to give the second game a try and after finding a Xbox 360 copy for cheap on Ebay, it was finally time for me to hunt some monsters again as everyone’s favourite witcher. 

 

 

 Full transparency, I want to talk about the game’s choices, presentation and plot towards the end of this review to conclude with a positive mindset. This is because although Assassins of Kings is revered for its beautiful cinematics, mature themes and world building, it is not loved for its gameplay. Witcher 2 has some of the worst combat I have ever experienced in an open world RPG and the list of baffling design choices is endless. If you were to watch someone play the game you would probably not understand what those issues are but they become so much more apparent when you play. The game uses a mix of hotbar combat seen in MMOs like World of Warcraft and amalgamates it with the combat found in the third game. Geralt needs to be locked on to an enemy to do damage meaning that if his swords visibly pass through an enemy whilst he is not locked on then no damage will be registered. This by itself would be ok but the developers very clearly want Witcher 2 to feel much more like fast inputs and timing matter and with the restrictions of a hotbar system it does not work. Attack animations also tend to lie to the player. Geralt has two options for sword attacks. Light attacks that are quick and deal low damage and heavy attacks that take longer but deal high damage. Now matter which type of attack you try to do though Geralt’s animations will not always sync up with what you have asked for and are randomly chosen from a list. I believe this is down to the developers wanting to make the combat look visually interesting but this is at the cost of player enjoyment. Enemies also are not hampered like Geralt is. What I mean by this is that enemies do not have a vigor metre and do not get tired, meaning that on higher difficulties you will find yourself running away from fights just to avoid the unfair advantage offered to foes. Witcher 2 is also rife with glitches meaning you are going to die several times in the game and the chances are it won’t be your fault. 

 

 

 

The combat isn’t the only area of the gameplay that falls short. The game’s skill tree is poorly executed and leaves a lot to be desired. Geralt can invest in four major skill trees although one is a basic tutorial tree. The other three trees are magic, alchemy and swordsmanship which is easily the best option as Geralt can always use his swords in combat. Magic is the next best choice even though most signs in the game are fairly useless. Quen is necessary for some of the boss encounters in the late game and Aard is the best sign because it staggers enemies allowing you to get a few hits in but they do feel less useful than they do in Witcher 3 overall. The alchemy tree is by far the worst and it shows considering I never invested a single point there. This is because potions can only be drunk through meditation, a state similar to waiting in other RPGs. The problem is that this state cannot be accessed during battle meaning you will have to predict when a big fight is coming or run ahead and see the fight before reloading. The potions that increase Geralt’s life or vigor regeneration are also only useful during large boss encounters and Witcher 2 has a very small number of those. Finally, potions have ridiculously small amounts of time that they are active meaning that you will have to immediately be going into combat for it to be worth it. The potion timer also ticks down during cutscenes or dialogue meaning you will have to spam your way through them if you want to maximise your use of the potion.

 

The last thing I want to talk about regarding Witcher’s 2 gameplay is its overreliance on set-pieces. In Witcher 3, you are let loose in a sandbox to quest, hunt and talk to various npcs. Chapter 3 is the worst offender for this being incredibly short and offering very little exploration. Chapter 1 offers the most exploration but even that chapter uses set-pieces. In the chapter, you are introduced to a large monster called a Kayran and it is upto Geralt to track the monster, prepare some potions and traps to defeat it, and finally take it down. This fight is built up possibly more than any in the series and in any of the Sapkowski stories I have read. It’s a shame then that it falls short just like the rest of Witcher 2’s gameplay. Geralt is placed in a tiny battle arena and must follow a strict checklist of commands to defeat the creature. Trying any alternate route results in Geralt’s death and it feels so restrictive in a game all about choice and player agency. The conclusion of the fight is laughably handled and a deus ex machina resolves the battle to put cherry on top. It is easily my least favourite part in any of the Witcher games I have played.

 

 

 The reason I wanted to talk about the gameplay first is because despite all of it, I still kept playing. Witcher 2 has one of the most complicated plots I have played in a videogame and there are an unreal amount of characters. Geralt, Triss, Roche, Iorverth, Sile, Phillipa, Dethmold, Henselt, Saskia, Stennis, Letho and Shillard are just some of the characters integral to Witcher 2’s plot and there are many more who all have their own agendas and reasons for doing what they do. The game is far more political than Witcher 3 and as a fan of Game of Thrones, I love some fantasy politics. The overarching story though is about Geralt trying to prove his innocence because a king under his protection has been murdered and everyone believes it was him. That story intertwines with a narrative about Elvish bandits, tyrannical kings and the bastard children of the murdered king and it’s all so compelling. The game can also be two completely different experiences depending on your choices. At the end of Chapter 1, you will make a decision that determines where you will end up in Chapter 2 and what characters you will interact with. Some characters overlap of course but this decision to divert players away from some content and towards other content is so compelling to me. It means that Witcher 2 is really a game you need to play twice and even then you may not have the full picture. It is not required to enjoy the story though and speaks to CD Projeckt Red’s writing that they can tell half of the story very well and will make you want to play the other route to see what you missed. The freedom of choice is the pillar that Witcher 2 was built upon and after actually playing it, I can understand where the praise was coming from. Each of the game’s side quests also seamlessly fit into the main narrative meaning that most of them should not be skipped.  

 

The setting of Witcher 2 is also one of the game’s biggest strengths. Whether it’s Flotsam, Vergen or Loc Muinne, the environment is packed with details and stories that make the Witcher world feel distinct. It’s grittier with brothels, fight clubs and creatures lurking around every corner but also has its serene and tranquil areas too. You can partake in monster contracts and dice poker which is a highly addictive mini-game (even though its not Gwent) or compete in the fist fighting tournaments that again link directly to the main narrative. 

 

 

Witcher 2 is a beautiful looking game. Even today with the astounding graphics of The last of Us Part II, Red Dead Redemption 2 or even Witcher 3, Witcher 2 holds its own. Animations are excellently choreographed and even though I complained about them earlier, I would be lying if I said the combat animations didn’t look cool. Character models are detailed and lifelike with Geralt, Triss and Ves being some of my favourites. Voice-acting is great across the board and Doug Cockle has made Geralt an iconic gaming anti-hero because of his rugged but charming voice. Lastly, the game’s music is great with the menu music being a highlight even if it doesn’t come close to the scope of Wild Hunt.

 

 

Conclusion

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was a monumental step forward for CD Projekt Red. It isn’t the decade defining masterpiece that Witcher 3 is due to some odd design choices, a terrible combat system and a plethora of glitches but does tell a great story of personal redemption for Geralt. At the conclusion, he has full clarity back and a new goal to strive for that leads directly into Witcher 3. The plot isn’t perfect with average villains(even though they are good characters) and a bit of an incomplete feeling though. On the other hand the developer’s choice to focus on full player agency should be credited as very few developers have allowed for this level of freedom in an industry overcrowded with games professing this very thing. That’s what helps Witcher 2 stand out. Its willingness to let players make decisions based on their interpretation of a situation rather than any arbitrary morality system. This is why the second game is treasured by so many. 

 

Final rating: "A flea has bitten a lion"

7/10