The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

Just played for the first time, as I played witcher 2 and 3 and couldn't just leave 1 behind. Actually very good story, it has more in common with the masterpiece of witcher 3 than witcher 2 and it feels much better game overal than witcher 2 in my opinion. Lots of interesting sidequests, fun story, well designed characters. The dialogues feel a bit stiff. The controls are very wonky, strange idea to implement a fusion of TPP and isometrical view, not gonna lie, I raged a lot during the combat. But nonethless I had a lot of fun playing this game. Definitely must play for witcher fans and worth trying for any RPG maniac.

This game is an amazing achievement. Not the least considering how old it is and the fact it was made by a then unknow studio on a small budget. To this day it is still worth playing or replaying. The world was unlike anything i've experienced before when i first played. Raw, brutal and uncensored as it should be. The story is great and there is so much to gain from exploring and talking with every character you meet. It is filled with content and fun minigames such as dice playing, fist fighting, drinking contests. And again you never know what the outcome of some of these is untill you try. Admittedly the controls can sometimes feel a little clunky, but once you get used to them it's not really that big of a problem.

This was my first foray into "The Witcher" series. Though common medieval tropes abound, the game is compelling and your choices do have some weight on the outcome of your quest. The game is full of interesting quests and characters, and your loyalty or neutrality to certain factions matters. The graphics are perfectly serviceable. Geralt himself has a bland presentation and personality, which is odd considering the sheer volume of women who throw themselves at him at a moment's notice. Yes, bare-bosomed friends await you at every turn. The elephant in the room is surely the combat. There is a specific rhythm to the combat which means you have to press attack at certain times or your combo ends. It is satisfying to land a powerful combo and pulverize your enemies, but the system takes getting used to at best and may put off players at worst. Overall, the combat did not lessen the experience for me. Additionally, there is a complex skills system, as well as alchemy to give you a specific edge in combat. It takes some cautious planning to invest in the right skills at the right time, as Witchers also carry two blades: silver for monsters, and steel for everything else. Sometimes it feels a little redundant to invest in the same skills for a different material of sword. You can find weapons in shops and as loot from enemies, but most weapons you find are completely useless. You never need to use anything other than your Witcher swords. There are also bombs and traps to experiment with, but they are never required. Aside from armaments, you will also collect alchemical ingredients to concoct potions with. Rummaging through people's houses will net plenty of food, which is mostly useful for bartering or gifts to NPCs. You will also find copious amounts of alcohol, which may be given to certain NPCs or consumed in drinking contests. It's mildly interesting, but it takes too long to sober up. All in all, an above-average experience if you can stomach the combat.

Despite not having aged well (visually or mechanically,) the first chapter of The Witcher RPG trilogy is still surprisingly fun and atmospheric. If you haven't experienced this classic ARPG at least once, then look no further for your digital introduction to the adventures of The White Wolf. + Pretty (by 2007 standards) + Great music and solid voicework/SFX + Epic adventure and a deep story/lore await +/- Complex character building and mechanics - Clunky combat and movement - Doesn't always play nice with newer hardware Solid

The Witcher is not without its flaws (and really, what game is perfect?), but it captures the spirit, if not the exact mechanics, of the olden fantasy cRPG days that seems to be missing everywhere except Eastern Europe these days. I have no other praise to give that others haven't already. Most of the complaints attributed to the Witcher stem either from a player's incompatibility with the genre (understandable, but really too bad for them), or the unpolished mess that it was at launch. The subsequent patches - the largest of which is Enhanced Edition - has largely fixed all of that. Some animations and voice acting could use work but it seems like such a minor thing to quibble about that I treat it as more of a quirk of the game. Thank you for making this game. Thank you so much. If Witcher 2 can avoid the problems this game had, then it will be just that much closer to perfection.