The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

From the bloated cutscenes, lacklustre dialogue, and uninteresting characters to the tedious control system, this is a dull, dull, dull grindfest from beginning to the point where I finally gave up out of boredom. Sword play takes up a large proportion of the game and is basically a matter of mouse-click, mouse-click [pause], mouse-click and so on ad infinitum in battles against various humans, beasties and boggarts that always follow a set routine of moves relating to their character or species type. You basically have one option when fighting which is click your mouse at the right time to watch your character (who by the way is a blank space that its hard to have any interest in whatsoever) deliver a blow. Fighting becomes very boring, very, very quickly. Outside of fighting you'll spend a lot of time endlessly running around the same bit of game world performing pointless side quests, and (I assume this was the game designers intention) taking part in the two god-awful side games of boxing and poker dice to raise cash. Just think of the endless hours of fun you can have playing a truly rubbish boxing game to earn enough oren's (the in game currency) to buy a book, in which the information contained will then allow you to run around killing monster after monster to harvest a brain, for example. The logic being that you cannot recognise, and therefore, are unable to see the brain of something you've killed, until you have read the right book. Fortunately, now you know about brains you can sell them to earn oren's, which ironically you don't really need many of to actually complete the game: To do that you have to basically whale on everything with a sword, and you get one of these for free at the start of the game. By your hundredth mouse clicking bashfest you won't really care about the cliched plot. Avoid: Like the plague in the game.

This game provides the background story of Geralt and serving as an entry point to the beloved franchise. Despite its age, the game's graphics possess a unique charm, and its immersive atmosphere, complemented by exceptional music, sound effects, and intricate details, transports you into a captivating world. One of the game's strengths lies in its extensive gameplay and how the development of the story can vary depending on the decisions you make, offering over 50 hours of content through an array of side quests, contracts, and additional stories. The meticulously designed interface adds to the experience, showcasing detailed aesthetics that stand out amidst the minimalist trends of modern games. This game has some camera modes, whether it be the isometric view, which allows seamless map navigation, or the third-person perspective with traditional controls. These camera modes enhances the gameplay experience, accommodating different play styles. But not all is perfect... The controls, including the combat mechanics, can be uncomfortable, lacking the desired level of action. However, the variety introduced by Geralt's abilities mitigates the monotony to some extent. Another drawback is the occasional instability of the game, with unexpected crashes occurring despite efforts to mitigate the issue. The translations of the game are not perfect, at least in Spanish. In conclusion: This game provides an immersive and nostalgic experience, serving as the foundation of the beloved franchise. Its charming graphics, setting and extensive gameplay offer hours of fun. Despite minor flaws, such as clunky controls, occasional glitches and imperfect localisation, the game remains a must-have for fans of the series and those looking for a deep and engaging RPG experience where decision making influences how the story will unfold.

This game is sublime, let me explain: PRO: 1) Its plot is very solid with multiple choises that changes the future events and the developement of the protagonist and other secondary characters, furthermore not all of the events and plotwists are openly explained and this makes you think and theory about it. The end of the game isn't obvious and has a very cool plotwist 2) For a game of 2007 the so criticated mechanichs of fighting are pretty good, alternating weapons and spells for each enemy. The alchemy system, wich was described by some useless and overcomlicated, is fantastic and essential in more difficult modes. 3) The athmosphere is very cool with the locations, the music and the "potraied scenes" when you make important choises. 4) For all the fans of fantasy the bestiary is breathtaking, you can know description, popular beliefs, strong and weak points and all the story behind every single monster. CON: 1) As a pretty old game the graphic isn't his strong point. 2) It has some crush problem ( I resolved those by just deleting some old game saves directly by the game, it basically took me 5 mins). 3) The dialogues in my language ( Italian ) sometimes are very bad, with lack of empathy from some characters and overemphasis from others. 4) The repetitions of character designs can make you break the immersion in the game.

All the things people applaud Witcher 3 for, the great character writing, quest design, world design, music, is just as good and in some cases even better in this game, it's just held back by CDPR's monetary and creative limitations. Given this was the first game they ever made, this has to be forgiven. The world and atmosphere here is incredible. You just have to push through the clumsy prologue and mediocre combat to truly get to appreciate this delight. Great care went into even the low-level-details of this world and the passion from CDPR is evident in every chapter. This world truly feels lived in, with different characters all acting in accordance to their limited perspectives, with fleshed out lives that make you appreciate them more on second playthroughs. Speaking of replayability, the player-choice enriches your second play-through, seeing different outcomes that you would not expect. It's worth every penny, and it's a shame to see so many people discarded due to that awkward presentation, and I'm sad to say I was almost one of those people.

Don't assume that because it's old th at it's not good. This game meets expectations and more. It's got great Witcher lore and stoy and fits in perfectly with the Witcher world. Though the combat is different from the next two games, it's still pretty fun. Please play this, the first Witcher game. You won't be disappointed.