One of the most surprising games at E3 2006 was The Witcher, developed by CDProjekt. From the eerie atmosphere of the game to the innovative gameplay, this game had me hooked as soon as I set my eyes on it.

No knight he, though a master of the sword
No wizard he, though adept in the art of magic
He did not care to save the world,
Yet for many he was a deliverer
He was no murderer, though he killed for a living
The legend of him that arose…
…is not over.

That sets up the game’s character, Geralt, pretty well. Geralt is a Witcher, or in other words, a professional monster slayer. After a great war, the lands became overrun with vicious beasts and monsters, which brought forth a need for such Witchers. Stronger than mere mortals and armed with the power of sorcery, Geralt’s sole purpose in life is to kill the monsters that plague the world.

Geralt isn’t a regular human, which is good because fighting monsters isn’t for wussies. He’s been trained since childhood to battle monsters, and was subject to magical experiments that transformed him into the perfect killing machine. Geralt is stronger than mere humans, with super reflexes and stamina. He does not age, and can even see into the darkness. Essentially, Geralt is a monster slayer for hire and one of the most dangerous fighters in the world! Unfortunately, he also has no memory. When the player first takes control of Geralt, they will be unconscious, weak, and without any memory of what has happened.

The world of The Witcher is based on the short stories and novels of Andrzej Sapowski, a prominent Polish fantasy author. I was given a chapter summary from “The Last Wish,” by Andrzej Sapowski, and have found it to be a very interesting read. Sapowski’s fantasy world is often considered to be bleak, with no clear distinction between good and evil. This will show through the game as players will face difficult choices and, rather than choose the obvious “good” or “bad” option as in many RPGs, you’ll have to choose between the lesser of two evils. The game essentially has two plots: global and personal. Not only will the player be trying to unravel the mystery of Geralt’s lost memories, but they’ll find themselves trapped within a great political power struggle. Players will have plenty of opportunity to influence the story, but the consequences of your actions won’t always be readily apparent, meaning you’ll actually want to put a little bit of thought into your actions. The story will feature three different endings depending on the choices you make throughout the game. One example we were shown at E3 was after Geralt and his comrades had captured an enemy. You then have the option to kill the prisoner, torture the prisoner, or give the prisoner truth serum. Each of these choices have their ups and downs, so none of them is necessarily the right or wrong decision. Players will be faced with over a hundred main-storyline quests and at least that many optional side quests.

The combat in the game appears to be fast paced and exciting, with plenty of emphasis on the action. It’s not simply hack n’ slash like we see in so many other games, and players can parry enemy arrows with their sword as well as roll on the ground to dodge. Combat will also have a tactical element to it, with position playing an important role. The enemy AI promises to be intelligent, and will also use position to their advantage in combat. Enemies will often try and swarm you, hitting you from behind to take advantage of your weakness. You’ll face off against a wide variety of enemies in the game, from humans to Bruxas (female vampires), and each will not only use a different strategy against you, but will also require a different strategy in order to defeat.

Geralt will have 15 different traits that gamers can build up throughout the game, with each trait having a tree of special abilities related to it. All in all, there are over 250 special abilities that players can learn through experience in order to customize Geralt to their liking. First off are his 4 attributes: Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Intelligence. You’ll also have five magical powers, called signs: Aard (telekinetic blast), Igni (flame strike), Quen (protective shield), Yrden (magical trap) and Axii (mind influence).

Next up are the six distinct combat modes (strong, swift, and group), with three different styles for each of two different sword types (steel and silver). The strong style will work best against powerful, but slow moving foes. You're best off to use the swift style if you’re fighting agile and lightly armored enemies. Lastly, the group style is best left for when facing off against an entire army of baddies. Each of these styles has five blows (hits) that can be merged into combos in order to do extra damage. The two weapon types are also distinct, as steel swords work best against humans, with special hits based on breaking limbs and crushing bones, while silver weapons are best used against monsters, with magically enhanced combos aiding in your attacks.

Players will be able to take their weapons to the smith to have them improved, as well as have them magically enhanced with runes. Geralt also uses a variety of potions to grant magical effects, such as increased speed or night vision. These potions are potentially deadly, though, and may cause short-term effects such as loss of consciousness or temporary blindness.

The game will be powered by BioWare’s Aurora Engine that was behind Neverwinter Nights. However, they’ve tweaked it heavily in order to enhance the gaming experience. The game looks beautiful, with detailed and uniquely designed characters and a wide variety of impressive animations. Combat will feature over 200 motion-captured animations, keeping the action fresh and exciting to watch. There will be over 200 cut scenes in the game, massive cities, and realistic weather and time effects. The developers have tried to create a living, breathing world that players will find themselves immersed within.

CDProjekt noted that they wanted to create a game that captures the traditional elements of an RPG while still feeling fresh and appealing. It certainly looks to me like they’re on the right track! The game still has a while to go, though, so unfortunately we’re going to have to wait and see…

BEST PC RPG - E3 2006