By this point everyone who considers themselves a gamer has heard of the Witcher 3. Developed by Polish games developer CD Project Red and released in 2015, The Witcher 3 went out to win multiple Game of the Year awards and was generally one of the best-received games by critics and players alike. So what was behind the success of this gaming legend? Let's find out!
1.The Gameplay
Previous incarnation in The Witcher series tried to include half-assed gameplay mechanics that arguably didn’t do them any favors. The first Witcher game used this weird rhythm-based system where you had to time your attacks perfectly and was an overall mess. I remember when I first entered combat in The Witcher thinking to myself 'What the fuck is this? What am I supposed to do here?'. It tried to be a non-action action-based system and ultimately resulted in me giving up 15 minutes in. I wonder how many players it put off before they got to experience what the rest of the game of had to offer in terms of plot. This is a crying shame since there are many strong points throughout the story.
The second Witcher game had a truly action-orientated combat system but the lack of polish made it play out like a poor man's Dark Souls. Not to mention the terrible power creep that eventually made the enemies feel like pushovers. At the beginning, you start out very weak but as you gain levels you become increasingly powerful. I can imagine you probably thinking 'Well, there's nothing wrong with that. That's how games are supposed to play out.' and you would be correct if it were done right. What happened was that you could just level up your Quen sign you could take hits for days without ever having to worry about your health. The multiple sign charges made it so that you could cast keep casting Quen until you ran out of charges but realistically the fights were almost never so prolonged that you would ever reach that state. The game tried to balance this by throwing more enemies at you but at this point in the game you were already mowing them down like paper.
The third Witcher game, on the other hand, improved on all aspects of The Witcher 2's combat system and added new elements to it. You now had two ways of avoiding hits: rolling and sidestepping. Each had its own pros and cons, and one was better in certain situations than the other. It added balance and required you to think how you would approach the fight. It wasn't a matter anymore of roll out of the way and attack it until it's dead. The attack and defence mechanics also got an update. Attacking an enemy head on would result in him blocking most your attacks. You could, of course, mindlessly smack him until his stamina bar emptied and he dropped his guard but that would leave you open to attack from other enemies and break the flow of the fight. A good tactic was to stun the enemy and go at him from the sides or from the back. The parry system also got improved and this time around was actually a useful and legitimate game mechanic. Timing your parry perfectly would break your attacker's balance and he would be thrown back leaving him defenceless for a moment. The sign system was also redone. Gone were the days of the infinite Quen spam. Now you had a single charge to use and it took a good chunk of time to refresh. You had to think carefully how you wanted to use your signs as making a blunder could realistically put you at a disadvantage. The signs themselves were also reworked. All of them were now useful in a certain way. Some were buffed, some were nerfed in comparison to the previous game, but in the end, they were balanced.
2.The Story and Characters
The Witcher's world is based on the books of Andrzej Sapkowski. Geralt was first introduced to readers in a 1986 short story written for a Polish magazine. Over the years Sapkowski kept writing and expanding on this universe he had created and by 1999 we had two collections of short stories and five full-fledged novels. The story dealt with many adult themes and it's regarded today as one of the best fantasy series ever produced.
Adapting the story was a hit or miss in the first game. Geralt was mostly a blank protagonist since he had amnesia. This was a convenient excuse for the game to explain to us the details of the world and while it made sense in this context, it came off as a cheap way to immerse us into the universe. As a book reader, I found myself bombarded by one expositionary dialogue after another, which for me personally had no real purpose. Though I must admit, the game does a good job at presenting the universe in a clear and concise way.
The Witcher 2 starts right where the previous game left us. This time around the story is much more in tone with the source material. Geralt is once again caught in a conflict that doesn't really involve him. He is framed for a high-profile murder and is a wanted man for much of the game. As players, we get to meet many interesting characters and take part in events that are ridiculous, gruesome or some combination between the two. The morally grey characters are much more prevalent here like they were in the novels. We get to resolve situations where sometimes neither outcome is pleasant. Just like in life someone is bound to get fucked over. For all its merit, though, the story is not perfect. In plain terms, the story is very complex, and even at times convoluted. If you are not familiar with the source material, you will be confused. This King and that Kingdom, and that sorcerer... It's enough to make your head spin. The codex entries do a good job of explaining the situation to you, but let's be honest, how many of us actually read those things. This is perhaps more of a subjective complaint, as I personally love a good complex story, but some people were definitely put off by not having a clue what the hell was going on.
The Witcher 3, on the other hand, presents us with a more simplistic story, that generally can be summed up in one sentence. Geralt is seeking to save his adoptive daughter from the Wild Hunt. The deep and fulfilling parts of it come from your interaction with the characters. All of the main characters and even some of the smaller side ones are emotionally developed. They have their own motivations and reasons for doing what they do. That a game can make you sympathetic to a wife-beating alcoholic like the Bloody Baron (best character in the game by the way) is indicative of the quality of the writing. Geralt finally feels like his own person, not being toned down and completely oblivious for the sake of player exposition.
3.The little things
The amount of polish that went into this game is nothing short of amazing. Smaller things like Geralt pushing his scabbard up when sheathing his sword, or your horse getting spooked during battle and bolting you, or when Yennerfer opens a portal at the beginning of the game and should you enter it you will be teleported to the other room. It is attention to detail like that that really fleshes a game out. It makes the world believable and adds authenticity.
4.There was nothing else like it
This one is kind of a half-truth since there are other games of this genre. Open-world, story-driven RPGs have existed before The Witcher 3. Excellent examples of this are The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series which have been fan-favorites for many years. But what The Witcher 3 accomplished hadn't been done before on that scale. It made a sandbox game feel real and not empty and devoid of life. The context of the game also makes your character believable. You are relatively well known throughout the world for your exploits and this is reflected in dialogue. Now take Skyrim for example, where you can gather every title available to you and still be utterly unrecognized by the NPCs. Imagine being a Thane in each of the major cities, the Archmage of the Mage's College, and even the person to kill the leader of a major faction, and still being treated by the rest as if you were a common thug. It's this kind of thing that breaks immersion and partially ruins the experience.
5.The developers
CD Project Red is one of the most beloved game development studios in the gaming industry and for good reason. The approach this company takes is to ensure maximum player satisfaction. Whether it be through good deals or straight up honesty they have done it. CDPR is one of the few studios nowadays that do not impose any form of DRM on their games, there is not a hint of microtransactions in any of their games, and the post-launch expansions that they have developed are absolutely stunning. In fact, it is common saying that Heart of Stone and Blood and Wine could pass for full-priced stand-alone games by modern standards. CDPR has not become obsessed with money and the studio comprises of true game enthusiasts which further resonates with players. While other publishing houses (cough Ubisoft cough EA cough) are trying to milk and dime their customer base at every turn, CD Project Red truly cares about gamers and in doing so has earned their loyalty and commitment.
PS:
Thank you for reading my article. This is my first post on Steemit. I am a 3rd year English Philology student from Bulgaria and I figured that I should put my skills into something productive. I recently found out about this platform and am genuinely looking to be a part of it.