I made this post 2 weeks ago after completing the Witcher 1 where I outlined my thoughts on the game, concluding that it was overall a very good game despite its outdated graphics (something I'm used to as I'm running a potato laptop). Now that I've got a new machine, I decided to continue onto the Witcher 2. I just finished and decided to make a post for anyone curious to view my thoughts.
A bit of context: I technically finished the game, but only on Roche's path. I plan to replay the game on Iorveth's side in a few days but I just had to make a post soon otherwise I felt I would lose my initial thoughts and opinions on the game.
So first, I should begin with the visuals.
The graphics in this game are fantastic. I may be a bit of a caveman in terms of gaming visuals, but I'm always quite blown away by the detail and artistry of the terrain in this game. La Valette Castle and Loc Muinne are my favorite places in the game. I enjoyed the designs of the characters as well: Geralt gets to keep his white witcher stature, Roche took a while to get used to due to that funny hat he's wearing but he's was good, Letho was fantastic along with his badass friends Serrit and Auckes. Henselt, Dethmold, Sile and Iorveth were all designed well, fit for the personalities. My only gripe is Iorveth's ridiculously large bow, making him look like a ninja straight out of Naruto.
The voice acting was good. I particularly like the voice acting for Dethmold, Roche and Letho. I understand he's supposed to be calm and cool all the time but I wished they added a bit more tonal differences in Geralt's dialogue. By Chapter 3, I was hoping he would have something to relieve that sore throat of his. Despite that, the dialogue in this game is much better than the first, as well as the dialogue options. I like how they don't just repeat what is said in the selections. Dandelion and Zoltan remain one of my favorite characters in the series thanks to the quirky dialogue and great voice acting. The addition of trolls provided some much needed relief. I'm quite glad to say I got the "Friend of Trolls" achievement on Steam.
Onto the story itself. I enjoyed the political themes of the game. It really made it easy to have the whole "moral dilemma in your actions" thing. I like how they didn't immediately lay bare the consequences of some of your actions (Saskia being the dragon, handing Anais to Radovid) but after playing this game for 30 over hours, you can tell there's always gonna be consequences to your actions. I enjoyed Roche's storyline. How he lost the Blue Stripes will always be a shame.
Unlike in the first Witcher where they attempted the whole "solving the mystery" in Chapter 2, which in my opinion fell flat on its face because of more than the story itself, I like how they weren't afraid to try it again. This time, the got it right. Helping solve the conspiracy of Henselt's army and also Foltest's killers were very satisfying, despite both their varying differences of importance. Unlike Vizima, the entirety of the map did not feel like a chore to navigate. I'm sure spamming dodge rolls had something to do with that but nevertheless it was still designed well. This however, did not apply to Loc Muinne. Although aesthetically pleasing, I was often lost in the ruins and the map provided very little help. This put me off doing the sidequests and I breezed through the main storyline of that Chapter until the prologue.
The combat system was a breath of fresh air. I played on normal so I'm assuming it was relatively easy. The only thing I wasn't sure of was the use of mutagens (not sure how to use them) and also adrenaline. I think I might've forgotten what it was used for but it was never mentioned again. I like how you had to prepare beforehand when fighting a monster whether by potions or traps or getting the appropriate bombs, but it was very nice when your potion runs out due to a cutscene. I enjoyed some of the boss fights. The fight with the Draon was my favorite i think, particularly due to the visuals. The fight with the Kayran was pretty creative and I liked how they forced you to rely on your other apparatus, not just mash the right mouse button.
One thing they did much better here is boss deaths. In the Witcher 1, killing the Professor or Azar Javed felt unsatisfying and left a lot more to be desired. However, Dethmold's and Henselt's death at the hands of Roche felt extremely good. I particularly loved when Henselt succumbs to Roche's stab whilst saying "A flea has bitten a lion". Seeing Dethmold have his balls cut off and throat slit was satisfying to say the least.
If I had to pin one character as my favorite from the Witcher 2 besides Geralt, it would have to be Letho. You know the game is made right when it manages to convince you to let the man you've been hunting down since the prologue to walk away after gradually explaining his point of view. Yes, it sucks that he helped Nilfgaard soften the North for the taking, but ultimately his intentions were just as noble, if not more noble than yours. Letho is the true King of Neutrality. His ultimate aim was the restore the Witcher School of the Viper, whether by means of Scoia'tael, sorceress or Nilfgaardian invasion. He has a way of coming off as both slightly twisted but noble at the same time. And his voice acting was absolutely the best in the game, in my opinion. It felt like they were trying to mimic the cold calculative voice of Geralt, but they did it better for Letho, partially maybe because he had less things to say.
Like the first installment of the series, I'm glad they didn't spoonfeed you into the politics and background of the world straight away. A risky move, but it lent to the authenticity and political backdrop of the game nicely. I like how they didn't hand out information about Yennefer, even though she was not mentioned in the first game at all. Having Geralt restore his memory felt like a milestone each time it happened. There was a sense of achievement at finding out something of your past and you were well rewarded with a beautiful animation. Speaking of which, some of the fight scenes were beautifully choreographed, specifically the fight with Serrit and Auckes, and Letho in Chapter 1.
Ultimately, the game is very good. I thought the Witcher 1 was good with its outdated graphics, but the Witcher 2 removed that hindrance while still keeping its great storyline. The political scheming of the game may not be suited for everyone, but it was for me. But who doesn't like solving mysteries, whether it be about the assassin of kings or the pasts of witchers?
I'm gong to finish up on Iorveth's path now. I got the Witcher 3 on sale for half price and I'm extremely excited. If its half as good as people say it is compared to the second, I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
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[Spoilers] Just finished the Witcher 2
![I found this moment really sad and unexpected. I helped him find a black pearl for his wife and then this happens...[Spoilers]](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/BhjR27iMLgpkHwW6jUaA9UU8nOTwI-VBh7lTb_tKJLg.jpg "I found this moment really sad and unexpected. I helped him find a black pearl for his wife and then this happens...[Spoilers]")
![[Spoilers?] Best screenshot of Ciri I took](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/6QjiG_LFPw0A2xbz6phjuxJw41TQPGi2ByHOMAnU8QA.jpg "[Spoilers?] Best screenshot of Ciri I took")
![I Made a Medallion Out of Paper [x/post r/papercraft]](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/VcLQt3QAROcob3BS26hB9VHqBOOcDWf0OqKsxZLC1Vw.jpg "I Made a Medallion Out of Paper [x/post r/papercraft]")
losing all my music, games, etc was not fun! Thanks and good hunting.
