Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

Like all great works of art, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has the much coveted trait of entrancing the audience. It is a gripping tale of love and hate, yet never removed from the harsh reality, that reaches its hand into the core of everyone's heart. From the first few seconds of Geralt limping half naked in a foreboding forest to the last few seconds of him leaving the gates of Loc Muinne, the story has never let up its grasp on the audience. This is all thanks to the captivating combination of a powerful story and world with the gorgeous cinematic presentation. The interface and dialogue options have also been seamlessly (with the exception of potion drinking, I found that took away immersion) integrated into the frame of the game, never giving the audience a chance to realize that they are just playing a game, rather than being in an alternate universe and deciding the fate of the White Wolf. From the great voice deliveries by the whole cast, and the fact that whenever you choose a dialogue option, Geralt actually says it, the player gets a strong sense of immersion, as compared to voiceless heroes which are the norm in Bethesda games. Combined with the strong emotions and lifelike qualities that drive the characters, again absent from most other popular RPG games such as Skyrim, The Witcher 2 becomes less of a game and more of a dramatic telling of an epic tale that the audience has a hand in shaping. Supporting its backbone of a storyline is the enjoyable combat system. This new combat system is very rewarding, as it is very difficult to just button bash their way across battles, forcing the player to take a step back and consider the situation tactically. These tactics include considering what potions to drink before entering the battle, which opponent to tackle first, what signs to cast, and what kind of attack to use (whether fast or hard). After coming out of a battle having had to use your wits, you feel better about yourself. The combat also does not get overly hackneyed, as even when you have godlike equipment combat still presents a challenge (sometimes). As compared to Skyrim where combat at higher levels is basically a chance to show off the godly equipment and spells rather than overcoming adversaries. After having completed the game once, I find myself compelled to complete it again, making different choices, to see what the world would be like if I did this rather than that. I find that the game intends for the player to replay the game, however, I think it would have been better if a new game+ kind of feature was introduced to further draw players to replay. Overall, The Witcher 2 is a great piece of art that is sure to endure the trials of time and be remembered decades later as a milestone in the making of games.