The Witcher Finished

***Spoile Alert***

I wrapped up The Witcher this afternoon. From start to finish, I enjoyed this game. Having never read the books, I can't say how closely the game followed them. But towards the end, the The Witcher introduced and mixed some 21st century issues within fictionalized fantasy world. Racism, fascism, climate change, scientific experimentation, temporal realities, paternity: all strewn throughout the story in a fairly cohesive manner. I was a bit surprised that some of these themes hinted subtly at the exploits of Hitler and Nazi Germany, especially the Grand Master's rational for raging a war against the demihumans. Clearly, that history still permeates the European consciousness. As it should.

The ending cutscene was beautifully rendered. Geralt receives his coin directly from the King and then leaves. On the way out, he notices guards dead by the entrance. He turns around and sees an assassin cutting through the page and jumping upon the King. Geralt charges and the two engage. They're well-matched, exchanging blows and parries as they dance within the apex of the throne room. Geralt finally gets an opening and lops off the assassin's arm, following with a death blow. When he uncovers the assassin's mask, he gasps in recognition.

I'm not going to tell you what he sees because if you haven't played this game, you find out for yourself. Yes, the game has a clunky translation. But the story's background and world framework are solid and the gameplay fun and intuitive. The fact that CDProjekt is coding an upcoming patch to fix some of the voice-over and dialogue is a strong testament of their commitment to making a great game. I'm looking forward to playing the sequels.

Up next: Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansion, the Mask of the Betrayer. I might revisit The Witcher after the patch comes out, supposedly next month, but the game is so long, I doubt I'll have the time to finish it again.