I remember seeing some hype about how The Witcher contained breasts. We’re all happy about decapitations, torture and gang-related crime (yes you GTA), but when it comes to exposed body parts, there’s some kind of uproar. When’s the last time you heard about a kid going on a rampage through school with a shotgun because there had been a pair of breasts in a game? Oh. That would be never then. What’s the big hang up?

Sure, The Witcher’s a more mature version of, say, Neverwinter Nights, and yes you may be able to sleep around a lot if that’s your wish, but it’s not done on a particularly crude level. It may also be a tad sexist insofar as to say that when you happen upon a druid she just happens to have her baps out, whereas the Elder Druid is thankfully keeping his wrinkly tackle from plain sight. I can’t really say this is anything that hasn’t already been ‘touched’ upon previously, what I’m really concerned with is how the game plays!

The Witcher is a fantasy RPG based on a series of books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski that centre on a monster-hunting mutant called Geralt. He starts the game with amnesia, which he seems to deal with really well when talking to his old pals. After being collectively attacked at a Witcher fort, where the aggressors manage to steal some valuable Witcher potions and formula, Geralt’s thrown into an investigation to track them down.

The game was built on an updated version of BioWare’s Aurora Engine that’s had some nice additions including some nice Sky Boxes and Light Maps for a prettier overall look to the game. It also features a top down or over-the-shoulder style of camera, although while the shoulder-cam’s a nicer option to take in the environment and let you move around in the classic WASD mode it can be a right pain when the camera intelligently sits behind a tree while you’re fighting.

The combat system is one up from previously mentioned Neverwinter Nights, allowing you to get multiple combos while attacking. To do this you’ll get an on screen prompt, and if timed correctly, Geralt will usually do better damage and stop the enemy retaliating. The main gripe I have with this is a lack of character animations for successive attacks. Additionally, the main point to a Witcher is to have two blades, one of silver and one of steel. That way, being a monster-hunter, you can smack them around a bit for more damage, and, if human, your steel one will do the trick. Quite why silver isn’t as effective I don’t know – I can’t really imagine myself stopping to think “Hang on – was that silver or steel he just cut my innards out with?” All seems a bit superficial at that stage.

I got the whole point-and-click vibe when playing The Witcher as you don’t get to customise your character as you’re playing Geralt, and although the skill tree’s quite extensive at first, for the most part I imagine players will end up conforming to a set path because it ends up the sensible option. It’s not exactly as if you have to focus on archery or magic, as you don’t get ranged weapons and magic’s useful but not a main form of attack. You don’t exactly heal yourself either; you just up your regeneration rate, predominantly through use of potions although you can use consumables too.

Alchemy’s actually one part of the game I feel has been done well. You wont be able to do alchemy at any time, you have to be meditating to start the process. Meditation is something you can do by clicking on select fireplaces (on in some cases starting your own fire) where you’ll pause time and can then think about assigning traits (if you’ve levelled up or consumed a trait giving potion) or mixing a potion. It’s also a handy way to forward on time if you’ve got to do something at a set time of day. If you have the right ingredients, which you can buy or find around the world, and the right recipe, you can mix a potion. These potions can range from adding specific damage enhancements against specific creatures, upping your health or stamina regeneration levels or reflexes. In some cases, usually involving a rare boss ingredient you’ll be able to mix potions that give you additional ability points.

I guess the main reason this works for me is that you don’t wander up to a merchant and buy a huge stack of health potions that instantly give you back a portion of your life. This not only adds to the intensity of any given situation, it also forces you to consume other potions, something that isn’t done enough in my opinion. For example, there’s a section when you get set upon by about 20 men in a hospital – I consumed a reflex potion at this point (blizzard) which slowed time allowing me to dodge about and take them all out a lot easier than if I’d try to do it without that kind of aid. After all, this is what Geralt is all about.

As I mentioned before, upon levelling up you’ll get ability traits – bronze, silver and gold. You can spend these on your overall stat architecture; strength, stamina, dexterity etc, or on magic or weapon styles. You’ll get three bronze talents per level to spend which is plenty to begin with as you progress through the game at quite a balanced pace which should never make you truly feel overwhelmed – unless of course you’ve spent your points on something silly. You ninny.

To mix in some variation taken away by the lack of customisation, you’ll get 3 different combat stances – quick, strong and group. The quick stance allows you to take on more agile opponents; the strong against sturdy and the group can be used against both but is more effective against groups of light units. You’ll normally only be able to tell which you should be using, before you get to know them of course, by attacking and see if they dodge or parry out the way, and thus switch to the stance respectively.

You’ll also get a few different magic types called ‘Signs’ which can be used in combat. Although these Signs are quite expensive you can usually get your stats up enough to use them a few times in battle without the use of a regenerative potion. They can range from hurling fire at your opponent, shooting spikes from the ground or stunning / knocking back the enemy (which can additionally allow you to coup de gras the enemy). The Signs can be powered up with ability traits like the rest of your stats upon meditating.

I think you’ll like the immersion if you’re used to RPG’s in this genre. The Witcher boasts bar fights, wenches, “Dice Poker” (fab) and side quests amongst other things, all wrapped up in a nice looking, ever-changing environment housing weather effects, night and day, and a host of weird and wondering NPC’s. The game doesn’t break any new ground however, and the combat can be more hack-n-slash monotonous on a comparative to its larger RPG brothers. The conversations and character relationships, particularly those you’re looking to bed, can be a bit… well, odd. Having someone turn around and tell you that the intricacies and conspiracies of the storyline are a turn on and why hadn’t I already asked her to get her kit off doesn’t exactly fit. Not to mention some of the random and repetitive things that the NPC’s come out with as you’re walking down the street. Oh, and talking of those, a lot of them look identical, which became apparently extremely early on when one of the main storyline priests who I had previously killed, was walking down the street – with his identical brother ‘Generic Priest 2’.

While The Witcher should easily keep a desperate RPG fanatic amused for a while, the lack of in-depth customisation and skill progression will cause a few to put the game down to pick up the next best thing.