We’ve got a bunch more reviews for CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for your perusal, most of which stick to the overall positive tone of reviews this game has been getting (and one being not very positive at all), but with plenty of points of critique too. Strategy Informer, 9.
Trouble is it can also be incredibly frustrating. Block inexplicably uses the same energy pool as magic and takes ages to refill even on higher levels, meaning if you’re out of energy you have no way of stopping enemy attacks. The Quen shield spell is utterly essential, often to the point where if I didn’t have it on I’d die quickly. And you will, since there’s little on-screen warning that Geralt’s health is low and even the most basic enemies can kill you in seconds.
Just to add to the frustration, sometimes the auto-lock on function won’t work and Geralt will swing at air despite his target being right in front of him (even if that target’s a huge dragon that fills the screen). I’m not going to complain about bugs too much since CD Projekt are exceptionally good at tracking them down (remember the Enhanced Edition they gave away free?), but they are there. This isn’t a 100% polished game.
Frustration comes in at far too many moments. Some of the boss battles are just utterly unfair, but there’s such a massive gulf between Easy and Normal it feels like cheating to reduce the difficulty. One fight against the kingslayer saw him spam magic attacks and block often (which was impossible for me) which I really struggled with, but on Easy he didn’t fight back at all and I just quick-attacked him to death. I can’t even imagine doing it on Hard, let alone Insane.
VideoGamer, 9.
It’s worth mentioning that this game manages to fulfil the task that many games have taken a swing at but often never quite hit on the mark (Fable 3, here’s looking at you). There is no clear good or bad option in Witcher 2 when almost all decisions are firmly lodged in the greyest of grey areas something that happens to give a legitimate sense of weight to every choice you make. Likewise, don’t expect the clear cut polarity of moral alignment charts.
Geralt is an amnesiac Witcher essentially a half-breed of mutant and mage who make it their profession to kill off monsters, and he is attempting to clear his name after being accused of assassinating the king (no spoilers here: it’s in the title, see).
And despite the good-hearted objective there are few quests that aren’t riddled with very visible collateral damage in the form of innocent NPCs who you can actually sympathise with. When Geralt saves a destitute woman who can only return the favour in sex it’s not the lol-inducing meme of the original’s cards, instead the act feels nothing if not faintly depressing as you take advantage of a waif.
Zavvi Blog, no score.
But be aware that The Witcher 2 has perhaps the most stubbornly hardcore opening tier of any videogame in recent memory, and yet because the process of actually learning the ropes yourself only drags you deeper into its universe, you won’t begrudge it. And whether or not you’ll find yourself having to modify the difficulty at any point and this is far from unlikely The Witcher 2 is part of that new breed of involved, uber-serious RPGs in which everything gets noticeably easier the further that you progress. If the story and the choices that you’re forced to make in it weren’t so studied and intelligent, this would be frustrating. But the fact that you aren’t constantly worried about gearing up appropriately before a skirmish or overly concerned with juggling save points, means that you are free to fully engage with the story.
Neoseeker, 9 and editor’s choice.
Firstly, unlike with The Witcher which featured fully timed combat, you absolutely can click like a madman here and pull off combos. This is no fun, of course, and I found myself naturally taking a more measured, rhythmic approach to fights, but it is there, and is disappointing to see. However, timing does play a reasonably sized role in knowing when to chain quick and strong attacks together, when to block or counter attack, when to dodge, when to plant traps or throw bombs, and so on.
The second issue is difficulty and balance. At the beginning, even on Normal, the game is satisfyingly tough, at least the first time around. By the time you get to Chapter 2, however (around the midway point), even on Hard most fights are ridiculously easy. The developer made some balance changes in the day 1 patch, however, so hopefully there are plenty more to come. If not, it’s likely modder Flash — who created the great ‘Full Combat Overhaul’ mod for The Witcher — will come to the rescue.
MMOMFG, no score.
It’s been awhile since I’ve played a (hardcore) RPG game. A game with inventory, stats, quests, monsters, and plenty of fantasy elements. Yes, Dragon’s Age II came out only a few months ago, and while I did enjoy it, I wouldn’t consider it a hardcore RPG game. Though I’m not penalizing games like DA II and Mass Effect 2 for their more streamlined approach, The Witcher 2 has the difficulty and complexity of an old school RPG. While that may scare some newcomers off (see below), once you’ve gotten acquainted with the title, you’ll enjoy everything this title throws at you. For those looking for the raw substance that RPGs of old, look no further. Also, you’ll see new landscapes, buildings and settings throughout the game, unlike repeat houses, caves and environments, like Dragon Age II.
Destructoid, 6.
When all’s said and done, however, one cannot help but feel unsatisfied, like the aggravation of the game’s opening chapter and the brevity of the third just doesn’t do enough to make the game worth playing. I don’t think I’d have completed this title, or even bothered playing for more than hour, if I wasn’t writing a review. I value my time too much to waste it on a game that tries its hardest not to be enjoyed.
The issue of reward vs. hassle is typified in the game’s quest objectives, which are all subject to flagrant heaps of backtracking and reptition, usually being of the “kill these” or “collect this” variety. Each chapter takes place in one large environment, and players will need to traipse through the same old scenery in order to complete any type of quest. The lack of “fast travel” and tendency for the game to force players back up through a dungeon after they’ve fought their way down adds to the boredom. Most sidequests offer up little in the way of compensation either, and can often be safely skipped without missing anything worthwhile. The extra experience points are nice, but you can usually grind the same amount through combat in with less frustration, and monetary rewards are usually of inconsequential value.
Even aside from this problem, I have a list of niggling issues that, while small on their own, add up to constant annoyance. The game struggles to make doors work properly, often forcing Geralt and NPCs to take turns opening and closing them rather than leaving it open and letting everyone through at once. The shopping menu and the crafting menu are on separate screens, and players need to back out of an entire conversation with a merchant in order to access each one. The auto-targeting system is dreadful, with Geralt constantly switching opponents halfway through attacks and diving into a group of enemies to attack a monster, while ignoring the three that were far closer. Context-sensitive commands such as looting and climbing often require the player to be stood in an exact place, and won’t work if he’s even an inch out of this arbitrary space. These petty grievances mount up over time, especially when they occur at such regular intervals.
