As you might be aware of by now, the witcher games are based on the novels by Sapkowski of the same name and borrows from the world, mythology, characters and the backstory. Even though they claim the games take place a few years after the stories end in the book, it is nonetheless heavily derived from the books and it will do you good to read up on the stories before delving into the game. Adding to it, this game continues immediately after the first one ends, and if you are a gamer who happens to arrive on this title without knowing the stories in the books or the previous game, you are in for a steep learning curve. This is the biggest drawback I faced in the first few hours of the game, as it expected me to be aware of everything that is going on in the game world, which in turn is based on what went on in the books. Learning up on the characters, the setting, the world and the lore is a hefty task and will take up quite a long time. Luckily, that's where the negatives end, mostly. CDPR's epic take on the witcher franchise continues with this game where the titular witcher Geralt of Rivia finds himself knee-deep in politics governing the administration and warfare between different countries of the Continent. Although he prefers to keep himself away from sides of the law and morality, you will be forced to pick sides as you try to clear your name of regicide. The story of the game is narrated by Geralt's friend Dandelion, the poet, and will be his continuous input in your journal on the story, characters and locations that will help you keep everything together in your mind. And this is the most important menu where you will spend countless of hours reading up on everything as the game doesn't hold your hand when it comes to making choices. Decisions in the game don't work like a good-bad meter but are as natural as it comes. It expects you to know the characters, the story and their motivation behind their actions, and then make the best choice you can make in the circumstance. And that makes the story very fluid. You will not realise when it branches off from the other alternative and will continue smoothly into the next section while the rest of the world will react to your choice in a natural way and the story will change accordingly.
The combat has always been a strong point of the games and it continues to be so in here. You will be possessing two swords at all times, steel for sashing down humans and silver for monsters. You will also have signs or magic spells to cast at your opponent. Outside combat you will have ingredients to collect around the world and make potions which will enhance your senses, giving you an upper hand in combat and also at times, in side quests. The ingredients for potions diagrams for armour and swords can be bought from shops or dropped by enemies as you kill them. Although it doesn't give you the option of customising your character, as the mythology requires Geralt to remain Geralt in his adventures, you can always equip him with the best weapons and armour, and use the well-planned out skill tree to improve his abilities as per your play style, upgrading his swordsmanship, magic or alchemy powers one at a time.
Yet it is the story that takes the centre stage in the game. Compared to a typical RPG game, it is short and that acts to its advantage. There is always something going on and you will constantly be busy doing tasks which will progress the story or earn you some very useful coins. This constant engagement in the world makes the game very fast-paced as it refrains from being open world and instead gives you full areas to play in each chapter. You will find yourself lost in the story mainly due to the characters, each of whom has a set of ideals, morals, objectives and will ask different things from you. Choosing between what you do and why you do it will determine how the game plays out, as the aftermath of your choices can be quite widespread.
It is a wonderful game filled with a great story, great character and good gameplay, and the top-notch presentation both visually and auditory makes a ride worth taking.